Vi Khi Nao on Working with the Universe

Vi Khi NaoThe poet Vi Khi Nao joins TOA editors Avni Vyas and Andrew Wessels for a talk about simile as emotional-cargo transport, poems that arrive within five minutes, sandy mussels, and the dangers of reading sapphic writings in front of small children. Plus: Nao reads excerpts from her new TOA chapbook, “Every Dress Is a Simile.”

Vi Khi Nao is the author of four poetry collections—“Human Tetris” (11:11 Press, 2019) “Sheep Machine” (Black Sun Lit, 2018), “Umbilical Hospital” (1913 Press, 2017), “The Old Philosopher” (winner of the Nightboat Prize for 2014)—and of the short-story collection “A Brief Alphabet of Torture” (winner of the 2016 FC2 Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize) and the novel “Fish in Exile” (Coffee House Press, 2016). Her work includes poetry, fiction, film, and cross-genre collaboration. She was the Fall 2019 fellow at the Black Mountain Institute and her website is https://www.vikhinao.com.