Zhang Er

Zhang Er, poet, translator and opera librettist, born in Beijing, is the author of seven collections of poetry in Chinese, most recently Sea Volts and Bullets Twirl 《海跳起，子弹婉转》(2021). Her selected poems appeared in three English translation collections from Zephyr Press: First Mountain, So Translating Rivers and Cities, and Verses on Bird. She co-edited and participated in the translation of Another Kind of Nation: an Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Poetry (Talisman House Publishers), and The Art of Women in Contemporary China: Both Sides Now, (Cambridge Scholars Publisher). She also wrote opera libretti in English for American composers including Moon in the Mirror (with music by Stephen Dembski, premiered Sept. 2015) and Fiery Jade: Cai Yan (with music by Gregory Youtz, premiered Nov. 2016). Tacoma Method, a new opera (with music by Gregory Youtz) is scheduled to premiere in March 2023 by Tacoma Opera. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest of US among trees with her husband and four cats.