In this video essay, Barbara Tran describes the inspiration behind her poem “Red O” (published in Issue 17.2) against the visual backdrop of two circling hawks. As important as what made it into the poem is what rests just outside its frame. We’re excited to share this additional dimension to her work.



Barbara Tran’s writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Conjunctions, the Paris Review, Poetry, and the New Yorker. A Pushcart Prize-winner, Barbara is indebted to Hedgebrook for radical hospitality at a crucial time, and to the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for essential support.