Yeng Chheangly is a Cambodian poet and cultural advocate from Kandal Province whose work captures the lives and social realities of ordinary Cambodians.
Growing up in a farming family, he first encountered traditional Khmer poetry at the Peam Mongkul Monastery near his village, where he met his mentor, the poet Chin Meas. There, he discovered the power of words to convey memory, emotion, and resilience. He later honed his craft through programs with the Nou Hach Literary Association and workshops hosted by PEN Cambodia and the Khmer Writers Association. His practice blends poetry performance with visual media—both still and moving images—creating a multidimensional artistic voice.
In 2015, he collaborated with fellow writers to co-found Slap Paka Khmer, an informal platform promoting literary reading and writing. He also worked with Cambodian-American poet Chath PierSath to co-found Magic Library in his village, where he led a mobile reading initiative using a bicycle and a tin box filled with children’s books. A few years later, he handed the project over to students in Siem Reap.
In 2016, he co-compiled the bilingual Khmer–English poetry collection In the Shadow. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he contributed photographic works to the ART4Food initiative, supporting cyclo riders in Phnom Penh. In 2021, he experiment video poetry and produced a film Our Own Wind, bringing together poems from local and international poets.
Inspired by his poem The Mekong River, he co-led the “Poetry and Image” workshop in Takeo Province, compiled the book Our Water Stream, and later presented it at the Kyoto workshop on Rivers and Beliefs in Southeast Asia, hosted by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University.
He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Khmer Literature at Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University, while continuing to explore the intersections of poetry, visual arts, and social engagement in Cambodia.
