Kate Tufts Discovery Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (2019) Winner
Diana Khoi Nguyen
ダイアナ コイ グエン
Daiana Koi Guen
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1985-01-01 （Los Angeles, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Los Angeles, California → Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Multimedia artist, Assistant professor (Creative Writing)
- Active Years
- 2010-
- Affiliations
- University of Pittsburgh (Assistant Professor, Creative Writing)
- Memberships
- Kundiman fellow
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | — | United States |
Columbia University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
MFA obtained (year unspecified)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | National Book Award for Poetry (finalist) | Ghost Of | — | National Book Foundation | finalist |
| 2017 | 92Y's Discovery / Boston Review 2017 Poetry Contest | — | — | 92Y / Boston Review | winner |
| 2017 | Omnidawn Open Book Contest | Ghost Of | — | Omnidawn | winner |
| — | Academy of American Poets University Prize | — | — | Academy of American Poets | recipient |
National Book Award for Poetry (finalist)
2018
Work:
Ghost Of
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
finalist
92Y's Discovery / Boston Review 2017 Poetry Contest
2017
Organization:
92Y / Boston Review
Result:
winner
Omnidawn Open Book Contest
2017
Work:
Ghost Of
Organization:
Omnidawn
Result:
winner
Academy of American Poets University Prize
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
recipient
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Ghost Of
2018 PoetryA poetic collection addressing the impacts of the Vietnam War and familial loss, written in part as an elegy for the author's brother Oliver. It explores transnational and intergenerational trauma, silence, and secrets, with lyrico-visual elements.
elegymigrationtraumasilencefamily
Root Fractures
2024 PoetryA 2024 poetry collection exploring fractures in family roots, memory, and geography (see publisher information for details).
memoryfamily historygeography
Bibliography
- Ghost Of (poetry collection, 2018)
- Root Fractures (poetry collection, 2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Lyrico-visual poetrySpare, economy of language with use of whitespaceElegiac and lyrical tone
- Recurring Motifs
- death and mourningsilence/secretsmigration and bordersfamily history
Legacy
Known for poetry addressing Vietnamese-American experience and familial loss, Nguyen is regarded as a significant contemporary voice. Being a National Book Award finalist brought her wider recognition.
Quotes
-
"Ghost Of seeks to understand his death, familial, transnational, and intergenerational trauma—all the silences and secrets. It is a radical eulogy for and to Oliver, because I wish I could still converse with my brother."
Source: Literary Hub (interview) (2018) -
"a collection of 'exile and elegy.'"
Source: Terrance Hayes (foreword) (2018)
Trivia
- Born in Los Angeles.
- Her brother Oliver died by suicide in 2014; this loss is a central subject of Ghost Of.
- Ghost Of was a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award in Poetry.
- She has said she prefers to write in intense ~15-day bursts; Ghost Of was written over 30 days in 2016.
- She is a Kundiman fellow.