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I was born and raised in Singapore but am currently living in the UK as a second-year Philosophy, Politics and Economics undergraduate at the University of Oxford. When I'm not busy stressing over philosophy essays or future jobs, you will probably catch me writing poems on my laptop or getting a good cup of coffee with my friends.
I was born and raised in Singapore but am currently living in the UK as a second-year Philosophy, Politics and Economics undergraduate at the University of Oxford. When I'm not busy stressing over philosophy essays or future jobs, you will probably catch me writing poems on my laptop or getting a good cup of coffee with my friends.
My writing primarily explores queerness and its intersections with disability, race, and gender. In particular, I wish to capture the queer politics of the body as a Chinese Singaporean. My writing has received national recognition and has been published or is forthcoming in various journals including Pleiades, Salt Hill, Passages North, Cincinnati Review, Oxford Poetry, Rattle, Nashville Review, and Quarterly Literary Review Singapore.
My writing primarily explores queerness and its intersections with disability, race, and gender. In particular, I wish to capture the queer politics of the body as a Chinese Singaporean. My writing has received national recognition and has been published or is forthcoming in various journals including Pleiades, Salt Hill, Passages North, Cincinnati Review, Oxford Poetry, Rattle, Nashville Review, and Quarterly Literary Review Singapore.
Who are some of your favourite artists?
Who are some of your favourite artists?
I love most genres of music, but some of my obsessions at the moment are Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom, Sufjan Stevens, Björk, Chappell Roan, Magdalena Bay, and Moses Sumney.
What’s your favourite poem?
What’s your favourite poem?
I adore too many poems to have just one favourite, but here are a few I return to consistently: Chen Chen’s “i love you to the moon &”; Leila Chatti’s “The Rules”; Richard Siken’s “Piano Lesson”; Hala Alyan’s “Half-Life in Exile”; Saúl Hernández’s “This Is How I Fight”; Ada Limon’s “What I Didn’t Know Before”
Which writers have inspired you?
Which writers have inspired you?
Like most of the queer writers I know, Richard Siken's Crush and Aaron Smith's Appetite were formative in my literary journey. I currently love the poetics of Kaveh Akbar, Ocean Vuong, Victoria Chang, Chen Chen, Jericho Brown, Natalie Diaz, Terrance Hayes, Marie Howe, and Shelley Wong, among so many others.
How do I submit to literary journals and magazines?
How do I submit to literary journals and magazines?
I completely understand the struggle 😞. When I first started writing, editing, and submitting my poems in 2022, I had very little support and spent days poring over Substack articles and other online forums to learn how the submissions process works. Websites like Chill Subs (free) and Duotrope (paid) are really useful in terms of finding literary journals that are currently open to submissions, and they have features that allow you to filter journals, competitions, anthologies, and more by vibe, submission fees, royalties, and a bunch of other features! I love Duotrope in particular because of its submission tracker and the extensive data it provides on response times, acceptance rates, and reading periods. Rejection Wiki also helps distinguish between rejections—whether it’s a form rejection or a personal rejection. These are really important for gauging personal progress and growth as a writer.
For tips on how to write a cover letter and a bio, I like referring to this article by The Adroit Journal. The entire submissions process can be daunting but I’ve found that focusing on the writing and editing before submitting is always what’s most important 🥰. Rejection is a part of the game, and it's always important to remember that your poem being rejected is not necessarily an indicator of its quality. Some of my favourite poems I've published are poems I view as my best work, and it took them a few rejections before they found the right home.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun with the process. Refer to the submission guidelines in the journal you want to submit to and ensure you follow all their rules. All the best!
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