In this attentive and graceful episode of The Poet Laureate Podcast, host Kyeren Regehr speaks with poet, translator, educator, and Mississauga’s inaugural Poet Laureate emerita, Anna Yin. The conversation moves through naming, migration, attention, translation, and the way poetry can open a life. Anna speaks about choosing her English name as a university student in China, the cultural significance of names and fate, and her new collection, Breaking into Blossom. She reflects on the importance of living with childlike curiosity and finding the emotional truth that helps lived experience become art.

Anna’s work as a poet is deeply connected to teaching, translation, and building bridges between languages and communities. She discusses her Poetry Alive program, now in schools for eleven years, and the way she uses her background in IT to create playful, accessible ways for students to enter poems. She also explores her Mirrors and Windows poetry translation initiative, the intimacy and difficulty of translating between Chinese and English, and the human connection translation asks for beyond literal meaning. Included are three poems from Anna’s work, beginning with “Shades of the Name” and closing with “Choose,” which Anna reads in both English and Chinese.

Anna Yin was Mississauga’s inaugural Poet Laureate from 2015–2017. Born in China and now based in Ontario, she is the author of several poetry collections, including Breaking into Blossom, Mirrors and Windows, Nightlights, Seven Nights with the Chinese Zodiac, and Wings Toward Sunlight. Her work has appeared in Queen’s Quarterly, The New York Times, Arc Poetry, and many other publications, and has been broadcast on CBC Radio. She is the founder of Poetry Alive and has translated poetry between English and Chinese for numerous poets and literary projects.

With thanks to Queen’s Quarterly for their generous support of this episode.

Episode links:

Queen’s Quarterly — https://www.queensu.ca/quarterly/

Anna Yin / Poetry Alive — https://www.annapoetry.com/

Breaking into Blossom — Frontenac House — https://www.frontenachouse.com/product/breaking-into-blossom/

Haus of Owl Creation Lab — https://www.hausofowl.com/

We acknowledge with gratitude that this work was created on the unceded homelands of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.

The Poet Laureate Podcast is recorded in studio at Haus of Owl: Creation Labs—supporting artists to create the best work of their careers. Original music by Chris Regehr. To learn more or reach out, visit www.thepoetlaureatepodcast.com or find us on Instagram @poetlaureatepodcast & poetlaureatepdcast@bsky.social.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. / Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. 

This podcast is The Canada Council for the Arts mandate is to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. Through its grants, services, prizes, initiatives, and payments, the Canada Council supports a dynamic and diverse arts and literary scene. These activities generate a meaningful cultural, social and economic impact for over 2,000 communities in all parts of the country and beyond. The investments and leadership of the Council help advance public engagement in the arts from coast to coast to coast while also contributing to the international recognition of artists and arts organizations from Canada.