Chen Chen

“I had a friend who…” – Writing Friendship
Saturday, December 16, 2023, 9:00 to 10:15 a.m.

Chen Chen

Inspired by recent cultural discourse on the complex power of friendship, this multi-genre generative seminar explores a variety of approaches to writing about/from friendship. We’ll start with a discussion of Mary Ruefle’s Pushcart Prize-winning essay “Dear Friends” (one of her best, most moving prose pieces, I think) before taking a look at a handful of friendship-focused piece by a range of poets and writers as potential models for our own writing. I’ll provide some writing prompts, including one that involves texts/DMs/emails with friends. We’ll think about what friendship means in a contemporary era of friending and following, subscribing and subtweeting, a global pandemic and generational divides as well as intersections. How do we make friends today? How do we maintain friendships? How do we, when needed, “break up” with friends in ways that don’t sound like a memo from HR? These deeply personal questions, among others (including the more craft-related ones!), will drive this session, this gathering of texts and—one can hope—friends.

Required Reading (in Reader):

Ruefle, Mary. “Dear Friends.” The Book, Wave Books, 2023, pp. 42-64. 

Recommended Reading (in Reader):

Austin, Derrick. “To Friendship.” Tenderness, BOA Editions, 2021.

Chang, Victoria. “Barbie Chang loves Evites.” Barbie Chang, Copper Canyon Press, 2017.

Chang, Victoria. “OBIT [Friendships].” OBIT, Copper Canyon Press, 2020.

Diaz, Natalie. “From the Desire Field.” Postcolonial Love Poem, Graywolf Press, 2020.

Gay, Ross. “Sorrow Is Not My Name.” Bringing the Shovel Down, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011.

Girmay, Aracelis. “Moon for Aisha.” the black maria, BOA Editions, 2016.

Moon, Kamilah Aisha. “Love Litany.” Starshine & Clay, Four Way Books, 2017.

Moore, Lorrie. Excerpt from Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?, Vintage Books, 1994, pp.5-19; pp. 130-138.

Valentine, Jean. “Friend.” Shirt in Heaven, Copper Canyon Press, 2015.

Valentine, Jean. Friend, Albion Books, 2015. Rpt. in Shirt in Heaven, Copper Canyon Press, 2015, pp.1-14.

Available online at: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1oZnECdAE_Eolx8ZFUIPLA946X66UC7p0

Wein, Sam Herschel. “Friendship.” Cotton Xenomorph, Aug. 2018. Rpt. in GESUNDHEIT!, Glass Poetry Press, 2019.

---. “Friendship Song.” Muzzle Magazine, Spring 2022.

---. “Nature Poem.” Queer Poem-a-Day, 3 Jun. 2021.

Wein, Sam Herschel, and Chen Chen. “INFP Ghost.” GESUNDHEIT!, Glass Poetry Press, 2019.