36 WAYS OF WRITING A VIETNAMESE POEM

Vietnamese-born poet Nam Le's second poetry book speaks provocatively to the perspectives of people with multicultural identities, especially those whose experiences include a violent history. Many of his words are haunting, and his slow, steady way of speaking creates anticipation for what comes next. Listeners can hear the darkness and trauma in his tone. In the poem "Violence: Paedo-affective: (Slam Declension)," Le speaks the words "boom boom boom boom" in a staccato, repetitive manner with a slight elevation of energy, but, overall, his consistency in calmly delivering his poems seems to illuminate the unstable, contradictory nature of the world he is a part of. This is an eloquent, evocative narration. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2024]