{"product_id":"how-to-exi-s-t-a-poets-memoir-9780872869493","title":"How to Exi(s)T: A Poet's Memoir","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA neurodivergent gay war refugee navigates academia, racism, and indeed life itself as a poet, artist, and teacher\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHow to Exi(s)t: A Poet's Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e is an experiment in nonlinear autobiography by the author of the American Book Award-winning \u003cem\u003eBook of the Other\u003c\/em\u003e, Truong Tran. Beginning in the present--at a writing residency in the aftermath of this success--\u003cem\u003eHow to Exi(s)t\u003c\/em\u003e moves back and forth in time, in bursts of brief poetic essays grouped by theme. The duality of the title thematizes a dilemma at the heart of the book: how does a poet separate himself from the academic career to which he's devoted his professional life and what does being a teacher mean outside of it?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnpeeling the layers between present and past, Tran proceeds in reverse as he explores crucial events and figures in his life, including the reaction to the publication of \u003cem\u003eBook of the Other\u003c\/em\u003e, the dynamics of whiteness and power framing his repeated rejection for a tenure track position, the profound effect of his dyslexia on his evolution as a writer and artist, the repercussions of being outed by a newspaper after winning an undergrad poetry prize, traumatic episodes growing up in the Vietnamese diaspora in San Jose, and complicated relationships with both his family and his chosen family. Attempting to fathom these experiences and connect them to his present self, Tran examines and reexamines key details rather than dispensing with them in neat anecdotes, reflecting the volatile process of imagination and memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnsparing, even caustic in its instance on racism as a dominant note of American life, but marked by surprising tenderness and humor, \u003cem\u003eHow to Exi(s)t \u003c\/em\u003eis a compelling portrayal of Tran's pedagogical philosophy as well as an interrogation of a poetic language that conceals as much as it reveals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cocorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-18410255\"\u003eTruong Tran\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e City Lights Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/20\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.40w x 0.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780872869493\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0872869490\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cocorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cocorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO002020\"\u003eAsian \u0026amp; Asian American\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cocorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cocorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO031000\"\u003eLGBTQ+\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cocorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cocorrectionsbookstore.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO007000\"\u003eLiterary Figures\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTruong Tran\u003c\/b\u003e is a poet, visual artist, and teacher born in Saigon, Vietnam. His books include \u003cem\u003eBook of the Other: Small in Comparison\u003c\/em\u003e, winner of the American Book Award\u003cem\u003e, The Book of Perceptions, Placing the Accents, Dust and Conscience, Within the Margins, Four Letter Words, 100 words, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eLooking and Seeing\/Seeing and Looking, \u003c\/em\u003ethe children's book \u003cem\u003eGoing Home Coming Home, \u003c\/em\u003e and an artist monograph, \u003cem\u003eI Meant To Say Please Past the Sugar\u003c\/em\u003e. He is the recipient of the Poetry Center Prize, the Fund for Poetry Grant, the California Arts Council Grant, and numerous San Francisco Arts Commission Grants. Truong is also a visual artist who believes that art, be it poetry, cooking, sculpting, and even gardening, are his ways of thinking through the conscious of the times we live in. Truong teaches at Northeastern University, Oakland and lives in San Francisco.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Lights Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50533244895407,"sku":"9780872869493","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/9255\/8767\/files\/9780872869493.jpg?v=1790359881","url":"https:\/\/www.correctionsbookstore.com\/products\/how-to-exi-s-t-a-poets-memoir-9780872869493","provider":"Corrections Bookstore ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}