Berssenbrugge, Mei-Mei 1999
The reservoir is trying to freeze over
with an expanding map shaped like an angel
Separated lovers on a coast keep walking
toward each other. Low sun reddens
their faces without heat
– Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, “The Reservoir”
Listen to Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge’s 1999 reading for the Poetry Center of Chicago:
Read this interview with Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge from BOMB Magazine:
Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge
My first experience of Mei-mei Berssenbrugge’s writing was hearing her read at an event I hosted for the New York City Opera called “The Color of Sound: A Conversation on Music and the Visual Arts.” She was magic. I was instantly reminded of all those old poets endlessly calling on their muses, because suddenly I knew precisely what they were talking about.
Working backward in sleep, the
last thing you numbed to is what
wakes you.
– Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, “Concordance [Working backward in sleep]”
Watch Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge read some of her work at UC Berkeley:
Lunch Poems: Mei-mei Berssenbrugge
Born in Beijing, China, and raised in Massachusetts, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge molds language with seemingly effortless beauty and grace that invites the reader on a journey between worlds. She has published three books of poetry. Her selected poems, “I Love Artists,” is forthcoming from UC Press (April, 2006).
