Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai was born into the Việt Nam War and grew up witnessing the war's devastation and its aftermath. Having worked as a street seller and rice farmer, she won a scholarship to attend university in Australia. The author of eight books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, she has had her writing translated and published in more than ten countries and was the 2010 recipient of the Poetry of the Year Award. She currently resides with her family in Jakarta.
