{"product_id":"quintessential-earthly-activities","title":"Quintessential Earthly Activities","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEcstatic, elegiac, and erotic, the poems in \u003cem\u003eQuintessential Earthly Activities \u003c\/em\u003eform a constellation of mortal loves and contradictions. \u003c\/strong\u003eIn ancient philosophy and medieval alchemy, \u003cem\u003equintessence \u003c\/em\u003ereferred to the fifth and highest element, thought to imbue all of nature and to constitute the heavenly bodies. Chen Chen’s third collection of poetry considers the quintessences—the core elements—of contemporary life, not as fixed characteristics, but as ever-evolving aspects of a soul, albeit an insistently queer and creaturely one that doubts the existence of souls.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eHere, the celestial as well as the sacred are found in putting on a stunning jean jacket; speaking out against racism and homophobia; making a cup of tea, then promptly forgetting it; reconnecting with immigrant family; writing a letter by hand despite terrible handwriting; and asking a friend, “Have you eaten yet?\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for Chen\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Throughout the collection, death, crisis and grief sit cheek by jowl with survival, resistance and glimpses of hard-won joy… With its exquisite blend of melancholy and exuberance, this is a life-affirming book for our troubled times.\" —\u003cstrong\u003eMary Jean Chan, \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"I revel in Chen’s capaciousness, his lightning-fast modulations between silly and sober, his capacity to make poetry that is no less serious for being fun.\"—\u003cstrong\u003eCraig Morgan Teicher,\u003cem\u003e NPR \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Chen has an avid eye for everyday details that bridge emotional, domestic, and cultural landscapes… It’s a bracingly wry meta-reflection on his story of identity—the loving particulars balanced by a dose of filial bitterness. Chen is a rarity among this new cohort of poets.\" —\u003cstrong\u003eJesse Lichtenstein, \u003cem\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\"Moving between whimsy and sobriety, Chen both exhibits and defies vulnerability—an acute reminder that there are countless further possibilities.\" —\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher’s Weekly, starred review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"BOA Editions, Ltd.","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":67817599828197,"sku":null,"price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":67817599860965,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/files\/QuintessentialEarthly_CVR_RGB_1600x300px_LG.jpg?v=1792696586","url":"https:\/\/shop.boaeditions.org\/products\/quintessential-earthly-activities","provider":"Boa Editions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}