On Episode 60 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to speak with the talented writer Andrew Liu. The two talk about Andrew’s poetry, which is multifaceted and inspired by so many disparate people and art and experiences and traditions. Andrew speaks to both the cerebral and emotional in his poetry and its connections to the idea of the muse, the Kaguya tradition, writing about paradox, and so much more.
Andrew Liu is a 2020 MFA graduate of CSU Long Beach’s Creative Writing - Poetry program. He is published in two student magazines: East Los Angeles City College’s Milestone and CSU Long Beach’s Riprap. You can read his MFA thesis, California Metaphysics, which collects some of his best poems, on CSULB’s thesis database (https://www.proquest.com/docview/2455809945/C36DDE5A65C748F1PQ/1). You can also view a recording of a virtual reading of selected poems organized by Andrew Liu and his friend Jesse Tovar on Youtube: https://youtu.be/duw83IwH5fk.
Show Notes and Links to Andrew Liu’s Work
Andrew Liu’s Cal State Long Beach Thesis-California Metaphysics
Andrew performs on Jan 8, 2021: My Place Cafe Events
At about 3:15, Andrew talks about growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, learning English as a second language, and the eventual eclipsing of Taiwanese by English; he also talks about his “contentious” relationship with languages and the precarious Taiwanese
At about 9:45, Andrew talks about his linguistic history and how it might affect his writing; in addition, this leads to his discussion of language as a barrier and an enhancer of imagery
At about 12:00, Andrew hones in on how he saw himself as a poet through his varied interests as a child, as well as through help from Ms. Burkhart and the YAWP (Young Aspiring Writers Program)
At about 13:30, Andrew discusses writers who have given him “chills at will,” including Edgar Lee Masters, whose work connected to Andrew’s ruminations on identity
At about 17:30, Andrew comments on the times at which when he saw himself apply the form to the imagination, including community college as an freeing and formative experience
At about 22:00, Andrew talks about the hierarchy of “manly” vs. “unmanly,” gay vs. straight, childhish vs. “grown up” and how his work plays on these opposites
At about 27:00, Andrew talks about the tropes of the “manchild” and the patriarchal control that shrugs and says, “boys will be boys” and how he writes to combat these as forms of protest
At about 30:00, Andrew talks about writing in the “surreal” time of Trumpism
At about 31:00, Andrews draws connections between childhood and adulthood, and his view of the fluidity of the two
At about 32:25, Andrew talks about the search for his writer’s autonomy and a transformational experience in hearing a high school classmate’s commanding performance, as well as his response poem in 12th grade in a “classics slam” to Ha Jin’s poem, “Ways of Talking”
At about 36:00, Andrew discusses inspirations for his thesis poetry collection-”California Metaphysics”
At about 39:00, Andrew talks about muses in his writing, particularly the problematic ways in which it is often used
At about 41:00, Andrew talks about his appreciation of Kaguya, particularly The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and the triumphs, resolve, and tragedies of Princess Kaguya; he connects the passivity and activity of the princess and its connection to his view of the muse
At about 44:15, Andrews reads an excerpt from “Ossified Landscape w/ Faceless Girl, alt. Kaguya”
At about 46:30, Pete and Andrew discuss the idea of Takahata and others “interpreting” the traditional and ancient Kaguya storyline, and Andrew talks about his concerted use of parentheses in his poem
At about 52:05, Pete and Andrew discuss The Eternal Sunshine of the Mind, and its role as one of Andrew’s favorite movies and connections to Andrew’s work, specifically “Ossified Landscape…”
At about 54:40, Pete details craft successes from Andrew and asks Andrew for feedback; Andrew discusses erasure and identity and the ephemerality, with regard to the two movies mentioned above, as well as Jeremy Renner’s Arrival, based on Ted Chiang’s short story “Story of your Life”
At about 1:03:00, Andrew talks about ephemerality as seen in art, as well as his use of the moon as a symbol in his work
At about 1:07:55, Andrew connects the “paradise myth” to Danez Smith’s epic poem, “summer, somewhere”
At about 1:09:00, Pete and Andrew discuss Andrew’s poem “ ‘C’ for California” after Andrew reads it; Andrew talks about the poem as part of the academic tradition of poetry and the influence of Stand Up Poetry, pioneered by Andrew’s Cal State Long Beach mentor, Charles Harper Webb; the conversation then delves into nature’s connections to Andrew’s and other literature
At about 1:22:15, Andrew talks about future projects and the potential for his thesis
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The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode is “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.
Episode 38: A Conversation with the Reflective, Dynamic, Profound Educator and Poet, F. Douglas Brown
Episode 37 with Multi-Talented Writer of Sports and Fitness and Fatherhood, Jon Finkel
Episode 36 with the Well-Read Author of Coconut Versus and Los Angeles City College Professor Extraordinaire, Daniel Jose Ruiz
Episode 35 with The Brilliant, Best-Selling, and Award-Winning (and Obama-Accolade-Getting) Jess Walter
Episode 34 with Writers and Illustrators Jorge and Megan Lacera,Creators of Zombies Don't Eat Veggies!
Bonus Episode! Addendum to Episode 32, Using Jean Guerrero's Crux and Simon and Garfunkel's "I am a Rock"
Episode 33: An Interview with Renowned Sports Writer and All-Around Cool Guy, Jeff Pearlman
Episode 32: "Extended Metaphor in Music," Featuring Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Marley, andCommon
Episode 31: A Conversation with Intellectually-Curious Writer and Author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, Pete Croatto
Episode 30: Interview with the Artsy and Multitalented Kai Adia, Writer, Poet, Visual Artist, and Founder of Bee Infinite Publishing
Episode 29: The Brilliant Teacher, Writer, of Books in Spanish, and Comprehensible Input Innovator, A.C. Quintero
Episode 28: Magnificent Writer Christian Kiefer Teaches a Master Class on Writing (PART TWO)
Episode 28: Magnificent Writer Christian Kiefer Teaches a Master Class on Writing (PART ONE)
Episode 27: Interview with Thoughtful Writer, Teacher, and Activist, Karla Brundage
Episode 26: An Interview with Huda Al-Marashi, Fabulous Writer of First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story, "A Birthday at the Cemetery," and More..
Episode 25: The Power of Flashback, Featuring The Godfather, Part II, and Sleepers and Safe Place by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Episode 24: An Interview with the Brilliant Camden Ostrander, Teacher, Writer, and Co-Creator of Season Seven of the Dissect Podcast-Because the Internet by Childish Gambino (Spotify-Friendly)
Episode 24: An Interview with the Brilliant Camden Ostrander, Teacher, Writer, and Co-Creator of Season Seven of the Dissect Podcast-Because the Internet by Childish Gambino
Episode 23: "S.E. Hinton's Endings that Echo"
Episode 22: Pete (Gulp!) Reads His Poetry in Progress
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