In Conversation with Yee Heng Yeh
Yee Heng Yeh works as a Mandarin-to-English translator while writing in his spare time. His poetry has been featured in The KITA! Podcast, adda, Unmasked: Reflections on Virus-time, Malaysian Millennial Voices, and two NutMag volumes, in addition to winning 2nd place in the Poetry Category for Diam² Ubi Berisi. An alumnus of UNM’s English undergraduate programme, he has often collaborated with Particle by hosting workshops related to the art of poetry.
In this interview, Aqil Najhan (AN) presents Heng Yeh (HY) with questions discussing the matter of form, the influences that bear heaviest on his poetry, and advice for those looking to develop their own voice.
AN
In collaboration with Particle, you will be hosting a free-verse poetry workshop. What sets free verse poetry apart from other, more structured forms? What draws you to it?
HY
As the name tells you, with free verse I think there's more freedom to write the kind of poetry you want—whatever that may be.
I love it when ideas and images are presented in turns of phrases that are arranged just right—which may not always conform to a fixed structure. What “just right” means exactly is hard to say, but it’s precisely the free verse’s lack of constraints that allows us to find that out ourselves. So it’s always an enjoyable process to discover what a poem’s form is, which is usually only revealed through the writing.
But of course, every poem has a form. As Szymborska says, poetry is, was, and will always be a game—and all games have rules. It’s just that with free verse, we get to decide what those rules are.
AN
Where do you tend to draw poetic inspiration from?
HY
The usual suspects: the news and social media; history, my own and the world’s; other writings and works of art; people I know and the things they tell me; the subconscious, which only shows itself when we woolgather…
I think most of it comes down to observing things—the larger world, the smaller details, my emotional reactions to all that—and then thinking about them. Sometimes it becomes an almost unhealthy impulse of “Hmm, so how do I make this a poem?” whenever something makes an impression on me. But maybe that's a healthier impulse than most. It’s a way to process things that doesn’t hurt anyone, except maybe friends who are made to read your bad drafts.
AN
Which authors, poets, and literary works would you say have had the biggest influence on your writing?
HY
Wisława Szymborska is a major one. I mean her poetry, of course, but also her non-fiction writing and her Nobel speech. I’ve learned a lot by trying to imitate her voice—her humour, which is both sharp and gentle; her compassion and wisdom; the way she uses perspective(s); the clarity of her language. (And because I don’t know Polish, I can only know Szymborska through Clare Cavanagh and Stanisław Barańczak, whose translations never miss. I say this because I’ve often compared the different translations of her poems, and theirs would invariably be my favourite. Doing this has also taught me a lot about selecting the right word/phrase—because what is writing if not translating the ideas in your head to ideas put down in writing?)
Of course, there’s also a perpetually growing list of favourite poets and writers, to say nothing of screenwriters, mangaka, and playwrights, as well as mentors and friends whose guidance is as big an influence on my writing as anything else I’ve mentioned. However, I’d be hard-pressed for an answer if you ask me to unravel these threads of influence. I’m afraid I don’t know myself well enough to say exactly who's responsible for what.
AN
As a graduate of UNM’s School of English, how has your education aided you on your journey as a writer?
HY
I might have never started writing creatively if I hadn’t taken this course, for one, where I was pushed to attempt writing fiction, poetry, and plays. It was eye-opening on many levels (learning the possibilities of language, learning what stories I had to tell). And of course we had to read a lot, and widely, which is always helpful (some might say crucial) for any writer. “Read, read, read—it’s osmosis,” we were told.
So in many ways it’s helped me build up certain habits that are still in force today. More indirectly, it’s taught me how to receive feedback (without letting the ego get in the way, for one, but also to hold fast to what you want to do as a writer) which is vital to improving one’s craft, and probably an aspect we don’t always consider immediately.
Also invaluable are events like the One-Act Play Festival, poetry readings, Particle launches—to be part of a creative community, to share your work with an audience, however small. And of course, I was able to make connections—to like-minded friends, established Malaysian writers, people working in the industry—through which I continue to learn about and access various opportunities.
AN
What advice do you have for students who are aiming to make a name for themselves in the local poetry scene?
HY
I wish I knew too! Lol.
I guess if you want to make a name for yourself, first you have to put your name out there. So send out your poems, join events and writing groups, meet people. We often think of writing as a solitary act, but it doesn’t have to be. There is a whole community of writers and readers out there which can be a great source of support.
And find a way to keep writing—which means deciding you want to write in the first place, making time for it, going through crises of confidence, questioning your motivations, deciding that yes, you still want to write…
AN
In a more general sense, what advice do you have for those who want to try writing poetry?
HY
You could figure out what poems you love and why you love them, then try to copy what they do—or not. You could join online writing groups, who may supply you with a writing prompt or two—or you could just keep to yourself. You could scribble something on a scrap of paper, maybe show it to a friend—or don’t. You could read enough of Szymborska’s poetry until the creative urge seizes you and a poem tumbles off your fingers—or it may not. You could keep a list of ideas for poems, gradually add to it over the course of months, pick the one with the greatest potential, then write it—or you may prefer a more spontaneous approach.
In any case, you could start.
For deeper insight into his thoughts (and other fun stuff), you can find Yee Heng Yeh on Twitter: @HengYeh42.
Note: this interview was conducted via e-mail.