Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Chang.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a poet and I teach within Antioch’s MFA Program for Creative Writing. I started writing poetry as a child in elementary school and mostly never stopped. Although I took a detour and went to business school at Stanford in my mid-20’s, I never stopped writing while I worked in different types of business such as consulting, marketing, and communications. I went back to earn an MFA in Creative Writing in my mid-30s and have since published four books of poetry. Last year, I won a Guggenheim Fellowship and that helped me decide to delve more fully and deeply into literature and poetry.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Is life ever smooth? If it is smooth, it’s only a momentary smoothness. There have been so many struggles along the way that I can’t possibly list them here. The biggest struggle is self-doubt though. And also along the way, you’ll sense that other people are doing better than you or more successful than you. That’s pretty normal as a writer as there’s so much failure in writing. But grit and persistence and a dogged stubbornness is what can make writers successful in the end. Maybe.
Please tell us about your business.
I write poetry. My latest book, Barbie Chang, came out last year with Copper Canyon Press. I have three other poetry books before that. The Boss (McSweeney’s) won the PEN Center USA Literary Award and a California Book Award. Salivinia Molesta and Circle are my other books. I don’t like thinking of myself or my writing as a brand but I think that I’m always trying to innovate my last self and my last book, always wanting to try new things. I think of writing poetry as play and I love playing with the medium, or words.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Well yes –I think women are amazing. Especially when we band together. So many women and our culture want to pit women against each other. What we should really be doing is banding together.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.victoriachangpoet.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoria.chang.7169
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/VChangPoet
Image Credit:
Victoria Chang
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