Taylur Thu Hien Ngo

passing the bomb squad at the DNC 2008

Taylur Thu Hien Ngo was born in Hoi An, Viet Nam and raised in Southern California. Her poetry, stories, and articles have appeared in Damau.org, Tho Magazine, Hop Luu, Nha Magazine, OC Weekly and Viet Weekly.  She is a recipient of the Park Scholarship (given in honor of James D. Houston) for Squaw Valley Community of Writers, PEN Emerging Voices Rosenthal Fellowship, Mindy Gates O'Mary scholarship, and a visiting artist at USC where she taught spoken word workshops. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from San Diego State University.  She lives with her husband Louie Nguyen in San Diego, CA and is expecting their first child this summer.

Her work is forthcoming in Gander Press Review, Quick Fiction, and Blackbird.

Background

Born in 1980, Ngo spent the early years of her life in the seaside town of Hoi An, Viet Nam. Her family was among the thousands of boat people to escape Viet Nam, living in refugee camps in Hong Kong and the Philippines before immigrating to the United States.  

She received a B.A. in Theater (playwriting) and a minor in Southeast Asian Studies from UCLA. During 2001, she landed the Freeman Foundation Scholarship and spent a semester abroad at the University of Viet Nam, HCMC where she studied cheo theater and traveled throughout the country.  Her fieldwork culminated in a stage adaptation of Nguyen Du's Truyện Kiều (The Tale of Kieu by Nguyen Du, circa 18th century) in collaboration with The Institute of Theater & Cinema and the guidance of legendary cheo actress Nguyen Thi Tuyet (Ha Noi) and actress/playwright Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc (HCMC).     

The Little Saigon arts scene was her home for many years where she helped establish and support VAALA, the Vietnamese International Film Festival, Club O'Noodles, Mai Piece, One Mic (2003-2005), The Children's Moon Festival and the former Viet Weekly English Section.  Her parents live in Little Saigon while her large extended family is still based in Hoi An with her aunts & Ba Ngoai owning the cutest little ceramics shop on Duong Bach Dang.    

Links

San Diego Commission for Arts & Culture -- I serve as a panelist for this  organization which provides funding for the arts in San Diego.

VAALA -- Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association, organizers of the ViFF film festival

Creative Writing at SDSU (Ngo's design)

PEN Emerging Voices Rosenthal Fellowship
www.penusa.org
(A wonderful fellowship based in LA, apply for it!)  

Interview on NPR -- Ideology Shift Among Vietnamese Americans

Translations of Ngo's works -- Damau.org
All translations by friend Do Le Anhdao.
Da mau means people of color in Vietnamese

Friend Ky-Phong Tran's article on Ngo's nearly disastrous wedding! -- Love in the Time of Fire

My old column about life in Little Saigon: Bolsa Confidential

Ngo voted among future Vietnamese leaders in OC -- 30 to Watch 

Ngo made the list -- Best of OC 2004 
Best of OC 2005

One Mic in The OC Weekly -- Harlem Among Bolsa by Gustavo Arrellano

My Favorite Pub in Little Saigon (no longer exists!), OC Weekly

One Mic in Nguoi Viet -- New Voices: Open Mic 

Theater -- Miss Saigon with the Wind