Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Thamkruphat.
Hi Tanya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I took a serious interest in writing when I was in second grade. I wrote short stories and poetry which were inspired by authors like Shel Silverstein. I created homemade books using green bar computer paper, cereal boxes, and rice for glue. As I grew older, I entered various writing contests and won some, including a local poetry contest in sixth grade and a few essay contests when I was in high school. When I was a senior in high school, my story about my maternal grandfather was published in The Orange County Register. I didn’t pursue writing in college but did so after I graduated from college. I was a freelance writer for OC Weekly and Bangkok Post, to name a few publications.
In 2010, I had my first major publication, which was a slice-of-life essay about living in Santa Ana, which was published for “The Morning Read” (front page) of The Orange County Register. In 2016, I pursued poetry, remembering how I loved it when I was younger. Since then, I’ve won a couple of poetry contests, performed my poetry, and have had many of my poems published in Button Poetry, Brazos River Review, Honey Literary, and elsewhere. I’m also the author of the poetry chapbooks Em(body)ment of Wonder (Raine Publishing, 2021) and It Wasn’t a Dream (Fahmidan Publishing & Co., 2022).
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Most of my life I’ve had anxiety and depression, but I was lucky enough to have (and still have) a good support system of loved ones who have been there for me. Financially, it hasn’t always been easy, too. I didn’t have a lot like other kids, but I learned from a young age how to be resourceful, and that has helped me through difficult financial times as an adult.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a poet and essayist, but these days, I write mostly poetry and surrealist prose poetry. I’m the author of the poetry chapbooks Em(body)ment of Wonder (Raine Publishing, 2021) and It Wasn’t a Dream (Fahmidan Publishing & Co, 2022.). My writing appears in The Orange County Register, Button Poetry, Brazos River Review, Honey Literary, and elsewhere. My poetry and essays are mostly about my personal experiences as a Thai-Vietnamese American.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
To work and/or collaborate with me, people can contact me via my personal website’s contact form or contact me via my social media accounts.
They can support me by buying my latest poetry chapbook, It Wasn’t a Dream, at https://www.fahmidan.net/it-wasnt-a-dream-digital-chapbook.
Also, they can buy my first poetry chapbook, Em(body)ment of Wonder by filling out my Google Form at https://forms.gle/JAP2ugW32makvo18A.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://tanyasangpun.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madamewritelyso/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/madamewritelyso
- Other: http://tanyasangpun.com/contact/
