I had decided to retire the literary Would You Rather series, but didn't want to stop interviews on the site all together. Instead, I've pulled together 40ish questions - some bookish, some silly - and have asked authors to limit...
I had decided to retire the literary Would You Rather series, but didn't want to stop interviews on the site all together. Instead, I've pulled together 40ish questions - some bookish, some silly - and have asked authors to limit themselves to answering only 10 of them. That way, it keeps the interviews fresh and connectable for all of us!
Today we are joined by Tanya Sangpun Thamkruphat. Tanya is a Thai-Vietnamese American writer. She’s the author of the poetry chapbooks, Em(body)ment of Wonder (Raine Publishing) and It Wasn’t a Dream (Fahmidan Publishing & Co.). Her writing appears in The Orange County Register, Button Poetry, Brazos River Review, Honey Literary, and elsewhere.
Why do you write?
Writing has always been my source of therapy for as long as I can remember, but it has also been a way to bring joy into my life. Building something grand from nothing has always fascinated me.
What made you start writing?
I love reading books since I was young, and I was fascinated with how authors could build amazing worlds all with their imagination. I wanted that kind of power.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m usually reading (I have at least 5-6 books at any time in my reading queue), spending time with my feline overlords and loved ones, snacking, or binge-watching TV shows or movies.
Describe your book in three words.
It Wasn’t a Dream could be described as magical, entertaining, and empowering.
If you could spend the day with another author, who would you choose and why?
Neil Gaiman! He’s my favorite author. I’ve read everything of his and I love his style of storytelling. He has such an array of fascinating stories. I would love to sit and talk to him about what’s reading, what inspires his stories, and just talk about what he does for fun in his spare time.
What is your favorite way to waste time?
I love to binge watch TV shows and movies while feasting on comfort foods and snacks.
What are some of your favorite books and/or authors?
Some include Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, and The Fire Eater by Jose Hernandez Diaz.
What are you currently reading?
Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada (translated by Margaret MItsutani), Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (translated by Anton Hur), The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo (translated by Chi-Young Kim), The People Who Report More Stress by Alejandro Varela, Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig, Happily by Sabrina Orah Mark, and Lone Women by Victor LaValle.
What’s on your literary bucket list?
When I finally move into a house, I want one room dedicated as a reading room and library.
What scares you the most?
Small talk.
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"In Tanya Sangpun Thamkruphat’s collection, It Wasn’t a Dream, the surreal and the magical take center stage: in the everyday. We find a charming wolf with an entourage of children, a balloon artist touring the world, a good Samaritan farmer who is rewarded by a grateful alien—nothing is impossible in these prose poems. In order to make otherwise bizarre phenomena relatable and palpable, Thamkruphat unleashes a charming, accessible style and narrative approach which brings the fantastical and the ethereal down to earth. This is innovative, memorable work!
– Jose Hernandez Diaz, author of The Fire Eater and Bad Mexican, Bad American
buy a copy
https://www.fahmidan.net/it-wasnt-a-dream-digital-chapbook