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Chen Qiushi is a citizen journalist who had been reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. He went missing on February 6 amid rumors that the
Chinese government is silencing whistleblowers.
This CNN piece caught the poet’s attention. She dug deeper, leading to the creation of this blackout poem created from the English translation of Chen’s January 30, 2020 video.
Maria S. Picone has an MFA from Goddard College. As a world traveler, Korean American adoptee, and online English teacher, she’s interested in cultural issues, identity, and politics. Her poetry and creative nonfiction appear in Homestead Review, |tap|, Ariel Chart, and Route 7 Review. Her Twitter is @mspicone, and her website is mariaspicone.com.
