Acclaimed Poet, Novelist, and Artist Wang Ping Visits Wheeler

Wheeler’s Aerie Literary Voices (ALV), which is part of our Aerie Enrichment Program, recently hosted acclaimed poet, novelist, and artist Wang Ping. She is the author of 14 books of poetry, prose, and translation, including her most recent collection of poems in English and Chinese, “The River Within,” as well as the poetry collection, “My Name is Immigrant,” and the memoir, “Life of Miracles Along the Yangtze and Mississippi,” a winner of the 2017 AWP Creative Nonfiction Award. Deeply rooted in her Chinese ancestry and identity, Ms. Wang’s writing addresses the complexities of language, culture, and gender. She is a Minnesota Poet Laureate who has also been recognized with fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The moment she entered our Providence campus, Ms. Wang said she felt an energy fueled by passion, openness, curiosity, and diversity. Her visit began with a workshop with the Aerie Literary Voices writers, where she talked about her writing life and the magic of poetry. Then, student writers Jacquelyn S. ’24 and Robin L. ’26 shared their poems with Ms. Wang, who was delighted to see two poets with different styles, content, and voices make similar connections with the audience through emotion and exploration. “What more can a poet hope for?” asked Ms. Wang rhetorically.

During the workshop, Ms. Wang led the ALV writers through a quantum poetry game, where students had three minutes to write a few sentences about home or a mundane object, like a hairbrush, without hesitation or inner criticism. Once the time was up, Ms. Wang invited two students to share their writing with the group. “Both stories were good, with concrete, detailed observations and leaping thoughts that created music, cadence, and interesting associations.” The audience was delighted.

Then, Wang Ping added a twist and asked the two poets to combine their writing, phrase by phrase, line by line, or word by word – like a game of ping pong. “The two seemingly unrelated writings started merging seamlessly, playfully, poetically. People’s chins dropped!” she said. “THIS is the magic of poetry, its innate quantum entanglement, embedded in our brain, language, and yearning for delight, surprise, magic…It’s our hallmark for being alive, fully. Without Wheeler or [Aerie Writer-in-Residence] Robert Koppel laying down the foundation for such open, brilliant minds, nothing I described above would have been possible. It was a great privilege and honor to meet and work with Wheeler students.”

As Robert Koppel reflected, “Ping’s thoughtful critique of student poetry, always with a light touch and strong sense of fun, allowed the ALV writers to rethink some of their fine work.”

Later that day, Ms. Wang met with another group of Upper Schoolers in the Gilder Center for the Arts’ Isenberg Auditorium, and she also stopped by the Wheeler School Broadcasting studio for an interview with student writer Jacquelyn S. “Speaking to Wang Ping was an incredible experience!” shared Jacquelyn. “She’s lived such a vibrant life and had so many fascinating insights on poetry, philosophy, and human connection. My favorite part was learning about her journey from raising chickens in China to translating for the great authors of the 20th century. Thank you to Wang Ping for sharing her experiences, to Mr. Koppel for planning the visit, and to the team at ALV for an amazing workshop!”