Poet Profile: Yee Heng Yeh
Being a poet has been an experiment in finding his voice, says the Penang-based wordsmith.
Some writers are born. Some become writers out of passion for and practice with the written word. Yee Heng Yeh belongs to the latter category, and has grown to be comfortable in his own skin, as I observed during a recent interview with the Penang-based poet who is also a writer and Mandarin-to-English translator.
Over a cuppa, Heng Yeh spoke to Poetic Journeys about his foray into poetry and how far it has taken him, both professionally and personally:
Sharmila: How did your interest in poetry begin?
Heng Yeh: I actually didn't start out reading a lot of poetry except for classes at school. But because of the way it was taught, it was not super-interesting. Because we just memorised the answers for exams.
I had no real engagement with poetry until I went to the University of Nottingham Malaysia, where I studied English. So there was this creative writing course, which was an optional module.
And so I took it, because I thought it wouldn’t be as demanding as the academic courses. And it sounded like fun. And it was very fun.
But it was also challenging in different ways. Because you have to get quite personal with your writing. From that point on, I started to read more poetry and also started thinking about how different it was from short stories, which was what I usually read before university.
Sharmila: Who are your favourite poets (classic and modern), Asian and Western?
Heng Yeh: I think at the very start it was just the classics for me, as it was an English course and mostly from the Western canon, like Robert Frost and Shakespeare. But to be honest, I only really began to appreciate what poetry could give me when I read poetry outside the English canon.
My favourite poet is the late Wisława Szymborska, who won the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature. And it's just the way she wrote. And the way she's translated is just in very accessible language.
But her ideas and the perspectives were so fresh and insightful, and sometimes even funny, you know.
And I'll say: poetry can be all of these things. It doesn't just have to be about beautiful imagery or following a certain set of rules. It can, but it can also be more than that.
Kobayashi Issa is another favourite of mine. Haiku in general is such an interesting format because it's so compact. He created with humour in just three lines, and it is so incredible.
As for Malaysian poets, I like May Chong. It’s very interesting to read works by someone who has a distinct voice; she has a particular way of using alliteration. And also a way of creating a narrative with a poem, which I find very different from the older generation of Malaysian poets. Yes, I’m very much inspired by her.
Sharmila: What was the defining or aha moment that spurred you to start writing poetry?
Heng Yeh: So I started writing for class in university when I was in Year One—that was about seven years ago. I only started writing consistently after university. Maybe because then instead of writing assignments, I had the freedom to try different things. And experiment. Some of them weren’t very good, but then you need to go through that to find your voice.
As for subject matter, I sometimes feel like I almost have two sides to myself. So one side is very socio-political. The other is very personal: about my childhood, or like grieving about different things.
But when I write, I don't usually start out with a certain theme. It's usually more of an impression, a feeling or an observation. And I'm like: “Why does this bother me? Why am I still remembering this thing?” And when I write it’s almost like a way to figure out what I feel about or think of it.
My first submission was to the KITA! Podcast and I’ve also been published in adda, a website featuring Commonwealth writers. (Editor’s note: Heng Yeh’s poetry has also been featured in Strange Horizons and Suspect. To watch a live reading of his work, visit Readings 2021.)
Sharmila: What is your take on publishing? Do you lean towards traditional or indie/self publishing?
Heng Yeh: I think that personally speaking, I lean towards traditional because there's actually a lot of work that goes into self or indie publishing. Having said that, traditional publishing has its own kind of work. Because you're working with an established institution or that there's a team of editors. So some of the load does get taken off you, the writer.
I think the main reason I shy away from indie publishing is because of the amount of marketing needed and that it involves a lot of expenses. And you need a particular kind of skill set as well, I think. So I think that's one of the main reasons that I don’t usually share my work, except with a few close friends (beta readers) to get their feedback.
Sharmila: What is the ultimate dream?
Heng Yeh: Well, the ultimate dream would be to somehow make a living by writing. But of course, it's very hard, especially if it's just creative writing. So I think the ideal situation would be teaching and writing. Because, yeah, I've run a few poetry workshops and I found that doing these makes me think deeper about my own practice, you know, because you have to present it [poetry] to someone and try to get them to understand it. And I also learned from the participants.
I think it would be nice to have an international readership. Of course, because in Malaysia, there aren't that many people who read poetry. Who read, period; and those who read poetry make up an even smaller sub-section. And then there’s poetry in English. So I think it's always a question of trying to find your audience, wherever that is.
Yeah, I think I have no real concrete plans, but I'm just exploring the different opportunities. For example, there are many places who do open calls for manuscripts.
Sharmila: You’ve written poetry inspired by visual artists. Tell us a story about that.
Heng Yeh: Sometimes it's not so much the art itself. But the process of the art itself.
For example, there was this embroidery. It’s kind of crazy how detailed it was. So I was very impressed by the idea of that kind of almost obsession of focus. So I wrote a piece about that.
Sharmila: How supportive have your own family members and friends been of your literary pursuits?
Heng Yeh: I think, because my mom is a teacher and so she understands very much the struggles that a student goes through—when they are trying to choose what to do for a career or university.
Even when I said I wanted to study English, she was like: “Oh, at the very worst, you know, you can still be an English teacher!”
So I think, in terms of family and friends, a lot of them are not necessarily readers, usually, you know, but they will still like, comment on my poems. And it's very sweet. And I think in terms of the writing community, I feel like having a community has really helped me to keep going. And also, just being inspired when you see what they [other writers] do and what they've done.
Sharmila: What is your advice to Asian children and young adults who are interested in creative writing, but are perhaps not encouraged to explore this avenue?
Heng Yeh: I guess it depends on what kind of goals they have. Are they doing it for themselves? Or are they doing it because they want to do it professionally? Or perhaps they are still in the midst of exploring.
But in any case, I would say, keep doing it. As long as you want to do it, so you know, there's no there's no roadmap. And there's no formula or equation. And I think a lot of it is just understanding why you want to do it, and then doing it on your own terms for yourself.
And there are the factors that people associate with success like fame and best sellers getting published by a major publisher. Much of it is not really within your control. So you can only try your best and then adapt as you go on.
So I think they should really know why they want to do it. Because I think once you have that, then you can keep doing it. Or you can stop for a while and then come back to it later. You know, like, depending on where your life takes you.
As long as you have a clear idea of why you want to write, then it will keep you going through setbacks and on to other successes. It’s the purpose.
Sharmila: If you were interviewed by your 80-year-old self about your creative writing career, what would you tell him?
Heng Yeh:
I hope the 80-year-old is still writing (laughs). I think I would have more questions for him since he’s 80. But I hope he hasn’t given up on writing and still finds joy in it. Maybe I’d ask him for advice on what to do next, from where I am at now.
Good one! Thank you!