Changming's Lit Endevours Updated-dec'25

1. In the past year, I've written only about sixty poems, less than half of what I had done in previous years, and the quality is also unsatisfactory. This is partly due to my commitment to prose writings and revisings, and partly due to the fact that there are too few Chinese and English poems that I can read or find inspirations from. Overall, I got about 110 acceptances, half of which were first-time publications, including the Belfast Review (UK), The Willow Review and The Penman Review (USA), and The Rome Review (Italy).

2. My English novel The Tuner, written in December 2023, is approximately 52,000 words long. It was officially published by Alien Buddha Press in the US on February 6th of this year. Half of its content (eight chapters) has been published as short stories in installments. The link is: https://www.amazon.com/TUNER-most-moreish-days-lifetime/dp/B0DSCC6NRH

3. On February 7th, my English short story collection Flashbacks was officially published by Goldfish Press in the United States. The collection, approximately 60,000 words long, contains 40 autobiographical stories, two-thirds of which had previously been published in various English journals. The link is: https://www.amazon.com/Flashbacks-Changming-Yuan/dp/1950276325

4. In early March, my first (hybrid) English novel, Detaching, received a highly positive review in the American literary magazine Toasted Cheese. The link is: https://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/2025/25-1/detaching-by-yuan-changming-reviewed-by-shelley-carpenter/

5. In early May, I became a featured contributor to Alien Buddha Press's 75th issue. The link is: https://alienbuddhapress.wordpress.com/2025/04/30/yuan-changming-is-alien-buddhas-featured-artist-for-may-2025/

6. On May 5th, my alma mater, the Univ of Saskatchewan, published a written interview with me in its alumni publication. The link is: https://news.usask.ca/articles/community/2025/greenandwhite-writing-makes-my-life-meaningful.php

7. On August 31st, the monthly page views of Poetry Pacific, which I edit, reached 151,000. This figure is comparable to the total number of page views over the past three years, which is truly gratifying. After twelve years of publication, the total page views have exceeded one million, which is quite an achievement for an English-language poetry journal.

8. From November 12th, 2024, the day after returning to Vancouver from visiting my mother, until December 2nd, I wrote daily, producing nearly 30,000 words of essays in English. These pieces mainly recounted my experiences during my nearly two-month trip back to China (including my gathering with high schoolmates, the 50th anniversary of the "sent-down youth" movement, and a trip to Enshi). There are sixteen essays in total, mostly non-fiction travelogues. The tentative title is Returning to Roots. Although a publisher has not yet been found for the entire book, twelve of the essays have already been published individually in various English journals.

9. In mid-November, I returned to Vancouver. During the two weeks staying at home, I hastily wrote over a dozen essays in English. I hope they can be published individually or even in a collection in the future.

10. I had hoped that my first English novel, Mabakula: Paradise Regained, accepted for publication at the end of August 2023, would be published on schedule at the end of last year or the beginning of this year. However, it became a lost cause with the first publisher due to editorial issues, and then failed to be selected in the final round of voting by another publisher. But after being ignored for more than half a year, it seemed to have been revived on December 19th, when i received an email from the first publisher. This book has had a tumultuous journey. I know my work has high literary value, but my writing has never been favored by editors and readers, so I will just wait and see what would become of it eventually. No matter what, I'll just keep writing.

This year, my wife officially retired. On September 1st, we returned to China via Chengdu to visit relatives in Tianjin and Jingzhou, then stayed in four different locations in Yunnan for over a month. Afterwards, I visited Shennongjia and the Three Gorges Dam on my own. While in Yichang, I really wanted to see my first love again, but fearing it would be presumptuous, I didn't have the courage to message her (I was particularly sensitive to her dismissive attitude because of my poverty). At the same time, I was deeply saddened by the sudden death of my closest friend. After returning to Vancouver in mid-November, I traveled to Los Angeles and San Diego, finally returning on December 13th after a cruise trip to Turkey, Greece, and Italy. The journey was tiring and exhausting, making my first year of travel unbearable. As a result, I fell ill twice, which left me feeling dejected—an unexpected situation. In any case, next spring I will begin revising my last and most literary long philosophical novel. The first draft was completed at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, and I aim to finalize and submit it before 2030.