Poetry Express: Jean Eng + Festival of All Souls

During the month of April, you can buy any of our featured Poetry Express books for 15% off + free shipping in Canada. Just use promo code NPMexpress at checkout. Or you can find it at your  local independent bookstore. All Lit Up: Can you tell us a bit about your collection and how it came to be?Jean Eng: Festival of All Souls is a debut collection of poetry that explores the experience of an Asian woman born in Canada and the personal vision resulting from the influence of two cultures. There are three sections in the book. “White Dragons” is an acknowledgement to the ancestors. The poems here have some reference to heritage—such as my parents’ lives or childhood memories. “Her Other Children” involves encounters with nature spirits: animals, gardens, the environment. “Being Seen” features a woman’s voice.The poems cover a span from over 25 years ago to the present. Some actually took decades of constant revision until I truly felt they were finished. I’m also a visual artist and often wrote when the painting felt stymied, or I was physically unable to paint due to fatigue, illness, or injury. (You can write on your back; painting—not so much). Poetry allowed creative energy a place to land when it was less than forthcoming in my visual artwork and vice-versa.

 Photo of Jean Eng

[Image Description: A front-facing close-up image of the author that is cut off at her chest. She is of Asian descent, has chin-length black hair and dark eyes. She is wearing an open collared, light blue shirt with blue stripes.]

ALU: What has been your most unlikely source of writing inspiration?JE: I remembered watching TV once as teen, waiting for a regular scheduled program. I think it might have been Star Trek. It was pre-empted instead by a televangelist and his fundraising special. At the beginning of this sermon, a preacher talked about forgiveness, how it was in our best interest to forgive those who caused pain, disappointment etc. so we can get on with our lives. One of his suggestions involved creating a ritual of some sort where we acknowledge and accept what occurred, then make a symbolic gesture of letting go. I decided to give it a try. What I thought would be a cathartic experience turned out to be a guilty pleasure instead. After recalling an incident, the audience was encouraged to have an imaginary conversation with their respective offenders, to express how they felt about what happened. I didn’t even get that far. When I re-surfaced a memory, visions of payback or comeuppance immediately followed. My mind pictured one elementary school teacher who use to pull students by their hair— go bald every time her hand reached for a kid’s head. A dentist who filled the wrong tooth and still charged my insurance company began losing his teeth. I’m not religious, don’t go to church, yet televangelism inspired a poem about how a solemn attempt to forgive, unexpectedly backfired and produced a fun time instead. ALU: Has your idea of what poetry is changed since you began writing poems?JE: I like to think my idea of poetry has always been inclusive. That hasn’t changed much except perhaps for my original attitude towards rhyming poetry; I wasn’t a huge fan. But now that I’m more exposed to different kinds of poetry and poets, I appreciate anyone who does what they do well. I’ve also discovered that rhyme can be used effectively within the body of all sorts of poetry—for musicality, rhythm or emphasis. ALU: What are you most in the mood to read these days? Any poets you’re especially enjoying?JE: The pandemic, with its quarantine and lockdown measures actually forced me to visit my own bookshelves. I finally blew dust off book covers either never opened or I haven’t looked at for years, in particular, print issues from various literary journal subscriptions I had to stop receiving at some point because I couldn’t read them fast enough. Some date way back, I’m ashamed to admit, from the last century. Contemporary Verse 2, Grain, Room, The New Quarterly, Ricepaper— to name a few Canadian titles. I usually read from a volume before bed. If the material is particularly intense or challenging then I do reach for a favourite poet to settle down with before lights go off. Right now, Lorna Crozier, Susan McCaslin, Mary Oliver, Fiona Lam, and Mary Lou Soutar-Hynes, leave   exquisite words and images in my head before I fall asleep. ALU: Describe your ideal escape.JE: I already live in a neighbourhood that provides great opportunities for the kind of escape I need and enjoy, namely access to nature in the city. My co-op faces a well-kept park in one direction and lake/harbour view on the other. We are surrounded by abundant green space: more parks, public gardens, a wetland, bike trails and waterfront habitat restoration projects. Give me trees, flowers, songbirds and Lake Ontario and I’m a happy gal.

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A poem from Festival of All Souls

Lady Dragonfly                                    (after Madame Butterfly)      

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Jean Eng is a writer and visual artist from Toronto, Ontario. Her paintings have been exhibited in Canada, the U.S. and Japan. They also hang in public and private collections including the Government of Ontario. Her poetry has appeared in literary journals in Canada, the U.S., and the United Kingdom, including Canadian Literature; Contemporary Verse 2; The Dalhousie Review; Grain; The Nashwaak Review; The New Quarterly; Room; Vallum and WomenArts Quarterly. Her work was also included in a limited edition chapbook, Lacewing, an anthology of nature poetry. Festival of All Souls is Jean’s debut poetry collection. She lives in Toronto.

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During the month of April, you can buy Festival of All Souls and any one of our other featured Poetry Express books for 15% off + free shipping in Canada with promo code NPMexpress. Or find them at your  local independent bookstore! Keep up with us all month on  Twitter,   Instagram, and  Facebook with the hashtag #ALUPoetryExpress.