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{{Short description|Malaysian-American poet, essayist and performer (1969–2015)}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Justin Chin
| name = Justin Chin
| image = Justin Chin by Kevin Killian.jpg
| image = Justin Chin by Kevin Killian.jpg
| caption = Portrait of Justin Chin<br>by Kevin Killian (Jan. 6 2006)
| caption = Portrait of Justin Chin<br>by Kevin Killian (Jan. 6 2006)
| birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age|Year|Month|Day}} -->
| birth_date = 8 September 1969
| birth_place = [[Malaysia]]
| birth_place = [[Malaysia]]
| death_date = {{Death date|2015|12|24|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date|2015|12|24|df=y}}
| death_place = [[San Francisco]]
| death_place = [[San Francisco]]
| occupation = [[poet]], [[essayist]], [[performer]]
| occupation = [[poet]], [[essayist]], [[performer]]
| language =
| language = English
| nationality = American
| nationality = American
| ethnicity = [[Malaysians|Malaysian]]
| citizenship =
| citizenship =
| education = [[University of Hawaii]] at [[Manoa]]
| education = [[University of Hawaii]] at [[Manoa]]
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| subject =
| subject =
| movement =
| movement =
| notableworks = Bite Hard, Mongrel, Harmless Medicine
| notableworks = Bite Hard, Mongrel, Harmless Medicine, Gutted, 98 Wounds
| spouse =
| spouse =
| partner =
| partner =
| children =
| children =
| relatives =
| relatives =
| awards = [[Publishing Triangle|Thom Gunn Award]]
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards =
| signature =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| signature_alt =
| website =
| website =
| portaldisp =
| portaldisp =
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}}'''Justin Chin''' (1969–2015) was a Malaysian-American [[poet]], [[essayist]] and [[performer]].<ref>"Justin Chin : The Poetry Foundation." N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.</ref> In his work he often dealt with [[queer]] [[Asian-American]] identity and interrogated this category's personal and political circumstances.<ref name=":0"/>
}}

⚫
'''Justin Chin''' (1969-2015) was a Malaysian-American [[poet]], [[essayist]] and [[performer]].<ref>“Justin Chin : The Poetry Foundation.” N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.</ref> In his work he often dealt with [[queer]] [[Asian-American]] identity and interrogated this category's personal and political circumstances.<ref>Hout, Nikolas. Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 82.</ref>


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
Chin was born in [[Malaysia]] and was raised in [[Singapore]] by his parents of whom his father was a [[Christianity|Christian]] physician and had high expectations for his son.<ref>Murray, Stephen O. “Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings.” Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web.</ref> After graduating from college in [[Singapore]] he left home and enrolled at the [[University of Hawaii]] at [[Manoa]].<ref>Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. “Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer”. Who’s Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. P. 54</ref>
Chin was born in [[Malaysia]] and was raised in [[Singapore]] by his parents of whom his father was a [[Christianity|Christian]] physician and had high expectations for his son.<ref name="Murray, Stephen O 2003">Murray, Stephen O. "Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings." Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web.</ref> After graduating from school in [[Singapore]] he left home and enrolled at the [[University of Hawaii]] at [[Manoa]].<ref>Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. P. 54</ref>
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As a freshman he signed up for Intro to Creative Writing which was an important turn for his development as a writer. [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/faye-kicknosway Faye Kicknosway], who is a poet and visual artist,<ref>“Faye Kicknosway : The Poetry Foundation.” N.p., n.d. Web. 27 feb. 2016</ref> was teaching this class and she became an important figure in Chin's early career. She encouraged him to write and introduced him to [[R. Zamora Linmark]] and [[Lisa Asagi]], who remained important supporters of his art throughout his life.<ref>Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. “Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer”. Who’s Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. Pp. 53-54</ref> In 1990 Justin Chin attended the first [[Outwrite Conference]] in [[San Francisco]] with economic support from the faculty advisor to the university's gay and lesbian group. About this experience Justin Chin wrote: "Being at that conference showed me what was possible, that I could find myself in a continuum, a lineage that was grad and literary, that needed no elucidation or defense, no vindication or apologia."<ref>Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. “Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer”. Who’s Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. P. 57</ref>


⚫
As a freshman, he signed up for Intro to Creative Writing which was an important turn for his development as a writer. [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/faye-kicknosway Faye Kicknosway], who is a poet and visual artist,<ref>"Faye Kicknosway : The Poetry Foundation." N.p., n.d. Web. 27 feb. 2016</ref> was teaching this class and she became an important figure in Chin's early career. She encouraged him to write and introduced him to [[R. Zamora Linmark]] and Lisa Asagi, who remained important supporters of his art throughout his life.<ref>Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. Pp. 53-54</ref> In 1990 Justin Chin attended the first Outwrite Conference in [[San Francisco]] with economic support from the faculty advisor to the university's gay and lesbian group. About this experience Justin Chin wrote: "Being at that conference showed me what was possible, that I could find myself in a continuum, a lineage that was grand and literary, that needed no elucidation or defense, no vindication or apologia."<ref>Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. P. 57</ref>
⚫
After the conference, in 1991, he moved to [[San Francisco]] where he took residence for the rest of his life, which tragically ended on December 24, 2015 with a stroke.<ref>McMurtrie, John. “Justin Chin, S.F. Poet Who Incorporated Complex Themes, Dies.” SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.</ref> He transferred to the journalistic program at [[San Francisco State University]]. Shortly after moving to [[San Francisco]] he started writing [[poems]], [[essays]], [[fiction]] and performance pieces to express his opinions in a less limited media.<ref name=":0" /> In 1995 and 1996 he became a member of the San Francisco [[National Poetry Slam]] team. In 1996 he was also awarded a [[San Francisco Bay Guardian|"Goldie"]] "for the distinction of his spoken word performances".<ref name=":0" />


⚫
After the conference, in 1991, he moved to [[San Francisco]] where he took residence for the rest of his life. He transferred to the journalistic program at [[San Francisco State University]]. Shortly after moving to [[San Francisco]] he started writing [[poems]], [[essays]], [[fiction]] and performance pieces to express his opinions in a less limited media.<ref name=":0">Hout, Nikolas. Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 82.</ref> In 1995 and 1996 he became a member of the San Francisco [[National Poetry Slam]] team. In 1996 he was also awarded a [[San Francisco Bay Guardian|"Goldie"]] "for the distinction of his spoken word performances".<ref name=":0" />
⚫
In 1997 he published his first poetry collection ''Bite Hard'' (at [[Manic D Press]]).<ref>Chin, Justin. Bite Hard. First Edition edition. San Francisco : Emeryville, CA: Manic D Press, Inc., 1997. Print.</ref> ''Bite Hard'' was followed by the collections ''Harmless Medicine'' ([[Manic D Press]], 2001)<ref>Chin, Justin. Harmless Medicine. First Edition edition. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2001. Print.</ref> and ''Gutted'' ([[Manic D Press]], 2006),<ref>Chin, Justin. Gutted. F First Edition edition. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2006. Print.</ref> which was the winner of the 2007 [[Thom Gunn Award]] and finalist for the [[Lambda Literary Award]].
⚫
In addition to these collections he also wrote four books of quasi-autobiographical prose of which the first was ''Burden of Ashes'' ([[Alyson Books]], 2002).<ref>Chin, Justin. Burden of Ashes. 1 edition. Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 2002. Print.</ref> In 2005 he published a collection of performance art texts documenting his performance work from 1993 to 2001 under the title ''Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms'' ([[Suspect Thoughts Press]]).<ref>Chin, Justin. Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms. San Francisco: Suspect Thoughts Press, 2005. Print.</ref> In 2011 he had to essay collections published: ''98 Wounds'' ([[Manic D Press]], 2011)<ref>Chin, Justin. 98 Wounds. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2011. Print.</ref> and ''Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks'' ([[St. Martin’s Griffin]], 1999).<ref>Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin’s Griffin, 1709. Print.</ref> "Other than his published work Chin has created eight full-length solo performance works and several shorter works that he has performed around the United States."<ref>Hout, Nikolas. ''Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide''. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 82.</ref>


⚫
In 1997 he published his first poetry collection ''Bite Hard'' ([[Manic D Press]]).<ref name="Chin, Justin 1997">Chin, Justin. Bite Hard. First edition. San Francisco : Emeryville, CA: Manic D Press, Inc., 1997. Print.</ref> ''Bite Hard'' was followed by the collections ''Harmless Medicine'' ([[Manic D Press]], 2001)<ref>Chin, Justin. Harmless Medicine. First edition. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2001. Print.</ref> and ''Gutted'' ([[Manic D Press]], 2006),<ref>Chin, Justin. Gutted. F First edition. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2006. Print.</ref> which was the winner of the 2007 [[Thom Gunn Award]] and finalist for the [[Lambda Literary Award]].
⚫
==Themes ==
⚫
In his authorship, Justin Chin dealt with [[Personal identity|identity]] categories such as [[Asian Americans|Asian American]], [[Gay literature|Gay writer]] and [[Queer]]. In Bite Hard for example, Justin Chin "explores his identity as an Asian, a gay man, an artist, and a lover".<ref>Chin, Justin. Bite Hard. First Edition edition. San Francisco : Emeryville, CA: Manic D Press, Inc., 1997. Print.</ref> These categories of 'radicalized desire',<ref>Murray, Stephen O. “Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings.” Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web. P. 134</ref> and their [[Intersectionality|intersections]], are categories that have also influenced his own life (see Biography). His "performance pieces and writings articulate a lot of pains and angers at how queer Asians are invisibilized by gay white men and despised by straight Asian circles and communities"<ref>Murray, Stephen O. “Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings.” Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web.</ref> and his work is often "unflinching, and frequently biting, commentary on racial stereotypes, racial tension, Asian-American identity, American consumerism, sexuality, and queer identity"<ref>“Justin Chin | Academy of American Poets.” >>https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/justin-chin<<, n.d. Web. 2 May 2016.</ref>


⚫
In addition to these collections he also wrote four books of quasi-autobiographical prose of which the first was ''Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks'' (St. Martin's Griffin, 1999).<ref>Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin's Griffin, 1709. Print.</ref> followed by ''Burden of Ashes'' ([[Alyson Books]], 2002).<ref>Chin, Justin. Burden of Ashes. 1 edition. Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 2002. Print.</ref> In 2005 he published a collection of performance art texts documenting his performance work from 1993 to 2001 under the title ''Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms'' (Suspect Thoughts Press).<ref>Chin, Justin. Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms. San Francisco: Suspect Thoughts Press, 2005. Print.</ref> In 2011 he had his first fiction collection published: ''98 Wounds'' ([[Manic D Press]], 2011)<ref>Chin, Justin. 98 Wounds. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2011. Print.</ref> "Other than his published work Chin has created eight full-length solo performance works and several shorter works that he has performed around the United States."<ref>Hout, Nikolas. ''Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide''. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 82.</ref>
⚫
As for many other [[LGBT literature|queer writers]] Chin included experiences from his own life and everyday in his writings. Not only things and happenings are included from the actual world Chin lived in, but "attitudes, values and desires".<ref>Murray, Stephen O. “Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings.” Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web. P. 113</ref> In the book ''Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks'' Chin is carefully describing the identity navigation in school: “The stigma of being associated with the queens who were so resoundingly ribbed and teased and tormented made me nestle in my comfy closet: I was on the swim team, I participated in sports – something the queens never dreamed of doing”.<ref>Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin’s Griffin, 1709. Print. P. 4</ref>


His life tragically ended on December 24, 2015, with a stroke, related to complications of AIDS.<ref>McMurtrie, John. "Justin Chin, S.F. Poet Who Incorporated Complex Themes, Dies." SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.</ref>
⚫
Through his works Justin Chin worked to give voice to marginalized groups of racial, national or sexual minorities. He questioned the usefulness of categories and language by acknowledging that "men and women, white people and people of color, straight people and LGBT people, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans persons do not sound the same. We are not homogenous."<ref>Brownworth, Victoria A. “In Remembrance: Justin Chin.” Lambda Literary. N.p., 29 Dec. 2015. Web. 2 May 2016.</ref> In the same ''Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks'' he also questions identities as he writes: "I’ve given up the dream of the Queer Nation. Race, class, gender, ideologies, and values will always divide us. . . . I am so over being queer these days, and I don’t care what I call myself these days or what anyone else calls me; it’s all a matter of convenience these days."<ref>Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin’s Griffin, 1709. Print. P. 34</ref> In this way he used his writings to problematize the dominant language and naming by not purely accepting it but rather problematizing it as a "matter of convenience". When thinking of Justin Chin problematizing and critique were some of the core goals of his writings. In an interview with Gerry Gomez Pearlberg for Frigate ’zine, Chin said, “Every work of art that works as art is a critique.”<ref>Pearlberg, Gerry Gomez. “Frigatezine- Essay/Features: Lives: InterText: A Conversation with Justin Chin.” N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.</ref>


⚫
== Themes ==
⚫
== Awards, Fellowships and Grants ==
⚫
In his authorship, Justin Chin dealt with [[Personal identity|identity]] categories such as [[Asian Americans|Asian American]], [[Gay literature|Gay writer]] and [[Queer]]. In ''Bite Hard'' for example, Justin Chin "explores his identity as an Asian, a gay man, an artist, and a lover".<ref name="Chin, Justin 1997"/> These categories of 'radicalized desire',<ref>Murray, Stephen O. "Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings." Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web. P. 134</ref> and their [[Intersectionality|intersections]], are categories that have also influenced his own life (see Biography). His "performance pieces and writings articulate a lot of pains and angers at how queer Asians are invisibilized by gay white men and despised by straight Asian circles and communities"<ref name="Murray, Stephen O 2003"/> and his work is often "unflinching, and frequently biting, commentary on racial stereotypes, racial tension, Asian-American identity, American consumerism, sexuality, and queer identity."<ref>"Justin Chin | Academy of American Poets." [https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/justin-chin], n.d. Web. 2 May 2016.</ref> That collection explores how the erotic can function through racial difference by exploring questions of racial and sexual shame and abjection such as [[rimming]]. Literary critic Chris A. Eng argues that "Chin's poetry collection consciously evokes 'sweet pain' through depictions of shameful, queer sex to reframe and contest dominant modes of consuming Asian American culture."<ref>Eng, Chris A. “Apprehending the ‘Angry Ethnic Fag’: The Queer (Non)Sense of Shame in Justin Chin’s ‘Currency’ and ‘Lick My Butt.’” ''GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies'' 26, no. 1 (January 12, 2020): 103–28.

<span class="Z3988" title="url_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fzotero.org%3A2&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Apprehending%20the%20%22Angry%20Ethnic%20Fag%22%3A%20The%20Queer%20(Non)Sense%20of%20Shame%20in%20Justin%20Chin's%20%22Currency%22%20and%20%22Lick%20My%20Butt%22&rft.jtitle=GLQ%3A%20A%20Journal%20of%20Lesbian%20and%20Gay%20Studies&rft.volume=26&rft.issue=1&rft.aufirst=Chris%20A.&rft.aulast=Eng&rft.au=Chris%20A.%20Eng&rft.date=2020-01-12&rft.pages=103-128&rft.spage=103&rft.epage=128&rft.issn=1527-9375&rft.language=en"></span></ref>

⚫
As with many other [[LGBT literature|queer writers]] Chin included experiences from his own life and everyday in his writings. Not only things and happenings are included from the actual world Chin lived in, but "attitudes, values and desires".<ref>Murray, Stephen O. "Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings." Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web. P. 113</ref> In the book ''Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks'' Chin is carefully describing the identity navigation in school: "The stigma of being associated with the queens who were so resoundingly ribbed and teased and tormented made me nestle in my comfy closet: I was on the swim team, I participated in sports – something the queens never dreamed of doing".<ref>Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin's Griffin, 1709. Print. P. 4</ref>

⚫
Through his works Justin Chin worked to give voice to marginalized groups of racial, national or sexual minorities. He questioned the usefulness of categories and language by acknowledging that "men and women, white people and people of color, straight people and LGBT people, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans persons do not sound the same. We are not homogenous."<ref>Brownworth, Victoria A. "In Remembrance: Justin Chin." Lambda Literary. N.p., 29 Dec. 2015. Web. 2 May 2016.</ref> In the same ''Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks'' he also questions identities as he writes: "I've given up the dream of the Queer Nation. Race, class, gender, ideologies, and values will always divide us&nbsp;... I am so over being queer these days, and I don't care what I call myself these days or what anyone else calls me; it's all a matter of convenience these days."<ref>Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin's Griffin, 1709. Print. P. 34</ref> In this way he used his writings to problematize the dominant language and naming by not purely accepting it but rather problematizing it as a "matter of convenience". Problematizing and critique were some of the core goals of his writings. In an interview with Gerry Gomez Pearlberg for Frigate 'zine, Chin said, "Every work of art that works as art is a critique."<ref>Pearlberg, Gerry Gomez. "Frigatezine- Essay/Features: Lives: InterText: A Conversation with Justin Chin." N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.</ref>

⚫
== Awards, fellowships and grants ==
* California Arts Council
* California Arts Council
* Djerassi Artist Residency
* Djerassi Artist Residency
Line 56: Line 58:
* PEN American Center
* PEN American Center
* PEN Center USA West
* PEN Center USA West
* The Publishing Triangle's [[Thom Gunn Award]] for Poetry (2007)
* [[Publishing Triangle]]'s [[Thom Gunn Award]] for Poetry (2007)
* Lambda Literary Award finalist (2011, 2006, 2002, 1998, 1998)
* Lambda Literary Award finalist (2011, 2006, 2002, 1998)
* Bay Area Book Reviewers' Association Award finalist
* Bay Area Book Reviewers' Association Award finalist
* Goldie from the <ref>Subvert. “Subversities: Remembering Performance Artist and Poet Justin Chin.” Subversities. N.p., 6 Jan. 2016. Web. 2 May 2016.</ref>


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==


=== Novels and Poetry ===
=== Novels and poetry ===
* ''Bite Hard'' (1997) - First collection of poetry. Nominated for the [http://www.readersread.com/awards/firecracker.htm Firecracker Alternative Book Awards] and the [[Lambda Literary Awards]].
* ''Bite Hard'' (1997) - First collection of poetry. Finalist for the [http://www.readersread.com/awards/firecracker.htm Firecracker Alternative Book Awards] and the [[Lambda Literary Awards]].
* ''Mongrel'' (1999) - Collection of biographical and opinionated essays (1994-1997).<ref name=":1" >Hout, Nikolas. Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 82.</ref>
* ''Mongrel'' (1999) - Collection of biographical and opinionated essays (1994-1997).<ref name=":0" />
* ''Harmless Medicine'' (2001) - Collection of poetry Nominated for the [http://www.readersread.com/awards/firecracker.htm Firecracker Alternative Book Awards], the [[Lambda Literary Awards]] and the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association Awards.<ref name=":1" />
* ''Harmless Medicine'' (2001) - Collection of poetry. Finalist for the [http://www.readersread.com/awards/firecracker.htm Firecracker Alternative Book Awards], the [[Lambda Literary Awards]] and the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association Awards.<ref name=":0" />
* ''Burden of Ashes'' (2002) - Collection of biographical and opinionated essays
* ''Burden of Ashes'' (2002) - Collection of biographical and opinionated essays
* ''Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms'' (2005)
* ''Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms'' (2005)
* ''Gutted'' (2006) -- winner of 2007 [[Thom Gunn Award]] for gay male poetry
* ''Gutted'' (2006) - winner of 2007 [[Thom Gunn Award]] for gay male poetry; finalist for the [[Lambda Literary Awards]]
* ''98 Wounds'' (2011)
* ''98 Wounds'' (2011)
* ''Justin Chin: Selected Works'' (2016) - An anthology of writing by Justin Chin from his 7 published books, edited by Jennifer Joseph


=== Contributions and appearances ===
=== Contributions and appearances ===
* “Imagining America.” in ''[[The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry]]''. Ed. Alan Kaufman. [[Basic Books]], 1999. P. 264.
* "Imagining America." in ''[[The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry]]''. Ed. Alan Kaufman. [[Basic Books]], 1999. P. 264.
* "Why a Boy," "Cocksucker's Blues," "Undetectable," "Ex-boyfriends Named Michael." in ''The World in Us: Lesbian and Gay Poetry of the Next Wave''. Ed. Michael Lassell, Elena Georgiou. Stonewall Inn editions, 2000. pp. 32–39.
* "Why a Boy," "Cocksucker's Blues," "Undetectable," "Ex-boyfriends Named Michael." in ''The World in Us: Lesbian and Gay Poetry of the Next Wave''. Ed. Michael Lassell, Elena Georgiou. Stonewall Inn editions, 2000. pp.&nbsp;32–39.
* "I Buy Sea Monkeys." in ''Take Out: Queer Writing from Asian Pacific America''. Ed. Quang Bao, Hanya Yanagihara, [[Timothy Liu]]. Temple University Press, 2001.
* "I Buy Sea Monkeys." in ''Take Out: Queer Writing from Asian Pacific America''. Ed. Quang Bao, Hanya Yanagihara, [[Timothy Liu]]. Temple University Press, 2001.
* "And Judas Boogied until His Slippers Wept." in ''Gay American Autobiography: Writings from Whitman to Sedaris''. Ed. David Bergman. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2009. pp.&nbsp;390–400.
* "And Judas Boogied until His Slippers Wept." in ''Gay American Autobiography: Writings from Whitman to Sedaris''. Ed. David Bergman. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2009. pp.&nbsp;390–400.
* “Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer”. ''Who’s Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners''. Ed. Jim Elledge, David Groff. University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Pp. 52-57.
* "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". ''Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners''. Ed. Jim Elledge, David Groff. University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. pp.&nbsp;52–57.
* “The Beginning of My Worthlessness.” in "Queer13: Lesbian And Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade," William Morrow Paperbacks, 1999, pp.&nbsp;39–48.


== Further readings ==
== Further reading ==
* Hout, Nikolas. “Justin Chin.” Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. P. 82-86
* Hout, Nikolas. "Justin Chin." Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. P. 82-86

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== References ==
⚫
<references />


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/justin-chin Biography]
* [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/justin-chin Biography]
* [http://www.frigatezine.com/essay/lives/eli03chi.html InterText: A Conversation with Justin Chin]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160327214409/http://www.frigatezine.com/essay/lives/eli03chi.html InterText: A Conversation with Justin Chin]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQc4TFdW8GM Video: The Glitters - Justin Chin]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQc4TFdW8GM Video: The Glitters - Justin Chin]
* [http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/news/12/29/in-remembrance-justin-chin/ In Remembrance: Justin Chin]
* [http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/news/12/29/in-remembrance-justin-chin/ In Remembrance: Justin Chin]


{{Authority control}}
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== References ==
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<references />


{{DEFAULTSORT:Chin, Justin}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chin, Justin}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:American poets]]
[[Category:Malaysian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:LGBT poets]]
[[Category:American LGBT poets]]
[[Category:American male poets]]
[[Category:American male poets]]
[[Category:Gay writers]]
[[Category:American gay writers]]
[[Category:Malaysian gay men]]
[[Category:American LGBT people of Asian descent]]
[[Category:Gay poets]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBT people]]
[[Category:21st-century American LGBT people]]
[[Category:20th-century Malaysian LGBT people]]
[[Category:21st-century Malaysian LGBT people]]

Latest revision as of 13:17, 17 January 2024

Justin Chin
Portrait of Justin Chin by Kevin Killian (Jan. 6 2006)
Portrait of Justin Chin
by Kevin Killian (Jan. 6 2006)
Born8 September 1969
Malaysia
Died(2015-12-24)24 December 2015
San Francisco
Occupationpoet, essayist, performer
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
GenreQueer literature, Poetry slam
Notable worksBite Hard, Mongrel, Harmless Medicine, Gutted, 98 Wounds
Notable awardsThom Gunn Award

Justin Chin (1969–2015) was a Malaysian-American poet, essayist and performer.[1] In his work he often dealt with queer Asian-American identity and interrogated this category's personal and political circumstances.[2]

Biography[edit]

Chin was born in Malaysia and was raised in Singapore by his parents of whom his father was a Christian physician and had high expectations for his son.[3] After graduating from school in Singapore he left home and enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.[4]

As a freshman, he signed up for Intro to Creative Writing which was an important turn for his development as a writer. Faye Kicknosway, who is a poet and visual artist,[5] was teaching this class and she became an important figure in Chin's early career. She encouraged him to write and introduced him to R. Zamora Linmark and Lisa Asagi, who remained important supporters of his art throughout his life.[6] In 1990 Justin Chin attended the first Outwrite Conference in San Francisco with economic support from the faculty advisor to the university's gay and lesbian group. About this experience Justin Chin wrote: "Being at that conference showed me what was possible, that I could find myself in a continuum, a lineage that was grand and literary, that needed no elucidation or defense, no vindication or apologia."[7]

After the conference, in 1991, he moved to San Francisco where he took residence for the rest of his life. He transferred to the journalistic program at San Francisco State University. Shortly after moving to San Francisco he started writing poems, essays, fiction and performance pieces to express his opinions in a less limited media.[2] In 1995 and 1996 he became a member of the San Francisco National Poetry Slam team. In 1996 he was also awarded a "Goldie" "for the distinction of his spoken word performances".[2]

In 1997 he published his first poetry collection Bite Hard (Manic D Press).[8] Bite Hard was followed by the collections Harmless Medicine (Manic D Press, 2001)[9] and Gutted (Manic D Press, 2006),[10] which was the winner of the 2007 Thom Gunn Award and finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

In addition to these collections he also wrote four books of quasi-autobiographical prose of which the first was Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks (St. Martin's Griffin, 1999).[11] followed by Burden of Ashes (Alyson Books, 2002).[12] In 2005 he published a collection of performance art texts documenting his performance work from 1993 to 2001 under the title Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms (Suspect Thoughts Press).[13] In 2011 he had his first fiction collection published: 98 Wounds (Manic D Press, 2011)[14] "Other than his published work Chin has created eight full-length solo performance works and several shorter works that he has performed around the United States."[15]

His life tragically ended on December 24, 2015, with a stroke, related to complications of AIDS.[16]

Themes[edit]

In his authorship, Justin Chin dealt with identity categories such as Asian American, Gay writer and Queer. In Bite Hard for example, Justin Chin "explores his identity as an Asian, a gay man, an artist, and a lover".[8] These categories of 'radicalized desire',[17] and their intersections, are categories that have also influenced his own life (see Biography). His "performance pieces and writings articulate a lot of pains and angers at how queer Asians are invisibilized by gay white men and despised by straight Asian circles and communities"[3] and his work is often "unflinching, and frequently biting, commentary on racial stereotypes, racial tension, Asian-American identity, American consumerism, sexuality, and queer identity."[18] That collection explores how the erotic can function through racial difference by exploring questions of racial and sexual shame and abjection such as rimming. Literary critic Chris A. Eng argues that "Chin's poetry collection consciously evokes 'sweet pain' through depictions of shameful, queer sex to reframe and contest dominant modes of consuming Asian American culture."[19]

As with many other queer writers Chin included experiences from his own life and everyday in his writings. Not only things and happenings are included from the actual world Chin lived in, but "attitudes, values and desires".[20] In the book Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks Chin is carefully describing the identity navigation in school: "The stigma of being associated with the queens who were so resoundingly ribbed and teased and tormented made me nestle in my comfy closet: I was on the swim team, I participated in sports – something the queens never dreamed of doing".[21]

Through his works Justin Chin worked to give voice to marginalized groups of racial, national or sexual minorities. He questioned the usefulness of categories and language by acknowledging that "men and women, white people and people of color, straight people and LGBT people, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans persons do not sound the same. We are not homogenous."[22] In the same Mongrel: Essays, Diatribes + Pranks he also questions identities as he writes: "I've given up the dream of the Queer Nation. Race, class, gender, ideologies, and values will always divide us ... I am so over being queer these days, and I don't care what I call myself these days or what anyone else calls me; it's all a matter of convenience these days."[23] In this way he used his writings to problematize the dominant language and naming by not purely accepting it but rather problematizing it as a "matter of convenience". Problematizing and critique were some of the core goals of his writings. In an interview with Gerry Gomez Pearlberg for Frigate 'zine, Chin said, "Every work of art that works as art is a critique."[24]

Awards, fellowships and grants[edit]

  • California Arts Council
  • Djerassi Artist Residency
  • Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art Awards (1998)
  • PEN American Center
  • PEN Center USA West
  • Publishing Triangle's Thom Gunn Award for Poetry (2007)
  • Lambda Literary Award finalist (2011, 2006, 2002, 1998)
  • Bay Area Book Reviewers' Association Award finalist

Bibliography[edit]

Novels and poetry[edit]

Contributions and appearances[edit]

  • "Imagining America." in The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. Ed. Alan Kaufman. Basic Books, 1999. P. 264.
  • "Why a Boy," "Cocksucker's Blues," "Undetectable," "Ex-boyfriends Named Michael." in The World in Us: Lesbian and Gay Poetry of the Next Wave. Ed. Michael Lassell, Elena Georgiou. Stonewall Inn editions, 2000. pp. 32–39.
  • "I Buy Sea Monkeys." in Take Out: Queer Writing from Asian Pacific America. Ed. Quang Bao, Hanya Yanagihara, Timothy Liu. Temple University Press, 2001.
  • "And Judas Boogied until His Slippers Wept." in Gay American Autobiography: Writings from Whitman to Sedaris. Ed. David Bergman. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2009. pp. 390–400.
  • "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. Ed. Jim Elledge, David Groff. University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. pp. 52–57.
  • “The Beginning of My Worthlessness.” in "Queer13: Lesbian And Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade," William Morrow Paperbacks, 1999, pp. 39–48.

Further reading[edit]

  • Hout, Nikolas. "Justin Chin." Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. P. 82-86

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Justin Chin : The Poetry Foundation." N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hout, Nikolas. Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 82.
  3. ^ a b Murray, Stephen O. "Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings." Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web.
  4. ^ Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. P. 54
  5. ^ "Faye Kicknosway : The Poetry Foundation." N.p., n.d. Web. 27 feb. 2016
  6. ^ Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. Pp. 53-54
  7. ^ Chin, Justin. Elledge, Jim, and David Groff, eds. "Some Notes, Thoughts, Recollections, Revisions, and Corrections Regarding Becoming, Being, and Remaining a Gay Writer". Who's Yer Daddy?: Gay Writers Celebrate Their Mentors and Forerunners. 1 edition. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print. P. 57
  8. ^ a b Chin, Justin. Bite Hard. First edition. San Francisco : Emeryville, CA: Manic D Press, Inc., 1997. Print.
  9. ^ Chin, Justin. Harmless Medicine. First edition. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2001. Print.
  10. ^ Chin, Justin. Gutted. F First edition. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2006. Print.
  11. ^ Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin's Griffin, 1709. Print.
  12. ^ Chin, Justin. Burden of Ashes. 1 edition. Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 2002. Print.
  13. ^ Chin, Justin. Attack of the Man-Eating Lotus Blossoms. San Francisco: Suspect Thoughts Press, 2005. Print.
  14. ^ Chin, Justin. 98 Wounds. San Francisco: Manic D Press, Inc., 2011. Print.
  15. ^ Hout, Nikolas. Contemporary Gay American Poets and Playwrights: An A-to-Z Guide. Ed. Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. Print. P. 82.
  16. ^ McMurtrie, John. "Justin Chin, S.F. Poet Who Incorporated Complex Themes, Dies." SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.
  17. ^ Murray, Stephen O. "Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings." Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web. P. 134
  18. ^ "Justin Chin | Academy of American Poets." [1], n.d. Web. 2 May 2016.
  19. ^ Eng, Chris A. “Apprehending the ‘Angry Ethnic Fag’: The Queer (Non)Sense of Shame in Justin Chin’s ‘Currency’ and ‘Lick My Butt.’” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 26, no. 1 (January 12, 2020): 103–28.
  20. ^ Murray, Stephen O. "Representations of Desires in Some Recent Gay Asian-American Writings." Journal of Homosexuality 45.1 (2003): 111–142. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. Web. P. 113
  21. ^ Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin's Griffin, 1709. Print. P. 4
  22. ^ Brownworth, Victoria A. "In Remembrance: Justin Chin." Lambda Literary. N.p., 29 Dec. 2015. Web. 2 May 2016.
  23. ^ Chin, Justin. Mongrel : Essays, Diatribes, Pranks 1st Edition by Chin, Justin (1998) Paperback. 1 edition. St. Martin's Griffin, 1709. Print. P. 34
  24. ^ Pearlberg, Gerry Gomez. "Frigatezine- Essay/Features: Lives: InterText: A Conversation with Justin Chin." N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2016.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Justin_Chin&oldid=1196434241"