Mary Jean Chan
Mary Jean Chan is a Hong Kong Chinese poet, lecturer, editor and critic. Her first poetry collection, Flèche, won the 2019 Costa Book Award in the Poetry category. She was also a 2019 recipient of an Eric Gregory Award for a collection by poets under the age of 30. Chan is a Ledbury Poetry Critic and was guest co-editor of The Poetry Review for Spring 2020.
Mary Jean Chan | |
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Born | 1990 (age 30–31)[1] Hong Kong |
Occupation | Poet, lecturer, editor |
Education | Royal Holloway University of Oxford Swarthmore College |
Genre | Poetry |
Notable works | Flèche |
Notable awards | Costa Book Awards Eric Gregory Award |
Website | |
www |
Biography
Mary Jean Chan was born in 1990 and was raised in Hong Kong.[1] She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College in 2012 with a BA in Political Science, minoring in English Literature. She furthered her studies at the University of Oxford where she obtained an MPhil in 2015 in International Development. She also completed an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London.[2][3]
In 2018, Chan's pamphlet, A Hurry of English, was published by ignitionpress and was chosen as a Poetry Book Society Summer Pamphlet Choice.[4] Chan's debut poetry collection Flèche was published by Faber & Faber (2019). It was chosen as a Poetry Book Society Autumn Recommendation.[5] The book won the Costa Book Award for Poetry in 2019.[6]
In 2019, Mary Jean Chan was named as one of Jackie Kay's 10 Best BAME Writers in Britain, describing her poetry as "psychologically astute and culturally complex."[7]
Chan is a Ledbury Poetry Critic.[8] She is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing (Poetry) at Oxford Brookes University.[9]
Awards
- 2020 Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry First Collection Prize (Shortlisted for Flèche)
- 2020 Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour (Shortlisted for Flèche)
- 2020 John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize (Shortlisted for Flèche)
- 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize (Shortlisted for Flèche)[10]
- 2019 Costa Book Award for Poetry, Flèche[6]
- 2019 Eric Gregory Award, A Hurry Of English[11]
- 2019 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (Shortlisted for 'The Window')[3]
- 2018 Poetry Society Geoffrey Dearmer Award[12]
- 2017 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem (Shortlisted for '//')[13]
- 2017 Poetry Society Anne Born Prize[14]
- 2017 National Poetry Competition (Second Place) ,'The Window'[1]
- 2016 Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition, 'Wet Nurse'[15]
Bibliography
- Flèche (Faber & Faber, 2019)
- A Hurry of English (ignitionpress, 2018)
References
- "Mary Jean Chan". Poetry Society. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- Riggs, Jonathan. "Waxing Poetric". Swarthmore College. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "Forward Arts Foundation in Conversation with Mary Jean Chan". Forward Arts Foundation. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- Poetry Book Society. "A Hurry of English by Mary Jean Chan". Poetry Book Society.
- "Autumn Selections 2019". Poetry Book Society. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "Jonathan Coe's Brexit-themed novel among Costa Book Award winners". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- Kay, Jackie. "Jackie Kay selects Britain's 10 best BAME writers". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- "Ledbury Emerging Critics Programme". Ledbury Poetry festival. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "Mary Jean Chan (poet)". Poetry International. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "Dylan Thomas Prize 2020 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- "Eric Gregory Award Winners". Eric Gregory Award. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "Geoffrey Dearmer Prize". The Poetry Society. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "Forward Prizes of Poetry 2017 Winners". Forward Arts Foundation. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "Anne Born Prize". The PoetrySociety. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "2016 Winners and shortlist". Oxford Brooks University. Retrieved 10 January 2020.