Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2020) Winner
Victoria Chang
ヴィクトリア・チャン
Vikutoria Chan
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- West Bloomfield, Michigan (raised) → Atlanta, Georgia (resident while at Georgia Tech)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, writer, editor, critic, professor
- Active Years
- 2005-
- Affiliations
- Georgia Institute of Technology (Bourne Chair in Poetry)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | — | Asian Studies | B.A. | — | United States |
| Harvard University | — | Asian Studies | M.A. | — | United States |
| Stanford Business School | — | Business | M.B.A. | — | United States |
| Warren Wilson College (MFA Program) | — | Poetry (MFA) | M.F.A. | — | United States |
University of Michigan
Asian Studies
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
United States
Harvard University
Asian Studies
Degree:
M.A.
Country:
United States
Stanford Business School
Business
Degree:
M.B.A.
Country:
United States
Warren Wilson College (MFA Program)
Poetry (MFA)
Degree:
M.F.A.
Country:
United States
Held a Holden Scholarship
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Poetry) | OBIT | — | Los Angeles Times | Winner |
| 2020 | PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry | OBIT | — | PEN America | Winner |
| 2021 | Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (Poetry) | OBIT | — | Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards | Winner |
| 2024 | Forward Prize for Best Collection | With My Back to the World | — | Forward Prizes | Winner |
| 2017 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | Fellowship |
| 2025 | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | Fellowship |
| 2020 | Lannan Residency Fellowship | — | — | Lannan Foundation | Fellowship |
| 2023 | Chowdhury International Prize in Literature | — | — | Chowdhury International Prize | Winner |
| 2014 | Commonwealth Club of California (California Book Awards) | The Boss | Silver Medal | Commonwealth Club of California | Winner |
| 2014 | PEN Center USA Literary Award | The Boss | — | PEN Center USA | Winner |
| 2018 | Poetry Society of America Alice Fay di Castagnola Award | — | — | Poetry Society of America | Winner |
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Poetry)
2020
Work:
OBIT
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
Winner
PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry
2020
Work:
OBIT
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
Winner
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (Poetry)
2021
Work:
OBIT
Organization:
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result:
Winner
Forward Prize for Best Collection
2024
Work:
With My Back to the World
Organization:
Forward Prizes
Result:
Winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
2017
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
Fellowship
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
2025
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
Fellowship
Lannan Residency Fellowship
2020
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
Fellowship
Chowdhury International Prize in Literature
2023
Organization:
Chowdhury International Prize
Result:
Winner
Commonwealth Club of California (California Book Awards)
2014
Work:
The Boss
Category:
Silver Medal
Organization:
Commonwealth Club of California
Result:
Winner
PEN Center USA Literary Award
2014
Work:
The Boss
Organization:
PEN Center USA
Result:
Winner
Poetry Society of America Alice Fay di Castagnola Award
2018
Organization:
Poetry Society of America
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 86 (2021) Winner
Forward Prizes for Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 33 (2024) Excellence Award
Works
Major Works
Circle
2005 PoetryEarly collection exploring memory and personal relationships through lyrical poems.
memoryfamilyself-exploration
Salvinia Molesta
2008 PoetryUses images of nature and invasive plants to address personal and cultural themes.
naturealienationcultural identity
The Boss
2014 PoetryA collection containing poetic experiments on labor, the body, and power relations.
laborphysicalitypower
Barbie Chang
2017 PoetryReexamines the image of 'Barbie' connecting it to consumer culture and identity.
consumer cultureidentityfemininity
OBIT
2020 Poetry (experimental obituary forms)An experimental collection using obituary forms to probe loss, grief, and memory; critically acclaimed and award-winning.
lossgriefmemory
The Trees Witness Everything
2022 Poetry (formal experiments including waka)A collection inspired by Japanese forms such as waka, using formal experiments to consider memory, family, and history.
formal experimentationfamilyhistory
With My Back to the World
2024 PoetryTraverses personal and collective memory, addressing silence, loss, and recovery; recipient of the Forward Prize.
silencerecoverymemory
Tree of Knowledge
2026 PoetryUpcoming poetry collection (limited public information).
knowledgetransmission
Bibliography
- Circle (2005)
- Salvinia Molesta (2008)
- The Boss (2014)
- Barbie Chang (2017)
- OBIT (2020)
- The Trees Witness Everything (2022)
- With My Back to the World (2024)
- Tree of Knowledge (2026)
- Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief (2021)
- Is Mommy? (children's book, 2015)
- Love Love (middle grade verse novel, 2020)
- EUREKA (children's book, 2026)
- Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation (ed., 2004)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- formally experimental poetryrepurposing established forms (obituaries, waka)lyric and discursive voice
- Recurring Motifs
- loss and griefmemory and silenceAsian-American lived experiencemotherhood and family
Legacy
Victoria Chang is known for combining formal experimentation with personal experience, addressing loss, memory, and immigrant background; her award-winning work has made significant contributions to contemporary poetry and earned international recognition.
Academic Societies
- Poetry Society of America (associated award)
Trivia
- In OBIT she uses obituary forms to explore grief and loss.
- Her work experiments with Japanese forms such as waka.
- She also writes picture books and a middle-grade verse novel.
- Serves as Bourne Chair in Poetry at Georgia Tech.