Interview with Taiwanese poet, Yen Ai-lin｜Taiwan News

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Today we take you to meet Taiwanese poet and author, Yen Ai-lin. Known for her poetry that explores the body, motherhood, and social issues, her work has earned her numerous literary awards and recognition across Taiwan and beyond. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke with Yen to learn more about her career and the inspirations behind her work.

Yen Ai-lin, a poet from Madou in Tainan, is celebrated for her fearless explorations of the body, animals, motherhood, identity, and social issues. She says her childhood in rural Tainan—growing up with her grandparents while her parents worked in the north—deeply shaped her imagination and became the foundation of her writing.

Yen Ai-lin
Poet
I was born in Madou, Tainan. Later, my younger brother and sister were born. When my parents traveled to the north to make a living, they left me—the eldest child—behind in Tainan. So I grew up with my grandparents. The Minnan dialect and the countryside life later became essential elements in my writing. Why didn’t I become a local realist writer, but instead chose poetry? First, because of my sensitivity to the different seasons, and the growth of all living things and how puppies, kittens, and chickens reproduced. I witnessed all of this clearly in my childhood. From the age of three or four, I was already pondering strange questions. Alone in the fields, any place higher than the rice paddies felt loft. I would think, the sky is so vast, and people are so small. The adults were in the fields working, and I was the only child. I grew up under the immense heavens, standing alone, wondering: why me? Why am I here? At three or four years old, I was already thinking about this. Since childhood, I was someone who let my mind wander. I even remember things from when I was six or seven months old.

Her poetry has earned her numerous accolades, including the National Outstanding Young Poet Award, the Outstanding Award for New Poem Creation from the Ministry of Culture, and the Taipei Literature Award. Her notable works include Bone, Skin, Flesh and Xiaying’s Local Delicacies, a memoir-like collection of essays that interweaves childhood memories and the cultural atmosphere of rural Tainan.

Yen Ai-lin
Poet
When I was writing this book, most of it came from my memories. At the beginning, I started with prose—before I ever encountered modern poetry, my writing was mainly compositions and essays. I loved drawing very much. As a child in the countryside, I would use tree branches to sketch on the sand ground. Later, when I entered kindergarten and first came into contact with paper, I began to draw the things that stirred my feelings most deeply. What’s interesting is that my philosophical thinking seemed to awaken quite early. By the fifth or sixth grade of elementary school, I was already painting abstract works. These fascinating experiences of life between town and country, combined with my imagination, became the starting point for my writing.

Recently diagnosed with cancer, she continues to stand strong. Having completed her final round of chemotherapy at the end of March last year, she has resumed her hobbies—reading, writing, creating jewelry, spending time with friends, and giving speeches.

Yen Ai-lin
Poet
As a woman poet in the 1990s, I started during Taiwan’s media liberalization—when the press flourished, and ideas clashed. I graduated from university in 1992, having entered in 1989, the year of Tiananmen, the most turbulent of times. My growth was deeply tied to the explosion of information. I believe that writing must always begin with what moves me. I never think, “Someone has already written this, so I cannot.” On the contrary, if someone has written it, why shouldn’t I approach it from my perspective? Every piece of my writing is how I see the world. If my words touch you, it is because I had no choice but to write it. For me, writing is a way of seeking emotional connection.

Yen hopes to continue to write freely and invite viewers to discover the power of poetry as a bridge of empathy and imagination. Through her words, she seeks not only to preserve memories but also to spark dialogue about a variety of issues.

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