Mong-Lan
Brittney Nguyen
Biography
Poet, Writer, Painter, Photographer, Tango Dancer and Instructor
Born in Vietnam
Left Saigon on the last day of evacuation (April 30, 1975)
Moved around the American Midwest and Southwest until finally settling in Houston, Texas
Received a scholarship to and attended Glassell School of Art in Houston
Received her Master's degree in poetry from the University of Arizona, Tucson
Taught English, writing, poetry, and literature at schools including Stanford University, University of Maryland, and University of Arizona
Bibliography
Books-
Song of the Cicadas (Winner of the 2000 Juniper Prize)
Why is the Edge Always Windy? (2005)
Tango, Tangoing: Poems & Art
Love Poem to Tofu and Other Poems
Anthologies-
Best American Poetry
Pushcart Prize Anthology
Watermark: Vietnamese American Poetry and Prose
Literary Journals-
The Kenyon Review
North American Review
New American Writing
The Antioch Review
Literary Journal - Fourteen Hills
Established in 1994
Published at San Francisco State University
Features writing that is innovative and different; a diverse collection of experimental work
Submission: accepts mostly experimental works but some traditional writing as well
poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction
Has also published the works of Alice Notley, Mary Gaitskill, and Peter Weltner
Song of the Cicadas - 1
knowing hunger
the fool doesn't starve
plans fall apart
like playing-card skyscrapers
to want of nothing that's the rule of Buddhists
you say it is fate perhaps
that it should've been then not before or after
we meet when we think drink of each other
of the ocean the rains
trains corrugate the day unwittingly
my hand writes
pigeons coo like bedsprings of lovers
someone keeps opening the windows
the doors
Song of the Cicadas - 2
the doors
open to tunnels we're crawling
time-shoveling in some foreign land
I learn to listen
your words meaning
the moment I meet you at the airport
the hundredth time in my sleep
I've met you
breathing in the you that isn't
from the Bay the ocean seen is as ample
cicadas drone
their dear songs braced in a fever
it usually happens
after the end begins
Writing Style
creative word and line spacing
emphasizes words when read
eliminates the need for punctuation
uses metaphors to compare ideas and create interesting images ex:"plans fall apart like playing-card skyscrapers"
often uses landmarks from Vietnam (Long Bien Bridge, Ha Noi, Red River, Da Lat mountains)
Review
4 out of 5 dentists recommend her poetry
1st dentist: likes the way Mong-Lan positions words on the page
2nd dentist: enjoys reading the creative metaphors and connections that she writes about
3rd dentist: is entertained by the bright colors and descriptions of objects and pictures that her poems form
4th dentist: finds deeper meaning in her words and relates them to her own life
5th dentist: doesn't like poetry.
Overall, they like her new and different writing style and see meaning in her poetry. Some of it doesn't seem to make sense but for the most part she creates an interesting reading experience.