Publications
ESSAYS:
“Name,” Chicago Quarterly Review, forthcoming in 2026 Fall Issue.
“Summer, 1998” & “The Word for Bowl”, phoebe, Issue 55.2, June 2026.
- Nonfiction Runner-Up, phoebe‘s Spring Nonfiction Contest, 2026.
“In ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ there’s something ‘Golden’ for all of us,” WBUR Cognoscenti, October 2025.
- Selected as one of Cognoscenti’s best stories of 2025
- Mentioned in Musical mayhem: The Cog 2025 playlist
- Cited in Cog’s Weekly Newsletter by editor Sara Shukla, “Surfing is for everybody“
“Life lessons from Josh Groban, 365 days a year,” WBUR Cognoscenti, December 2023.
- Mentioned by the editor as an essay “inspired by music that has been a total delight to work on this year” in “Cognoscenti’s best stories of 2023.
“Why is it so hard to take up space?” Solstice, Summer 2023.
- Editor’s Pick, Solstice Annual Literary Contest, 2023.
“Mirrors,” Pangyrus, February 2023.
- Pushcart Prize Nominated Essay, 2023.
- Selected for the print anthology, Pangyrus 11: When We Choose.
“Backstreet’s back this holiday season — thanks to their music, I am too,” WBUR Cognoscenti, December 2022.
- Editors’ Favorite in “Cognoscenti’s Best Stories of 2022.”
OTHER:
“How the Essay Incubator Helped Shape My Writing Practice,” GrubWrites, GrubStreet, June 2025.
“Love letters to Boston: More than friends. I’ll love you forever,” WBUR Cognoscenti, Edited by Cloe Axelson and Sara Shukla, November 2023.
- Recorded for RADIO: “One-way streets, the T and hip-hop on the radio. Your letters to Boston,” WBUR Cognoscenti, Edited by Cloe Axelson and Sara Shukla, February 14, 2024.
“Dream of Green: A Cocktail and Conversation with Susan Nguyen,” diaCRITICS, DVAN, February 2022.
Artist Residencies
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), Mt. San Angelo, Amherst, VA, August 10-16, 2026. (forthcoming)
Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA), Knoxville, TN, March 1-7, 2026.
Honors & Recognitions
Nonfiction Runner-Up, phoebe‘s Spring Nonfiction Contest, 2026.
Finalist, swamp pink’s Nonfiction Prize, 2025.
Pushcart Prize Nominee, for “Mirrors” published in Pangyrus, 2023.
Editor’s Pick, Solstice’s Annual Literary Contest, 2023.
Finalist, CRAFT Literary Magazine‘s Memoir Excerpt & Essay Contest, 2023.
Semi-Finalist, Sewanee Review‘s Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction Contest, 2023.
Pauline Scheer Fellow, GrubStreet Memoir Incubator Program, 2023-24.
GrubStreet Boston Writers of Color Literary Awards, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025.
Teaching & Speaking Events
Guest Instructor, ASPIRE Youth Leadership Program, “Finding Your Voice: Creative Writing Workshop” at The Foundry, Cambridge, MA, June 28, 2026.
Featured Reader, “First Fridays Poetry Night” at Union Ave Books, Knoxville, TN, March 6, 2026.
Featured Reader, Tell-All Boston’s “Life on the Margins,” at Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA, June 13, 2024.
Panelist, Boston Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association “Memoir Panel,” at Book Ends, Winchester, MA, May 23, 2024.
Moderator & Organizer, Kundiman Northeast Regional Group Events:
- Kundiman & Narrative Author Feature: “Thomas Dai & Allison King” at Narrative Bookstore, Somerville, MA, June 22, 2025.
- AAWW & Kundiman’s Panel Event: “Emerging Writers in Conversation,” at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, New York, NY, May 2, 2024.
- Kundiman’s “Summer Reading Event” at Remnant Brewing, Somerville, MA, July 16, 2023.
- Cambridge Asian American Writers, with sponsorship from Kundiman Northeast: “Community Reading” at Remnant Brewing, Somerville, MA, September 28, 2022.
Featured Reader / Guest Speaker, GrubStreet Community Events & Classes, Boston, MA:
- 2025-26 Essay Incubator Class – Alumni Panel, May 26, 2026.
- 2024-25 Essay Incubator Class – Alumni Panel, June 3, 2025.
- Jumpstart Your Memoir Class – Visiting Guest Panel, August 21, 2024.
- 2024-25 Essay Incubator Open House & Info Session – Alumni Panel, June 26, 2024.
- 2023-24 Essay Incubator Class – Alumni Panel, June 11, 2024.
- Advanced Memoir Building Class – Visiting Guest Panel, June 11, 2024.
- Memoir Incubator 2023-24 Class Graduation, May 9, 2024.
- 2023-24 Essay Incubator Open House & Info Session – Alumni Panel, July 11, 2023.
- Essay Incubator 2022-2023 Class Graduation, July 6, 2023.
- Summer 2023 Open House & Showcase, May 17, 2023.
- Fall 2022 Essay Incubator Homecoming Event, October 29, 2022.
Literary Citizenship
Nonfiction Reader, Solstice Literary Magazine. 2024-present.
Volunteer Tutor, College Essay Writing, 826 Boston, 2025-present.
Co-Chair, Kundiman Northeast Regional Group, 2023-2025.
Creator, @mixaphoria, which was featured on a 2021 episode of NPR’s Life Kit podcast for my literary cocktail pairings that highlight books by diverse writers, 2020-present.
Marketing Lead, Tell-All Boston Literary Reading Series, 2022-2023.
Lead Co-Organizer, Asian American Cambridge Writing Group, 2021-2023.
Resident Mixologist, Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network’s ACCENTED Event Series, 2021-2022.
Education
Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, Nonfiction, led by Grace Talusan, July 2025.
Juniper Summer Writing Institute, Nonfiction, led by T Kira Māhealani Madden, June 2025.
GrubStreet Memoir Incubator Program, led by Xujun Eberlein, 2023-2024.
GrubStreet Essay Incubator Program, led by Ethan Gilsdorf, 2022-2023.
Additional Writing Workshop Experience:
- Writing Co-Lab: Blurred, Hybrid, and Speculative: Crossing Boundaries in Creative Nonfiction, led by Jami Nakamura Lin, 6 weeks, 2026
- GrubStreet Essay Collection Builder, led by Theresa Okokon, 5 months, 2025.
- Grubstreet Advanced Nonfiction: Writing About Race, led by Victor Yang, 10 weeks, 2021.
- Kundiman: Beauty in Brevity – The Flash Nonfiction Essay, led by Mark L. Keats, 8 weeks, 2022.
- Kundiman: Women, Memoir, and Nonfiction, led by Jen Lue, 8 weeks, 2021.
- Kundiman: The Creative Nonfiction Toolkit, led by Hannah Bae, 8 weeks, 2021.
- Catapult: The Art of the Fragmented, led by Jeannine Ouellette, 8 weeks, 2022.
- Catapult: The 6-Week Essay Machine, led by Brian Gresko, 6 weeks, 2021.
- Multi-Verses: Writing Immigrant Origin Stories, led by H’Rina deTroy, 6 weeks, 2021.
Boston University Questrom School of Business, MBA/MS in Digital Innovation, 2017-2019.
Harvard University, AB, Social Anthropology, cum laude, 2008-2012.
Other Skills
Management / Administrative: Project management, event planning, human resources, fundraising, training, facilitation
Media: Graphic design (Canva), website design (WordPress), video editing (iMovie)
Mixology: Find my cocktail recipes and literary pairings on Instagram @mixaphoria.
Language: Vietnamese (heritage speaker, basic proficiency)
Dance: Trained in classical ballet, with experience in various modern techniques, from contemporary ballet to Forsyth Improvisational Technologies.
Performance experience:
Company Member of Dance Visions, Inc., 2012-2025. Dance Artist of Harvard Dance Project, 2011-2012. Company member of Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company, 2008-2012. Pre-professional student at Northeast School of Ballet, 2005-2008.
Thuy Phan 