The Lengest Neoi, by Stephanie Choi, was published earlier this year as a winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize. Its title is a play on the Cantonese phrase (Leng Neoi / “Pretty Girl”), subverting expectations of Asian American femininity via code-switching and “mistakes.” In the tender “Speech Derapy” the speaker enters therapy to learn to say her “th” sounds. Language and communication are always at the forefront. Choi also subverts—or, more aptly, enlarges—what we think of as poetry, making forms from crossword puzzles, emails, and voice messages, and text chains. She also pays homage to Marilyn Chin’s “My Name” and her grandmother who features prominently in the book. Here’s the exquisite “Poem Written in My Grandmother’s Dress.”
https://blackbird-archive.vcu.edu/v21n3/poetry/choi-s/grandmothers-page.shtml
Congratulations, Stephanie!
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Author: Denise Duhamel
