Jane Yeh Surreal-Absurd Sampler

“I’m probably drawn to the surreal because I’m easily bored. When I’m in the process of writing a poem, I’m mainly trying to keep myself interested in each line and what might come next, so taking leaps of imagination or language are what I’ve found will most engage my attention. That sense of surprise is what often appeals to me in other people’s poems – even in a poem that wouldn’t be labelled surreal, an unexpected image or utterance can pop up that makes me go ‘ooh!’. I think I’ve always liked things that have a certain flamboyancy, that go against the grain of convention. Two poems I really admire – they’re not exactly influences on my work, but kind of touchstones – are Rita Dove’s ‘Adolescence – II’ and Denise Riley’s ‘Shantung’. Very different but both so full of surprising turns.”—Jane Yeh

Jane Yeh was born in America and has lived in London since 2002. Her collection Discipline (Carcanet, 2019) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. She was named a Next Generation poet by the Poetry Book Society for her collection The Ninjas (Carcanet, 2012), and her first collection, Marabou (Carcanet, 2005), was shortlisted for the Forward, Whitbread (Costa), and Aldeburgh poetry prizes. She was a mentor for the 2021 Ledbury Poetry Critics programme and is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Open University.