Koon Woon talks about his life and reads his poetry: Part Two

Koon Woon is a Chinese-American poet, editor, and mentor whose work explores immigrant life, marginalization, and philosophical inquiry, and who has significantly shaped Seattle’s literary community.

Born in a village near Canton, China, Koon Woon immigrated to Washington State in 1960. He earned a BA from Antioch University Seattle and studied at Fort Hays State University. He is the author of the poetry collections Rice Bowls: Previously Uncollected Words of Koon Woon (2018); Water Chasing Water (2013), winner of the 2014 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation; and The Truth in Rented Rooms (1998), winner of a Josephine Miles Award from PEN Oakland. His poetry appears in Premonitions: The Kaya Anthology of New Asian North American Poetry (1995), among others. He has also published a memoir, Paper-son Poet: When Rails Were Young (2016). Woon is the publisher of Goldfish Press and the literary magazine Chrysanthemum. He lives in Seattle.