Interview with Taiwanese poet, Yen Ai-lin
Interview with Taiwanese poet, Yen Ai-lin
2026-01-20
Today we take you to meet Taiwanese poet and author, Yen Ai-lin. Known for her poetry that explores the body, motherhood, and social issues, her work has earned her numerous literary awards and recognition across Taiwan and beyond. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke with Yen to learn more about her career and the inspirations behind her work.
Yen Ai-lin, a poet from Madou in Tainan, is celebrated for her fearless explorations of the body, animals, motherhood, identity, and social issues. She says her childhood in rural Tainan—growing up with her grandparents while her parents worked in the north—deeply shaped her imagination and became the foundation of her writing.
Yen Ai-lin
Poet
I was born in Madou, Tainan. Later, my younger brother and sister were born. When my parents traveled to the north to make a living, they left me—the eldest child—behind in Tainan. So I grew up with my grandparents. The Minnan dialect and the countryside life later became essential elements in my writing. Why didn’t I become a local realist writer, but instead chose poetry? First, because of my sensitivity to the different seasons, and the growth of all living things and how puppies, kittens, and chickens reproduced. I witnessed all of this clearly in my childhood. From the age of three or four, I was already pondering strange questions. Alone in the fields, any place higher than the rice paddies felt loft. I would think, the sky is so vast, and people are so small. The adults were in the fields working, and I was the only child. I grew up under the immense heavens, standing alone, wondering: why me? Why am I here? At three or four years old, I was already thinking about this. Since childhood, I was someone who let my mind wander. I even remember things from when I was six or seven months old.
Her poetry has earned her numerous accolades, including the National Outstanding Young Poet Award, the Outstanding Award for New Poem Creation from the Ministry of Culture, and the Taipei Literature Award. Her notable works include Bone, Skin, Flesh and Xiaying’s Local Delicacies, a memoir-like collection of essays that interweaves childhood memories and the cultural atmosphere of rural Tainan.
Yen Ai-lin
Poet
When I was writing this book, most of it came from my memories. At the beginning, I started with prose—before I ever encountered modern poetry, my writing was mainly compositions and essays. I loved drawing very much. As a child in the countryside, I would use tree branches to sketch on the sand ground. Later, when I entered kindergarten and first came into contact with paper, I began to draw the things that stirred my feelings most deeply. What’s interesting is that my philosophical thinking seemed to awaken quite early. By the fifth or sixth grade of elementary school, I was already painting abstract works. These fascinating experiences of life between town and country, combined with my imagination, became the starting point for my writing.
Recently diagnosed with cancer, she continues to stand strong. Having completed her final round of chemotherapy at the end of March last year, she has resumed her hobbies—reading, writing, creating jewelry, spending time with friends, and giving speeches.
Yen Ai-lin
Poet
As a woman poet in the 1990s, I started during Taiwan’s media liberalization—when the press flourished, and ideas clashed. I graduated from university in 1992, having entered in 1989, the year of Tiananmen, the most turbulent of times. My growth was deeply tied to the explosion of information. I believe that writing must always begin with what moves me. I never think, “Someone has already written this, so I cannot.” On the contrary, if someone has written it, why shouldn’t I approach it from my perspective? Every piece of my writing is how I see the world. If my words touch you, it is because I had no choice but to write it. For me, writing is a way of seeking emotional connection.
Yen hopes to continue to write freely and invite viewers to discover the power of poetry as a bridge of empathy and imagination. Through her words, she seeks not only to preserve memories but also to spark dialogue about a variety of issues.
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寫作是“尋找情感的連結” 詩人顏艾琳談創作與自我探索
2026-01-20
帶您認識台灣詩人顏艾琳。她的詩作以探索身體、母性及社會議題聞名，曾贏得多項文學獎項，並在台灣及國際間獲得許多肯定。
來自台南麻豆的詩人顏艾琳創作圍繞在身體、動物、母性、身份和社會議題。小時候父母在北部工作，她在台南鄉下和祖父母一起生活，這也形塑她的想像力，並成了寫作的養分。
[[詩人 顏艾琳]]
"我出生在台南的麻豆，然後接著有弟弟跟妹妹出生，所以爸爸媽媽在北上打天下的時候，是把我最大的小孩留在台南，所以我是跟阿公阿媽長大的，閩南語、鄉下的生活後來就成為我寫作很重要的元素。為什麼我不是成為一個鄉土作家？而是是用詩？首先，我對季節，然後萬物的成長，像是小狗、小貓、雞，他們如何繁殖，都在我小時候，清清楚楚看到。我從三四歲就考慮很奇怪的事情，一個人在田埂上面，那時候，只要高於稻田的地方都是很高，我在思考什麼？天這麼這麼大，人好小．因為大人都浮在田裡工作，只有我一個小孩，我成長。天地蒼蒼，想說，為什麼是我？我為什麼在這裡？我三四歲就在思考這個，我從小是一個人亂想，我到六、七個月的事情我還記得。”
她的詩榮獲許多獎項，她的詩作曾榮獲多項殊榮，包括全國優秀青年詩人獎、文化部的新詩創作優等獎，以及台北文學獎。她的代表作包括《骨、皮、肉》和《A贏的地味》，這是一部回憶錄式的散文集，交織著童年記憶和台南鄉村的文化氛圍。
[[詩人 顏艾琳]]
"我在寫這本書的時候，大部分都是我的記憶，所以我一開始是從散文，我還沒接觸到新詩之前，我都是作文、散文為主。我非常喜歡畫畫，我從小在鄉下，在沙地拿樹幹這樣畫，然後進入了幼稚園，接觸到紙本的時候，我就繪畫我比較有感受的東西。比較有意思的是，我的哲學思考好像啟動了很早，我在國小五六年級就在畫抽象畫，這些很有趣的城鄉之間的生活，就透過我的想像力組合，開始寫東西。"
她最近被診斷出患有癌症，但她仍然堅強地生活。去年三月底完成最後一輪化療後，她重新拾起了自己的愛好——閱讀、寫作、製作珠寶、與朋友相聚以及演講。
[[詩人 顏艾琳]]
“身為一個女詩人在1990年代，台灣媒體解放、媒體興起，各個觀念。尤其我是1992年大學畢業，1989年天安門，最動盪的一年考上了大學，1992年畢業，我的成長跟著資訊的爆炸有關。我覺得要寫東西，一定要寫感動自己的，我不會去想說已經有人寫過了，我就不能寫了，而是相反，有人寫過了為什麼不能有我的角度？我任何的寫作都是我怎麼看世界，我的東西如果可以感動到你，那是因為我不得不把它寫出來，我寫東西是尋找情感的連結。"
顏艾琳希望繼續自由創作，並邀請讀者發現詩歌作為連結同理心和想像力的橋樑的力量，透過文字，不僅保存記憶，更能引發各種議題的討論。
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