Greenhouses, Lighthouses

"Perplexity and wonder are integral parts of Tung-Hui Hu's poetry, which is as elegant as it is surprising."—Rain Taxi

"This fresh and unexpected poet extends the lyric into the social space without losing any of song's intensity or mystery."—Mark Doty

"Tung-Hui Hu works magic on the page."—Linda Gregerson

Weaving between the personal and cosmic I, Tung-Hui Hu's lyrics seek the "greenhouse"—a place of saturation, growth—as a poetic space to cultivate new modes through which our common language can once again illuminate and guide—"lighthouse." With minimalism and control, Greenhouses, Lighthouses draws subtly from photography, cinematography, and history to create haunting and memorable connections.

From "A Gust of Wind":

There is so much he wants to ask his
strange new wife: how many lovers

she has had, American or Provolone,
and why sometimes, listening to her,

he can hear the sound of a radiator
breathing steam in a cold room.

But it feels ridiculous to doubt her,
so he finds a patch of grass in the open field

and speaks to it, bending down and
burring his words through the blades . . .

Tung-Hui Hu, author of three books of poetry, earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan and a PhD in film from University of California Berkeley. He teaches at the University of Michigan and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.