Mary Jean Chan

Mary Jean Chan
Born1990 (age 33–34)[1]
Hong Kong
OccupationPoet, lecturer, editor, critic
EducationRoyal Holloway
University of Oxford
Swarthmore College
GenrePoetry
Notable worksFlèche
Notable awardsCosta Book Awards
Eric Gregory Award
Website
www.maryjeanchan.com

Mary Jean Chan is a Hong Kong-Chinese poet, lecturer, editor and critic whose debut poetry collection, Flèche, won the 2019 Costa Book Award for Poetry. Chan's second book, Bright Fear, was published by Faber & Faber in 2023. In 2023, Chan served as a judge for the Booker Prize.

Biography

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Mary Jean Chan was born in 1990 and was raised in Hong Kong.[1] Chan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Swarthmore College in 2012 with a BA in Political Science. Chan obtained an MPhil from Oxford in International Development and 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, Chan was named as one of Jackie Kay's 10 Best BAME Writers in Britain, with Kay describing Chan's poetry as "psychologically astute and culturally complex."[7]

Chan's second collection of poems, Bright Fear, was shortlisted for the 2023 Forward Prize for Best Collection,[8] the 2024 International Dylan Thomas Prize and the 2024 Writers' Prize (formerly the Folio Prize).

Chan served as Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes University from 2018 until 2023. Chan is a Departmental Lecturer in Poetry on the MSt in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford and was recently the 2023–24 Judith E. Wilson Poetry Fellow at the University of Cambridge.

Awards

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Year Title Award Category Result Ref
2017 — National Poetry Competition — Second Place
— The Poetry Society Anne Born Prize — Won
— Forward Prizes for Poetry Single Poem Shortlisted [9]
2018 — The Poetry Society Geoffrey Dearmer Award — Won [10]
2019 — Forward Prizes for Poetry Single Poem Shortlisted [3]
A Hurry of English Eric Gregory Award — Won [11]
Flèche Costa Book Award Poetry Won [6]
2020 Dylan Thomas Prize — Shortlisted [12]
Jhalak Prize — Shortlisted
John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize — Shortlisted
Seamus Heaney Centre First Collection Prize — Shortlisted
2021 Lambda Literary Awards Lesbian Poetry Shortlisted
2022 100 Queer Poems Books Are My Bag Readers' Awards — Shortlisted
2023 Bright Fear Forward Prizes for Poetry Collection Shortlisted
2024 Dylan Thomas Prize — Shortlisted
The Folio Prize — Shortlisted
Jhalak Prize — Longlisted

Bibliography

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  • —— (2018). A Hurry of English. ignitionpress.
  • —— (2019). Flèche. Faber & Faber.
  • —— (2023). Bright Fear. Faber & Faber.
  • ——; Bernard, Jay; Harris, Will; Ramayya, Nisha (2024). Siblings. Monitor Books.

Edited works

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  • Chan, Mary Jean; McMillan, Andrew, eds. (2022). 100 Queer Poems. Vintage.
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References

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  1. ^ a b "Mary Jean Chan". Poetry Society. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  2. ^ Riggs, Jonathan (Fall 2017). "Waxing Poetric". Swarthmore College. CXV (1). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Forward Arts Foundation in Conversation with Mary Jean Chan". Forward Arts Foundation. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  4. ^ Poetry Book Society. "A Hurry of English by Mary Jean Chan". Poetry Book Society.
  5. ^ "Autumn Selections 2019". Poetry Book Society. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Jonathan Coe's Brexit-themed novel among Costa Book Award winners". BBC. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  7. ^ Kay, Jackie (5 October 2019). "Jackie Kay selects Britain's 10 best BAME writers". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  8. ^ Creamer, Ella (10 June 2023). "Forward prizes for poetry add new award for performed poems". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Forward Prizes of Poetry 2017 Winners". Forward Arts Foundation. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Geoffrey Dearmer Prize". The Poetry Society. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Eric Gregory Award Winners". Eric Gregory Award. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Dylan Thomas Prize 2020: shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
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