When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities (A. Poulin, Jr. New Poets of America)

When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen is a vibrant exploration of identity, love, and family from Asian American and queer perspectives. Chen Chen's debut captivates with its poignant honesty and playful wit, weaving together moments of heartbreak and humor into a compelling narrative of self-discovery. This collection is a testament to the power of poetry to illuminate the complexities of life and the universal quest for belonging.

Amazing poetry from a unique point of view. Creative, unusual, serious enough to break your heart but then funny, too. I can't wait for another collection by this poet.

I'm not the biggest fan of poetry, and I only read this for a summer reading challenge, but despite the things about poetry that I don't generally enjoy, like pointless line breaks (why not just write it in a paragraph?) and lack of punctuation (you hate it 'cause it's useful?) and fragmented thoughts that only sort of make sense (okay, so sometimes the putting of them together in your own head to make your own meaning makes it stronger, but sometimes…it's just fragmented)…despite all this, I actually quite enjoyed Chen Chen's poetry. Some were funny, some sad or profound, most quite offbeat.It did get a bit repetitive in theme. I would have enjoyed more breadth of subject matter, especially when poems I thought were totally random turned back, at the end, to one of the main themes.As I'm not much of a consumer of poetry, I can't speak seriously to the technical aspects of the writing, but it's been a VERY long time since I've made it through an entire book of poetry, and many poems feel like chores to me. But this didn't. That’s about the highest praise I can give to poetry.My favorites were "Ode to my Envy," "Nature Poem," and the fantastic "To the Guanacos at the Syracuse Zoo." If you don't read this book, at least read that poem (Google "twelfth house journal chen chen").My personal enjoyment was maybe more like a 3.5, but if I liked poetry more, I'm sure I'd consider it a 4.5 at the least.I recommend this to reluctant readers of poetry and poetry lovers alike, especially if you're looking for LGBT voices.

I came across Chen Chen’s poems on the Poetry Foundation’s poetry spinner app. I don’t buy a lot of poetry, since I usually get it at the library, but I ordered this powerful little book of poems and was glad I did. After I’d read them I sent the book on to my college-age daughter, who also found them memorable.

A fine piece of work. Very unique viewpoint on various topics. An overall very enjoyable read! It also makes you laugh, and cry. A beautiful piece of work really.

Charming, conversational, and often hilarious, Chen Chen depictions of queer life are crafted in a way that the technical elements of the poetry seem effortless. The precision is often hidden in how vulnerable and humane the poems can be while still be funny.

This was an incredible book. Each poem is so beautifully crafted. It had me crying on an airplane, I marked this book up so throughly because every line felt so perfectly crafted. Read this book, you won’t regret it

Lovely, heart breaking, and healing. I would like to give you a copy of this book as a way of caring for your heart.

I absolutely love this book. Almost every poem astounds as much as the title itself.