Weyman Chan Books

Drawing on 2000 years of Chinese philosophy, this collection by Governor General's Award-nominee Weyman Chan explores deep and intricate modes of thought. The work combines rich cultural insights with contemporary reflections, offering readers a unique perspective that bridges ancient wisdom and modern experiences. Chan's writing invites contemplation and encourages a dialogue between past and present, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in philosophy and cultural narratives.

Weyman Chan's poetry explores the revival of contemporary lyricism through his unique and introspective lens. His work delves into themes of solitude and individual experience, showcasing a profound engagement with the craft of poetry. Chan's innovative approach highlights the nuances of the lyric form, offering readers a fresh perspective on modern poetic expression.

Focusing on mortality, this collection presents a series of personal reflections and insights that deeply resonate with the poet's experiences. Through poignant observations, the work explores themes of existence and the human condition, offering a raw and intimate look at life and death. The subtitle, "notes to myself," emphasizes a confessional tone, inviting readers into the poet's inner thoughts and emotional landscape.

The collection explores themes of family and identity, delving into the complexities of navigating a hybrid heritage as an ethnic outsider. Through poignant poetry, the author reflects on personal experiences and the emotional landscape of belonging, highlighting the struggles and richness of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Poems drawing on the author's childhood loss of his mother, haunted by a search for nurturing. In Witness Back at Me, Weyman Chan continues to explore themes of dislocation and belonging by drawing on biography, myth, science, and the everyday. Chan's poetry is suffused with a collage-like immersion of stream-of-conscious voices, approximating the kaleidoscopic effect of interior thought. Witness Back at Me draws on the childhood loss of Chan's mother to breast cancer, as a survival mechanism towards an aesthetics of accepted disembodiment, always haunted by a search for nurturing and surrender to some greater being. The poems in this book intertwine polyvocally, building into a liminal biographical metanarrative: the whole point of existence, the author believes, is to luxuriate in the greater being of not-knowing. To accept the historical underpinnings, the brokenness of the world, inside and outside the self, but be in constant communication of both worlds, towards understanding and healing, is the one true meaningful quest.