Q&A: Cadence Chung
Wellington-based Cadence Chung’s debut poetry collection, Anomalia, is populated with strange specimens, cicada husks and glittering gems. These poems explore the love and cruelty in human nature. Cadence answers our quick Q&A below.
1. How are you and what have you been up to lately?
New liver, same eagles. I feel like I'm simultaneously very busy and also feel like I have an insane amount of freedom right now. I recently started my studies in Classical Performance at the New Zealand School of Music, and feel like I'm truly falling in love with opera for the first time, which is a great feeling. Perhaps it's that I recently discovered breeches roles and really want to wear a suit and sing about women.
I've recently secured funding and a venue for my original musical In Blind Faith, so I'll be putting it on in August alongside my co-directors who also go to Vic. I've also written about three manuscripts since anomalia and I'm in the process of sorting out doing something with them. Keep an eye out, I suppose!
2. If you were working in a bookshop, how would you hand-sell your book to customers? What would you say to convince them to buy and read it?
If you are constantly yearning, spend hours in museums, cry over dead poets, hate cicadas, wear too much glittery eyeshadow, and spend way too much time philosophising over absolutely nothing, then this book might be for you!
3. What books (or other art/media) influenced you while writing this book, or generally in your life?
The range of poetry I was reading was pretty broad. My staple New Zealand poets are Chris Tse and Rebecca Hawkes, but I was also reading Sappho, Byron, Wilde, all of whom make little appearances in the book and contribute to the anachronistic chaos. I was also going to a lot of museums with a certain person at the time, which led to much of the specimen imagery.
4. What good books have you read lately?
Going to sound like an incel for this one, but - Fight Club, the novel. I also recently read Interview with the Vampire and definitely had some sort of awakening. I tend to read more random poems than actual poetry books, but in the past month or so I've been reading Chris Tse's Super Model Minority, Rebecca Hawkes' Meat Lovers, Richard Siken's Crush, and Ocean Vuong's Night Sky With Exit Wounds. I'm hoping to read a lot more poetry this year!
Buy anomalia (We Are Babies), $25
