Eileen Chong
Eileen Chong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1980 Singapore |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Language | English |
| Years active | 2004- |
| Notable works | Painting Red Orchids |
Eileen Chong (born 1980) is an Australian contemporary poet.[1]
Early life and education[edit]
Chong was born in Singapore in 1980. She is of Hakka, Hokkien, and Peranakan descent. She grew up speaking English, Mandarin, and Hokkien.[2][3] Chong studied English language and literature at the National Institute of Education in Singapore and taught literature in secondary schools.[3][4]
She migrated to Sydney, Australia, in 2007.[5] After moving to Sydney she undertook a Masters of Letters at the University of Sydney.[4][6]
Career[edit]
Chong was awarded the Poets Union Youth Fellowship in 2010.[6]
In 2011–12, Chong was an Australian Poetry Fellow, which led to the publication of her first book Burning Rice.[6]
In 2016, Chong was poet-in-residence at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and the Bundanon Trust.[7][8]
From 2019 to 2023, Chong's first book, Burning Rice, was on the New South Wales’ Higher School Certificate syllabus for English Extension . This book was the first poetry collection by an Asian-Australian poet to be on the New South Wales’ English syllabus for the Higher School Certificate from 2019 to 2023.[6] Chong's poem, ‘My Hakka Grandmother’, is part of a suite of poems from Contemporary Asian Australian Poets[9] on the NSW HSC syllabus for English, 2019–2023.
Eileen Chong reflected on her upbringing and its influence on themes in her writing:
"To paraphrase Wittgenstein, the limits of the world I grew up in were very much defined by the language of food. Ancestor worship and veneration centered around food offerings; my grandparents and parents certainly never told me they loved me when I was growing up, but they would ask if I was hungry, and they would do whatever it took to feed me, and they fed me well."[2][10]
Personal life[edit]
She is married to Colin Cassidy, her illustrator and husband.[11]
Selected bibliography[edit]
- The Uncommon Feast (single-author essays, poems, and recipes) (2018) Introduction by Judith Beveridge, illustrations by Colin Cassidy. Recent Work Press, Canberra, Australia.
Poetry collections[edit]
- Burning Rice (2012) Australian Poetry New Voices Series 2012, Melbourne, Australia. Reprinted 2013. Pitt Street Poetry, Sydney, Australia.
- Peony (2014) Pitt Street Poetry, Sydney, Australia.
- Painting Red Orchids (2016) Pitt Street Poetry, Sydney, Australia.
- Another Language (2017) Foreword by Paul Kane; George Braziller, New York City, USA.
- Rainforest (2018) Pitt Street Poetry, Sydney, Australia.
- Map-Making (2018), Photographs by Charlene Winfred; Potts Point Press, Sydney, Australia.
- Dark Matter (2018) International Poetry Studies Institute, with Recent Work Press, Canberra, Australia.
- A Thousand Crimson Blooms (2021) University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, Australia.
Anthologies[edit]
- Aitken, Adam; Boey, Kimcheng; Cahill, eds. (2012). Contemporary Asian Australian Poets. Puncher & Wattmann. ISBN 978-1-921450-65-5. OCLC 829058589.
Awards[edit]
- 2013 – Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Poetry, Burning Rice, shortlisted[12]
- 2017 – Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Poetry, Painting Red Orchids, shortlisted[13]
- 2017 – Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Poetry, Painting Red Orchids, shortlisted[14]
- 2019 – NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Multicultural Award, Rainforest, shortlisted[15][16]
- 2022 – NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, A Thousand Crimson Blooms, shortlisted[17]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Austlit — Eileen Chong". Austlit. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b Reid, Georgina (8 June 2016). "New Shoots: Eileen Chong". Wonderground Press. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ a b RedPress, Lady (8 October 2016). "Focus on Australian Women Writers of Migrant Heritage: Eileen Chong". Australian Women Writers Challenge. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Eileen Chong". Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Painting Red Orchids". Singapore Unbound. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Interview #41 — Eileen Chong by Robert Wood". Liminal Magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ "Giving Back: On being poet-in-residence at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney". Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Bundanon: where the future of the arts lies in the past". Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ The puncher and Wattmann anthology of Asian Australian poetry. Adam Aitken, Kimcheng Boey, Michelle Cahill. Puncher & Wattmann. 2012. ISBN 978-1-921450-65-5. OCLC 829058589.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Between The Lines-Eileen Chong". Centre For Stories. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "Interview #41 — Eileen Chong". LIMINAL. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Chasing the elusive literary prize". AsiaOne. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ ""PM's Literary Awards: Four of this year's Miles Franklin shortlist compete again"". The Age, 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2017 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 1 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Perkins, Cathy (Summer 2019). "Excellence in Literature and History". SL Magazine. 12 (4): 52–55.
- ^ "Rainforest". State Library of NSW. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry shortlisting". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
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