Friends in the DC and DMV area! On January 23rd, I’ll be talking with poet, editor, and American University professor Kyle Dargan as part of The Life of a Poet series at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital in DC. I hope you’ll join us: www.hillcenterdc.org/event/the-li...

Submissions are now OPEN for the annual Undocupoets Fellowship! Three $500 fellowships + all-inclusive scholarships to attend the 2025 Summer Workshop Program at the Fine Arts Work Center. Open to poets who are currently or formerly undocumented in the United States.

DEADLINE: 2/14 at 11:59 pm ET

Help me pick a new author photo

Hide the poets—

Sometimes there are perks to walking your pup in 37 degree weather—above us last night was a lunar halo, which I’d never seen before 🧿

Documents like these tell a wild story of my life as a formerly undoc person. My college diploma was signed by Schwarzenegger, who repealed a law allowing undoc people the right to obtain driver’s licenses. My naturalization certificate was signed by Obama, who left office as “Deporter-In-Chief.”

Yesterday, I got to talk about DECADE OF THE BRAIN, poetic forms, community, and Undocupoets with a class taught one of my favorite humans. Here we are after, outside The American Dream Room at Sarah Lawrence College. Thanks for 17 whopping years of poetry & friendship, @caesura.bsky.social 🤗

Search drinks in your camera roll.

Thank you to all who signed/shared the open letter to the Pulitzer Prizes, who wrote letters of support, who asked how to help, who answered phone calls & texts, who met on zoom, who advocated for this change. It cannot be overstated how significant a change this is for our literary landscape. 💞🌻

Drop something blue from your gallery.

Move out of the way, orchids and birds of paradise, I’ve fallen in love with coxcombs. 🧠

Many thanks to Southern Indiana Review for this review of DECADE OF THE BRAIN 🥰🧠🤗 The book’s been in the world eight months now & it’s a wonder people are continuing to read & engage with it. An excerpt:

Sign the Open Letter: https://www.undocupoets.org

On the bullet train to Seoul—didn’t realize I would have to pop my ears so much!

Hello from Busan 🌝

Esther Lin’s debut collection, COLD THIEF PALACE, winner of the 2023 Alice James Award, comes out March 2025. I can’t wait.

New author photo bc this is who I am now.

I was supposed to be in Portland, but instead I am storyboarding over dinner and making home videos with the kiddos. Thank you, in advance, to the Academy.

Me being here feels a little like this.