UNC student and poet 'does not shy away from what is difficult'

When asked where she is from, UNC junior and writer Ash Chen has a lot of answers. 

She's from Asian America, she wrote in a piece for student-led literary magazine Hear Our Voices. She's from the Chinese Exclusion Act, from Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies and from root beer and hot pot, she said. 

Since taking her first introductory poetry course last  year, Chen has published two creative nonfiction works and four poems, and her work is currently on display at the Eno Arts Mill in Hillsborough.

Chen’s poem “to the fish market on central and eastway” was published in The Rising Phoenix Review in November 2023 and was nominated for the 2023 Pushcart Prize, which honors the best short fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction published in small presses over that year. 

“I didn’t expect so many people to resonate with it, quite honestly, because that is kind of my family story in there,” Chen said. “Which I used to be ashamed of, I won’t lie — internalized racism and everything — but I’m very proud that that’s what resonated with people.” 

Chen said her works are primarily inspired by modern events, social issues and her experience with the human condition. 

“One of my goals is to reflect the tradition of poetry and storytelling and its role in reconciling a lot of things that we contend with on a daily or regular basis,” she said. “Again, the human condition — representing that is a very big goal, to represent it accurately, so I tell myself I just want to represent it as accurately for myself as I can.” 

Chen’s reverence for the human condition is admired by her mentors and peers alike.

Ross White, a poetry professor and the director of creative writing in the English department, said he loves Chen's complexity and ability to hold multiple truths that don’t always fit comfortably together in the same space. 

“I think that’s one of the things that I’m most excited about in her work," he said. "She does not shy away from what is difficult, but she handles difficult subject matter with delicacies.” 

UNC junior and student writer Luna Hou, who has been friends with Chen since their first year at UNC, said Chen expresses difficult and important topics "clearly and concisely and movingly.”

White taught Chen's first poetry course and he said her talent was obvious from day one.

He still remembers the moment when he first saw Chen become a part of what he calls the poetic community. He hosted author Matt Donovan as guest speaker in class.  Donavon's book on gun violence in the United States shares themes with one of Chen’s works — an unpublished piece which she refers to as “The Poem." 

“Because she was writing about similar content, she could see the relevance of his work to hers,” White said. “But I think in that moment, she could also see the relevance of her work to his.” 

Since her interaction with Donovan, Chen has become increasingly involved in the poetry community, both within UNC’s campus and beyond. 

She serves not only as an editor for the UNC Health Humanities Journal, but also as the treasurer of the UNC Asian American Creative Writing Collective, an organization founded in 2021 that creates a space for Asian American students to share and workshop their pieces. 

Off campus, Chen’s work is currently being exhibited in “Coalesce 2024” at the Eno Arts Mill. The project paired 10 artists with 10 poets. Poets wrote works based on their respective artists' pieces and vice versa. 

While Chen did not specify exactly what is next for her, it is clear to both her peers and her mentors that her future is bright. 

Associate professor of creative writing Gabrielle Calvocoressi said one thing they’re certain about is that Chen has the perfect combination of dreamer and worker — the kind of liveliness and vitality that is going to benefit her in any career she enters. 

“I think that poetry and art will always be a part of her life in some way,” Hou said. “And I think that kind of spirit that drives her poetry and art, that desire to speak up about the world — I think that she has a really valuable perspective to share.” 

More of Chen's pieces can be read on her website and viewed at the Eno Arts Mill through the end of January.

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