In the Roar of the Machine
Selected Poems of Zheng Xiaoqiong
Book • 2025
In the Roar of the Machine collects influential and moving work by poet Zheng Xiaoqiong, who spent nearly a decade working in the newly created factories and warehouses of southern China.
Her poetry vividly captures the dramatic details of physical labor, the dangers of heavy machinery, and the exploitation faced by migrant workers under global capitalism.
The poems also speak of pleasure, love, memories of ancestors, the natural environment of southern China, and the experiences of women workers.
Zheng's work addresses rarely discussed issues facing the working-class and displaced laborers who produce goods consumed worldwide, from iPhones to machinery components.
Her poetry vividly captures the dramatic details of physical labor, the dangers of heavy machinery, and the exploitation faced by migrant workers under global capitalism.
The poems also speak of pleasure, love, memories of ancestors, the natural environment of southern China, and the experiences of women workers.
Zheng's work addresses rarely discussed issues facing the working-class and displaced laborers who produce goods consumed worldwide, from iPhones to machinery components.
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Kaiser Kuo
Eleanor Goodman
The Poetry of Zheng Xiaoqiong: A Conversation with Translator Eleanor Goodman
