hello, and welcome

I am not good at introductions, but here’s a little about me:

• Wenyi is a pseudonym I borrowed from my grandmother because the semi-anonymity grants me the privilege of vulnerability.

• This is where I post assorted essays (usually in prose format) and perhaps poetry in the future. Sometimes the line between the two becomes blurred.

• It is not possible to detach my writing from certain aspects of my identity:

  • I spent part of my childhood in China and all of my childhood living in a Chinese household.

  • I write about my therapist and psychiatrist sometimes.

  • I grew up as a woman and still use the label. I don’t care too much about what pronouns you use for me, but I prefer “she/her” or “they/them.”

love, as an introduction

My favorite ice breaker is to ask people to choose five pieces of media of any kind that they feel define them as a person. Often, I am asked if it’s simply media they love or media they relate to. I tell them the disambiguation is up to them.

Here are my five:

• Earthlings, by Sayaka Murata

• Bones and All, dir. Luca Guadagnino

• Crush, by Richard Siken

• Fracture, by Grendel Menz

• My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh

credits

The image used for this publication is Strayed from the Flock, painted in 1867 by Briton Riviere. I only use public domain images in my posts; they will always be credited.

Thank you for checking out my work :) To be read at all is an honor.

Xue Wenyi
薛文逸