When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities

“Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color“ by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1991) 

Scholar and writer Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in her seminal essay “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against Women of Color.” Crenshaw defines intersectionality as the complex, cumulative way in which discrimination disadvantages individuals with multiple minority identities. Her essay expounds feminist and critical race theories, examining how sexism, racism, and classism combine, overlap, and intersect.

Crenshaw’s primary example of intersectional politics centers Black women. However, she asserts that, because intersectionality is a lens, it can be mapped onto any number of intersecting experiences. Crenshaw’s scholarship sheds necessary light on Chen’s position as a Chinese American gay man, exposing how each discrete part of his identity must be thought of cumulatively to fully understand the complexities of his lived experience.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (2019)

Vietnamese American poet Ocean Vuong writes with urgency about being caught between disparate worlds in his debut novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. The novel is epistolary, constructed as a letter from a son to his mother, who is illiterate. Vuong discusses the nuances of race, class, masculinity, and sexuality within the novel, aligning with the major concerns of Chen’s poetry. Vuong considers the power of telling one’s own story, never forsaking his sense of self for the sake of others’ expectations.

Both Chen and Vuong exist in the same space: they are both contemporary, queer, Asian American poets raised on the East Coast of the United States. However, both men provide uniquely individual accounts of their intersectional identities through their writing, widening the discourse of contemporary lyric and confessional poetry to include historically marginalized subjects (see: Contextual Analysis “Literary Context”).

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong (2020)

Korean American poet, writer, and professor Cathy Park Hong published her first non-fiction book, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, in 2020. The novel is both memoir and autobiography, organized into seven essays that examine different acts of racial discrimination. Hong considers “minor feelings” to be the negative, dysphoric emotions associated with normalized racism. Hong recounts multiple instances in which her perception of reality was questioned or altogether dismissed throughout the pages of “Minor Feelings,” paralleling Chen’s penchant for honest self-discovery through his poetry.

“A List of Further Possibilities: An Interview with Chen Chen” by Allison Peters (2017)

Allison Peters interviews Chen Chen for the Michigan Quarterly Review, discussing his debut full-length collection of poetry. This interview acts as an extended dialogue to Chen’s poem, “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities,” familiarizing readers with Chen’s distinct voice in casual prose. Peters asks dynamic questions about Chen’s thematic concerns across his body of work. Chen emphasizes the fact that he likes to use his writing as a way to envision joyful Asian American futures, writing narratives that are not solely focused on trauma but instead pivot to center hope. This interview acts as a way to understand Chen’s poetry more thoroughly as he untangles the intersecting identities of his speaker’s world: sometimes his present self, and other times a younger self, creating poetry that is wrapped up in human connection and the desire to be known.