The Seed Field

Best Of: Victoria Chang on Literary Citizenship

Episode Summary

Victoria Chang, the prominent poet and Antioch MFA core faculty, is a longtime advocate for “literary citizenship”—she says we ought to create writing worlds full of collaboration, generosity, and mutual aid. Furthering this cause, last year she served as poetry editor for the New York Times and used her tenure focused on bringing in new voices. Back in 2021 we interviewed Victoria on the Seed Field Podcast, and in the years since these themes have only become more important. In this conversation from our archives  we explore what being a good literary citizen means to Victoria, how this ethos has influenced her own work and career, and how building a more inclusive writing community benefits everyone.

Episode Notes

Visit Common Thread to read our recent article, “Victoria Chang Wins 2023 Chowdhury Prize in Literature.”

Visit our website to learn more about Antioch’s MFA in Creative Writing

You can purchase the books we talked about in the show, The Trees Witness Everything, Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation, Love, Love, OBIT, and Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief.

Recorded September 2, 2021 via Riverside.fm. First released September 8, 2021, and re-released April 19, 2023.

Host: Jasper Nighthawk

Editor: Lauren Instenes

Re-Release Editor: Johanna Case

Digital Design: Mira Mead

Web Content Coordination: Jen Mont

Work-Study Intern: Sierra-Nicole E. DeBinion

A special thanks to Karen Hamilton, Amelia Bryan, and Melinda Garland

To access a full transcript and find more information about this and other episodes, visit 

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