Featured Stories
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Can Be Identified in Kids as Young as 8
HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 12 (TNSjou) -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston issued the following news:
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Cardiometabolic risk factors can be identified in kids as young as 8
By Catherine Thibault September 11, 2026
Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, a health condition made up of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity, can be identified in children as young as 8, UTHealth Houston researchers discovered.
Using a group of 273 children who participate in the Border Health Research Cohort within the Border Health Research Center at UTHealth
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HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 12 (TNSjou) -- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston issued the following news:
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Cardiometabolic risk factors can be identified in kids as young as 8
By Catherine Thibault September 11, 2026
Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, a health condition made up of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity, can be identified in children as young as 8, UTHealth Houston researchers discovered.
Using a group of 273 children who participate in the Border Health Research Cohort within the Border Health Research Center at UTHealthHouston School of Public Health in Brownsville, researchers analyzed 5,000 proteins and identified six "signatures" of proteins that significantly influence the risk of developing cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease in adulthood. The same protein signature was present in 685 adults from the same community who were at high risk of irreversible cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, according to the team.
The research was published today in Nature Metabolism and led by first author Heather Highland, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health.
"Understanding the development of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease across the lifecourse is critical," Highland said. "Proteins circulating in the blood can serve as markers of nascent pathologies across the body. These early markers can help identify people at greater risk for increased monitoring and potentially early intervention."
To confirm the findings, the team assessed the association of their protein signatures with disease outcomes in more than 28,000 adults participating in the UK Biobank, a large-scale prospective study of more than 500,000 people living in the UK. Individuals in the UK Biobank who had the similar protein signatures were at a higher risk of having a heart attack or other poor health outcomes associated with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, according to the team.
Importantly, the team also compared their findings to the results of GLP-1 drug trials and found the majority of the proteins in the signatures that place individuals at high risk of irreversible cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease were reversible in adults taking GLP-1 drugs.
"This association is really one of the most exciting messages, because those proteins that predict the risk of cardiometabolic diseases all moved in a healthy direction after these adults took GLP-1. This makes this a modifiable risk state rather than a fixed marker of fate," said corresponding author Kari North, PhD, director of the Border Health Research Center and professor at the School of Public Health. "Childhood is the time that we really need to start intervening because it's reversible."
Many of the children who participated in the study already had phenotypes, or physical traits, associated with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, including obesity, liver function, cholesterol levels, and insulin resistance. However, many of the blood tests performed by the team are not typical of what a child would receive at an annual doctor's visit.
The findings support the importance of early intervention and a move toward precision medicine, the team said.
"The dysregulation of the proteins that influence risk of heart attack later in life, if we can reverse them in childhood,? then we can really make a huge dent in the cardiovascular disease burden that we see in adult populations around the world today," North said. "?We need to do better screening in children, and if we see children who are at an elevated risk, the time to act is now."
Senior authors Joseph McCormick, MD, professor of epidemiology and James H. Steele, DVM, Professor at the School of Public Health, and Susan Fisher-Hoch, MD, professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health, are co-founders of the Cameron County portion of the Border Health Research Cohort, and have overseen the population-based study since 2014.
"The cohort provides key silent markers of chronic disease traits that are manifest in adults, including some parents of the children, with clinical disease. These children have generously participated in the study at our Clinical Research Unit in Brownsville," McCormick said.
Fisher-Hoch also credited the staff and the wider Brownsville community with making the research possible.
"Nearly 20 staff, recruited from the same community and provided appropriate skills, did the hard work of conducting the detailed study of the children in our clinical research unit and laboratory. The community-based team is immensely proud of the contribution of their efforts to human health," Fisher-Hoch said.
Additional authors from UTHealth Houston include: Victoria Buchanan, PhD; Mohammad Y. Anwar, PhD; Absalon Gutierrez, MD; Miryoung Lee, PhD; and Kristin L. Young, PhD.
Authors from Vanderbilt University include: Joshua Landman, PhD; Andrew Perry, MD; Quanhu Sheng, PhD; Anna Lorenz, MS; Shilin Zhao, PhD; Wanying Zhu, MS; Elizabeth G. Frankel, BS; Rashedeh Roshani, MS; Alyssa Scartozzi, PhD; Eric H. Farber-Eger, MS; Ash Breidenbach, PhD; Ting-Chen Wang, BS; Jaclyn Tamaroff, MD; Lauren E. Petty, PhD; Alexander S. Petty, BS; Benjamin Lippi, BS; Quinn Wells, MD; Kahraman Tanriverdi, PhD; Jane E. Freedman, MD; Eric R. Gamazon, PhD; Jennifer E. Below, PhD; and Ravi V. Shah, MD.
Authors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill include: Annie G. Howard, PhD; Xinruo Zhang, PhD; Alexandra B. Palmer, MD, PhD; Jessica K. Sprinkles, PhD; Christine A. Ballard, MS; Mariaelisa Graff, PhD; Katie A. Meyer, ScD; and Penny Gordon-Larsen, PhD.
Additional authors include: Matthew Nayor, MD, of Boston University; Lindsay Fernandez-Rhodes, PhD; and Mohanraj Krishnan, PhD, of Pennsylvania State University; and Hung-Hsin Chen of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Taiwan.
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Original text here: https://www.uth.edu/news/story/cardiometabolic-risk-factors-can-be-identified-in-kids-as-young-as-8
UNM's Office of Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity seeks nominations for annual ACE Awards
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, Sept. 12 -- The University of New Mexico posted the following news:
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UNM's Office of Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity seeks nominations for annual ACE Awards
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The University of New Mexico's Office of Compliance, Ethics and Equal Opportunity (CEEO) seeks nominations for the 2026 Advancing Compliance and Ethics (ACE) Awards, recognizing employees who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to integrity, ethical decision-making and fostering a positive and compliant workplace.
The annual ACE Awards honor UNM employees whose actions help strengthen a culture
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, Sept. 12 -- The University of New Mexico posted the following news:
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UNM's Office of Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity seeks nominations for annual ACE Awards
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The University of New Mexico's Office of Compliance, Ethics and Equal Opportunity (CEEO) seeks nominations for the 2026 Advancing Compliance and Ethics (ACE) Awards, recognizing employees who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to integrity, ethical decision-making and fostering a positive and compliant workplace.
The annual ACE Awards honor UNM employees whose actions help strengthen a cultureof ethics and accountability across the University. All UNM employees are eligible to be nominated.
The awards recognize individuals who lead by example, provide guidance when faced with challenging situations and actively contribute to creating a healthy, ethical and compliant work environment.
Members of the UNM community are encouraged to nominate colleagues whose everyday actions demonstrate these values. Nominations should include examples of how the individual upholds ethical standards, contributes to a positive and compliant workplace, and demonstrates leadership that strengthens UNM's culture of integrity.
Nomination information
Nominations are open to all UNM employees and must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
Those submitting nominations are encouraged to share specific examples or stories illustrating the nominee's commitment to ethical conduct and the impact they have made within their department, unit or the broader University community.
The ACE Awards provide an opportunity to recognize employees who not only do the right thing themselves, but also help create an environment where integrity, accountability and ethical decision-making are part of UNM's everyday culture.
Submit a nomination through the 2026 ACE Award nomination form.
For questions or additional information, contact CEEO at ceeo@unm.edu.
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Original text here: https://news.unm.edu/news/unm-s-office-of-compliance-ethics-equal-opportunity-seeks-nominations-for-annual-ace-awards
UCCS Welcomes John Fields Jr. as Chief of Police
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, Sept. 12 -- The University of Colorado issued the following news release:
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UCCS welcomes John Fields Jr. as Chief of Police
September 11, 2026
John Fields Jr., a veteran law enforcement executive with more than three decades of experience, has been named the new Chief of Police for UCCS. His first day on campus will be September 21.
Fields has led four law enforcement agencies and most recently served as Executive Director and Chief of Police at Stephen F. Austin State University, part of the University of Texas System.
At Stephen F. Austin, Fields oversaw
... Show Full Article
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, Sept. 12 -- The University of Colorado issued the following news release:
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UCCS welcomes John Fields Jr. as Chief of Police
September 11, 2026
John Fields Jr., a veteran law enforcement executive with more than three decades of experience, has been named the new Chief of Police for UCCS. His first day on campus will be September 21.
Fields has led four law enforcement agencies and most recently served as Executive Director and Chief of Police at Stephen F. Austin State University, part of the University of Texas System.
At Stephen F. Austin, Fields oversawpublic safety for a campus community of approximately 12,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. During his tenure, the department secured International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators accreditation and Texas Best Practice Recognition, while the university achieved Storm Ready certification. He also championed community-focused initiatives including a Shop with a Cop program, Residence Community Ambassador training and a Citizen Police Academy grant.
"I'm excited to join UCCS and become part of a university that places such a strong emphasis on innovation, student success and community engagement," Fields said. "I look forward to working collaboratively across campus and throughout the Colorado Springs community to foster an environment that is both prepared and welcoming, while building the relationships and trust that are at the heart of effective campus public safety."
Fields' career in higher education began at Albany State University, where he served as Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police. His leadership has consistently emphasized community-oriented policing, interagency collaboration and preparedness.
Throughout his career, Fields has strengthened partnerships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and led training and preparedness efforts focused on procedural justice, de-escalation and trauma-informed practices.
Fields holds three degrees from Albany State University: a bachelor's degree in political science, a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. His professional training includes the Executive Leadership Institute and FEMA Multi-Hazard Emergency Management for Higher Education, and he is a certified Crisis Intervention Officer and emergency response coordinator.
Fields has experience in municipalities with the beginning of his law enforcement career with the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. He served as Operations Captain, Watch Commander and had a stint with the Albany Dougherty Drug Unit.
Fields is also a U.S. Army veteran whose military service included a deployment during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Across more than three decades of public service, his work has been grounded in a belief that effective public safety begins with relationships, a philosophy he now brings to UCCS.
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Original text here: https://news.uccs.edu/2026/09/11/uccs-welcomes-john-fields-jr-as-chief-of-police/
Meet Dr. Amy Watson, Recipient of VSU's 2026 Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching
VALDOSTA, Georgia, Sept. 12 -- Valdosta State University issued the following news:
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Meet Dr. Amy Watson, Recipient of VSU's 2026 Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching
Jessica Pope, Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
VALDOSTA -- Dr. Donald J. Green, president of Valdosta State University, has honored Dr. Amy Watson with the 2026 Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching.
The Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching recognizes a faculty member who employs innovative teaching strategies and demonstrates a strong commitment to student success.
Watson joined the faculty
... Show Full Article
VALDOSTA, Georgia, Sept. 12 -- Valdosta State University issued the following news:
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Meet Dr. Amy Watson, Recipient of VSU's 2026 Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching
Jessica Pope, Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
VALDOSTA -- Dr. Donald J. Green, president of Valdosta State University, has honored Dr. Amy Watson with the 2026 Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching.
The Presidential Excellence Award for Teaching recognizes a faculty member who employs innovative teaching strategies and demonstrates a strong commitment to student success.
Watson joined the facultyof VSU's Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration in 2020, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
"I was in a new position, at a new school, teaching new classes under very unusual circumstances, and so I used that disruption as an opportunity to reimagine some of my approaches," said Watson, who current serves as associate professor of marketing. "I really think this award is a reflection of the changes I made."
VSU: What are your favorite classes to teach and your favorite topics to research?
Watson: I love teaching Introduction to Marketing and Marketing Strategy. I love being a student's first experience with marketing concepts and then being their last stop before graduation to bring it all together before sending them confidently into their careers. I always incorporate a community partner into the Marketing Strategy class, and it is very rewarding to see the students develop critical thinking skills while tackling problems and creating solutions with local impact. It's also an opportunity for them to learn about organizations and industries that they otherwise would not have known about that are right here in South Georgia.
VSU: What has proven most effective in increasing student learning in your classroom?
Watson: Storytelling and personal connection are my two biggest strategies. People love a good story, and they're much more likely to remember a story over random knowledge. If I can get students invested in the story, then they're more likely to want to dig into the nuances and details of the concepts that underlie the story. In the process, deep learning happens in a way that sticks with them long after the class has ended. And that learning is compounded if I can make the stories personal for them or help them connect with me, so they are engaged both relationally and cognitively.
VSU: Helping students achieve success often involves countless hours of work outside the classroom. In what ways do you actively engage with your students to continue the learning process outside of scheduled class times?
Watson: I sneakily hack the algorithms on their phones that determine what winds up in their feeds!! I have them pull out their phones and look things up during class, then they continue to receive content about that topic when we aren't in class. They can't escape my influence!! Beyond the technological engagement, because I develop a relationship with many of them, they feel comfortable coming to me for life and career advice. So, I spend a lot of time helping them plan for what comes next and connecting them with people and opportunities from my network when there's alignment.
VSU: What advice do you have for other faculty who wish to identify more effective ways to stimulate engagement and comprehension in their own classroom?
Watson: I can't overemphasize how effective personalized storytelling can be for facilitating engagement, understanding, and retention. You don't have to redesign an entire course or become a Tony-winning stage actor. Start with one concept students struggle to care about and teach it through a true story with real people, decisions, and high stakes. There is less pressure if you remind yourself that the goal isn't to make the material entertaining; it's to make it meaningful by bringing it to life and embedding it in a complex context with characters, conflict, and consequences. Entertainment becomes a natural outcome.
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Original text here: https://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2026/09/meet-dr-amy-watson-recipient-of-vsus-2026-presidential-excellence-award-for-teaching.php
McCain Institute Statement on 25 Years Since September 11 Terror Attacks
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- Arizona State University McCain Institute issued the following news:
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McCain Institute Statement on 25 Years Since September 11 Terror Attacks
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 11, 2026) - The McCain Institute at Arizona State University today issued the following statement from Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks:
"Today our nation remembers and honors the souls we lost 25 years ago on September 11, 2001. We will never forget the innocent lives taken that day and the heroic sacrifice
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- Arizona State University McCain Institute issued the following news:
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McCain Institute Statement on 25 Years Since September 11 Terror Attacks
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 11, 2026) - The McCain Institute at Arizona State University today issued the following statement from Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks:
"Today our nation remembers and honors the souls we lost 25 years ago on September 11, 2001. We will never forget the innocent lives taken that day and the heroic sacrificeof the first responders, volunteers, passengers on Flight 93, and countless others who ran toward the danger. In the days that followed, Senator McCain praised the way Americans came together in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Today, we echo his call for unity. As we remember those lost, we also honor the enduring American spirit of courage, service over self, and compassion that makes us a beacon of hope for the world."
Dr. Farkas worked at the U.S. Capitol at the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks and was forced to evacuate on that day. She had been scheduled to meet that morning with the Pentagon's counterterrorism policy office. She was a professional staff member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, responsible for oversight of counterterrorism and special operations policy and the Special Operations Command from 2001 to 2008 under Senators Carl Levin, John Warner, and John McCain. In this role she traveled to Guantanamo with Senators Levin and McCain, and to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other global war zones and hotspots with McCain staff colleagues.
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About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family's dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights and freedom, and empower character-driven leaders. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world's most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
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About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.
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Original text here: https://www.mccaininstitute.org/resources/press-releases/mccain-institute-statement-25-years-september-11/
Campbell University: A Personal 9/11 Story, 25 Years Later
BUIES CREEK, North Carolina, Sept. 12 -- Campbell University issued the following news:
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A personal 9/11 story, 25 years later
September 11, 2026
Cindy Adams, the circulation manager for Wiggins Memorial Library, shared her personal Sept. 11, 2001, experience for the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Adams' sister worked inside one of the World Trade Center towers when it was attacked that day, and while she survived the attack, the event would impact her health years later.
I am a born-and-raised New Yorker who, on Sept. 11, 2001, lived in Houston. That morning, I was in line at the
... Show Full Article
BUIES CREEK, North Carolina, Sept. 12 -- Campbell University issued the following news:
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A personal 9/11 story, 25 years later
September 11, 2026
Cindy Adams, the circulation manager for Wiggins Memorial Library, shared her personal Sept. 11, 2001, experience for the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Adams' sister worked inside one of the World Trade Center towers when it was attacked that day, and while she survived the attack, the event would impact her health years later.
I am a born-and-raised New Yorker who, on Sept. 11, 2001, lived in Houston. That morning, I was in line at theStarbucks across the street from my job as a specialist copywriter at the Houston Chronicle. I noticed some commotion on the TV screen near the line, and wondered what it was about. By the time I got upstairs to my desk, my colleagues in the Marketing department were gathering in the conference room, watching the drama unfold.
I just kept thinking, and saying, "That's my city! That's my city."
I was so angry, incredulous.
I thought I knew that my sister, Robin Fox, worked near the World Trade Center; of course I fervently hoped she was OK, and of course couldn't get through to her. It was a few minutes later that I reached my mother in Newton Grove, who corrected me that no, indeed, Robin worked IN the World Trade Center.
I couldn't believe I had gotten that wrong. It suddenly became so much more real. I was shaken to the core.
A colleague drove me home to the apartment complex where I lived and where my brother and his family lived. I stopped at their apartment to inform him and my sister-in-law; she worked for Continental Airlines at the time and had been sent home. I waited out the day at my own apartment, glued to the TV (and for days afterward), unable to reach Robin or her husband, Billy. A construction electrician working on a site near Wall Street, he watched the whole tragedy unfold, heart in hand to put it mildly, from the rooftop of the site.
To make a long story short, we were among the "lucky" ones ... at 4 p.m., my sister was able to call me and let me know she had made it out, down 53 flights of stairs in the South Tower, the second one hit and the first to fall. This with a plate in her "bad" ankle, having broken it the year before.
Unbelievable relief.
A miracle.
She had felt the building rock and was walking away, had gotten around the corner and about two blocks when the building fell and the cloud of dust enveloped the scene. Miraculously, she found a working phone, was able to reach Billy and meet up with him, and after about three hours, still miraculously, they were able to take a subway home to Queens.
My family continues to consider the parish priest (now an auxilliary bishop in Atlanta) who waited it out with my mom that day a true saint.
Sadly, my sister died a dozen years later from metastatic breast cancer, which both Billy and Mom thought might have been a result of the toxins of 9/11. Some of his co-workers have gotten sick from it.
It's difficult to fathom that was 25 years ago. God bless all those lost and those who mourn them -- and the world.
- Cindy Adams
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Original text here: https://news.campbell.edu/articles/a-personal-9-11-story-25-years-later/
Binghamton University: New Poetry Collection Addresses the Visibility of Asian American Women
BINGHAMTON, New York, Sept. 12 -- Binghamton University issued the following news:
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New poetry collection addresses the visibility of Asian American women
Tina Chang's LION is an interdisciplinary exploration of safety, danger, and identity
By Jennifer Micale
September 11, 2026
It was music when the lion walked into my home.
I thought I felt it lick my palm. I bent low to the ground,
to watch it craving though I was starving too.
The tongue touches a valley inside the mouth,
only wounding can reach. The body of a gazelle
runs wildly inside my knotted heart. The beast
struggles
... Show Full Article
BINGHAMTON, New York, Sept. 12 -- Binghamton University issued the following news:
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New poetry collection addresses the visibility of Asian American women
Tina Chang's LION is an interdisciplinary exploration of safety, danger, and identity
By Jennifer Micale
September 11, 2026
It was music when the lion walked into my home.
I thought I felt it lick my palm. I bent low to the ground,
to watch it craving though I was starving too.
The tongue touches a valley inside the mouth,
only wounding can reach. The body of a gazelle
runs wildly inside my knotted heart. The beast
struggleswithin, bones lit with grief, a rush
of pursuit, sings me into the skin of the living.
-- an excerpt from Tina Chang's poem "Text," in LION
Traditionally considered an image of masculine power, the lion roams through the poems in Tina Chang's latest collection -- then takes an unexpected turn.
Scheduled for release on Oct. 6 by W.W. Norton, LION is her first new collection of poetry since Hybrida in 2019. In it, the Binghamton University English professor explores safety and danger, visibility and invisibility as an Asian American woman, the aftermath of the pandemic, and the structure of bias, racism, and violence, all in interdisciplinary conversation with women artists.
"I was delivered to the guiding figures of Asian American women, artists, and the spirits that created spaces for me to walk alongside them," she said.
The first female Poet Laureate of Brooklyn, Chang is also the author of the poetry collections Of Gods & Strangers and Half-Lit Houses, and co-editor of the Norton anthology Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia, and Beyond.
LION took seven years to write, which is typical for Chang's book-length works. And like her previous books, it was born of necessity.
In 2021, a gunman killed eight people at two spas and a massage parlor in Atlanta, Georgia; six of the victims were women of Asian descent. In January 2022, Michelle Alyssa Go died after she was pushed in the path of a New York City subway train; a month later, Christina Yuna Lee was stabbed to death in her New York City apartment.
"I was overcome with anger and grief as I reflected on the lives of Asian American women who were senselessly killed during the COVID era and the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes," Chang reflected. "To understand their beginnings as opposed to their end, I began researching the lives of Michelle and Christina."
Her search led her to her voice, penetrates earth's floor, a group art exhibition hosted by the Eli Klein Gallery, where Lee had worked for four years. The name comes from a line in the 1982 book Dictee by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, an artist who was murdered a week after its publication. The exhibition, curated by stephanie mei huang, featured nine Asian-American women artists who paid tribute to Lee's life.
Chang explored the collective's artwork and responded with poetry. As her manuscript took shape, she met online with each artist to discuss their vision and approach. These conversations sparked additional poems, leading to the completion of LION.
Predator and prey
The book begins with a suite of poems called "The Document of Invisibility." In them, a speaker witnesses her own birth, her attempted erasure by external forces, and her survival through communal insistence.
"There are many forms of violence against communities of color, immigrant communities, refugee communities, individuals, and groups considered 'other.' We see this reflected in our current culture, where to claim one's identity is to be visible," Chang said.
The image of the lion runs throughout the book. In Chinese culture, lions are also referred to as fu dogs and are seen as an amalgamation of many creatures, including the dragon, tortoise, phoenix, and snake.
"I chose the word lion as I'm consciously claiming a domain traditionally dominated by men and calling attention to spaces that exclude women," Chang said. "The figure of the lion represents an archetype of authority while remaining sensitive to the experience of living in a woman's body."
Currently, she's three-quarters of the way through the creation of a new poetry collection that focuses on caregiving, and the spiritual and physical ramifications of caring for another person's life. In the book, a husband is diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer; the poems therein focus on the complexity of love and mortality, and the transformation of the patient and caregiver both.
This latest project was inspired by Richard Wright's collection, Haiku: This Other World, written during the final 18 months of his life. Wright wrote nearly 4,000 haiku after his lung cancer diagnosis, as a way to capture "moments of lucidity between waves of pain."
"He saw each haiku as a breath, an inhale or exhale when he could no longer speak," Chang said. "Similarly, I focus on the breath as proof of life in the smallest minutiae. The COVID era taught us about the value of breath and breathing, the common denominator that unites us all."
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Original text here: https://www.binghamton.edu/news/story/6472/new-poetry-collection-addresses-the-visibility-of-asian-american-women
