Thái Nguyễn Đăng Khoa

What was your favorite book as a child?

I was never much of a reader as a child. Most of the literature I encountered came from Vietnamese school textbooks, where I was introduced to many of the writers considered household names in my country. It wasn't until I discovered poetry in English that I began reading more intentionally. The book that truly inspired me to start writing was Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong, which I read when I was sixteen — just on the edge of outgrowing childhood. It showed me that poetry could hold memory, family, and history in ways I had never imagined.

What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

There is a well-known Vietnamese poet with whom I share a name, and my mother used to joke that I should grow up to write like him. As a child, I took that challenge surprisingly seriously. I tried to imitate what I imagined poetry should be, though with little success. Still, those early attempts became a habit. I began writing short stories and poems in Vietnamese simply because I enjoyed it. Later, I found myself writing in English, partly because some ideas seem to arrive in that language before they do in my own. I recall writing my first serious poem for my mother's birthday in fourth grade; and later my first short story when I was in seventh grade.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

My life has mostly followed the textbook path of a diligent student: studying, working hard, collecting awards, and preparing for a career in the public sector. The most adventurous thing I have done is probably sending my poetry to literary journals. Sharing deeply personal work with strangers — and accepting that it may be rejected far more often than accepted — has taught me to be vulnerable in a way nothing else has. 

Do you listen to music while reading or writing? Why/why not?

I rarely listen to music while I am actually writing because I read my work aloud constantly as I revise, and I find background noise distracting. However, music is often what starts the writing process. Listening to artists like Adrianne Lenker, Mitski, or Sufjan Stevens often sparks an image or emotional thread that I want to follow. Once that initial inspiration arrives, I turn the music off and begin writing in silence.