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SDSU Creative Writing Professor Finalist for California Poet Laureate
SAN DIEGO (Tuesday, July 1, 2008) — San Diego State University creative writing professor Marilyn Chin has been named one of four finalists for Poet Laureate of California, the university announced today. "As an Asian American woman poet, I feel honored to have been selected," Chin said. "There’s so much going on in California and the Poet Laureate has an opportunity to represent the diverse and vibrant community of poets in California." The poetry written by Chin, who immigrated to United States in the 1960s, often deals with East-to-West assimilation and its inherent challenges. Chin, who has been teaching at SDSU since 1989, teaches her students that poetry must “make something happen,” whether that means pushing limits or challenging the status quo. "Marilyn Chin has been a key player in our outstanding MFA program for many years, and she’s known for her engaging seminars and innovative methods," said William Nericcio, chair of the department of English and comparative literature at SDSU. "Moreover, she has been instrumental in bringing numerous artists to campus to share their work and interact with our graduate students. All of her colleagues here are proud of her recognition." Chin was one of four chosen from an original list of 13 candidates submitted to the California Arts Council by various nominating organizations. The recommendation of the panel is then forwarded on to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who makes a final selection that is then approved by the California State Senate. "The honor bestowed on Marilyn Chin recognizes her high level of talent and prominence in the literary arts," said Jack Webb, founder and director of SDSU’s Border Voices Poetry Project and one of the five prominent Californians asked to select the four finalists for poet laureate. "This, in turn, reflects well on the SDSU master’s of fine art program in creative writing – the program is becoming increasingly recognized as one of the best in the nation." Chin was born in Hong Kong and raised in Portland, Ore. Her books have become Asian American classics and are taught in classrooms internationally. She is the author of "Rhapsody in Plain Yellow," "The Phoenix Gone, the Terrace Empty" and "Dwarf Bamboo." Chin has won numerous awards for her poetry, including ones from the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard, the Rockefeller Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The role of the California Poet Laureate is to spread the art of poetry from classrooms to boardrooms across the state, to inspire an emerging generation of literary artists and to educate all Californians about the many poets and authors who have influenced our great state through creative literary expression. The two-year position of California Poet Laureate was established in 2001. ### Contact: |
