Publications
Finalist, Kingsley Tufts Award
Finalist, National Book Award
Finalist, Governor General’s Literary Award
A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure
“With linguistic and stylistic flourishes, Nguyen powerfully considers her relationship with her mother and her homeland of Vietnam. Nguyen’s attention to language, both on the line level and as a larger motif, makes this a rich meditation on power, historical and cultural inheritance, and the past’s impact on the present.” —Named BEST BOOK of 2021 by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Violet Energy Ingots
Auto dish soap
1/2 and 1/2
Coffee beans
Bake the golden things
Rust coloured
Rust coloured
“Violet Energy Ingots is a fully mature work in that it is confident of both its voice and its readers’ alertness. It makes its own space. It demands it and holds it.”
Red Juice
Who will I be now
going through the blue door
that is going through me
I need you descending
and giving breath
I think I’m writing
this blue to get to you
“Red Juice is a bonus for ardent fans of the poet, and a fine introduction for those new to her wit and way with giving flight to the weight of everyday life.”
As Long As Trees Last
It’s not a time to run
I wear soft shoes
and it took a long time
to walk here
“Mekong Delta–born Hoa Nguyen’s As Long As Trees Last gives an up-to-the-minute, street-smart take on being alive in the 21st century.”
- Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal