Enkaryon Ang

During my residency at Saari, I’m developing a verse novel exploring foxglove’s cultural transformation from its Japanese colonial introduction to Taiwan through its embedding within local narratives. This interdisciplinary project examines how botanical colonialism operates through scientific classification, economic exploitation, and cultural transformation. The verse novel format mirrors how local and indigenous mythologies interact with colonial narratives—through fragmentation, juxtaposition, and spaces between words rather than linear storytelling. 

I envision creating a polyvocal work where different voices speak through varying poetic forms: local folk singers, indigenous storytellers, colonial botanists, contemporary researchers, and the plants themselves, creating a textual ecosystem reflecting the biological and cultural complexity of my subject. Working at Saari excites me because my geographical positioning mirrors the narrative tensions I’m exploring in verse. Being in Europe allows me to investigate foxglove’s European cultural context while examining its colonial journey to Taiwan through my perspective as a Taiwanese writer, revealing how plant species carry cultural meanings that transcend boundaries.

Enkaryon Ang is a poet, critic and independent researcher based in Taipei whose work spans literature, art, and science intersections. Since 2009, he has published poetry collections and essays, establishing himself as a distinctive voice in contemporary Taiwanese literature. His latest collection, “A Galaxy of Howness,” captures Taiwan’s post-digital transformations. His recent research focuses on species transmission histories between empires and colonies, examining relationships within colonial contexts.