Katsu (Shout) by Inoue Yuichi. Ink painting. Photo courtesy of the Portland Art Museum.

Hear a brief reading by Wrolstad poet Wendy Chen (Unearthings, 2018) during Portland Book Festival! Chen’s reading will be paired with the piece Katsu (Shout), by Inoue Yūichi, which is located in the Poetic Imagination in Japanese Art exhibit in the Portland Art Museum.

Wendy Chen is the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Most Promising Young Poet Prize, and fellowships from the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts and the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund. Her work has appeared in Crazyhorse, Rattle, American Poets, and A Public Space. She earned her MFA in poetry from Syracuse University and is co-founder and editor for Figure 1.

Inoue Yūichi was suspicious of institutional norms and rules, and worked to emphasized raw, unfiltered personal expression in his pieces. The subject of the painting, Katsu (shout), is used in Zen practice to waken seekers of enlightenment from their everyday existence.

"From the beautiful and horrible bindings and boundaries of family and history (both public and private), Wendy Chen has fashioned an unputdownable marvel of a collection. Unearthings is clear as spring water and fast-moving and baptismal in its ice and fire. Chen will say anything so long as it’s both beautiful and true. Hers is a singular voice—lyrical and smart and wise, and I predict this book will echo in all of us for ages to come. A dazzling debut and this year’s must-read book of poetry." 

—Mary Karr