Published Works
2025
"An Atlas of American Gun Violence," Navy Pen Lit, online -- winner of the Poetry in Response to Tragedy Mini Contest
“In Your Hands," Star Nhà Ease Vietnamese, online
2024
"Carousel," IN BLOOM Magazine by Almeda, print
2022
"Love Letter to My Fatherland," Blue Marble Review, online
2021
“Ndolé," Lines & Breaks, online
"Heaven on Earth," Inlandia, online
2019
"The Nonexistent Divide Between Land and Air", WriteGirl Anthology, print
Hyla performing at the 2023 POCAS Performance Showcase.
Poetry Speaking Engagements
2025
Delivered her poem "Ndolé" at the ExpandLA Conference.
2023
Delivered her poem "Island" at the Showcase hosted by People of Colour Arts Society at the University of Kent.
2021
Delivered her poem "Ndolé" for the New York Ninth Jurisdiction Black History Month "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity" event.
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Behind the Poem: In Your Hands
Star Nhà Ease is a yearly film festival based in London celebrating Vietnamese cinema. In June 2025, they commissioned me to write a poetic response to the film “The Bitter Taste of Love” / “Vị Đắng Tình Yêu” (1990). This film is a romantic tragedy and is a classic in Vietnamese cinema. When I received the link to watch the film, I was so happy to learn that it was a love story! I adore romances.
This commission was my first time working with a film festival. Despite being an outsider to Vietnamese culture, I found a “way in” through the compelling themes in the film that I connected with.
Note:
The watercolor illustration in the background is “Yellow Chrysanthemum” (1886) by Maud Naftel. While doing research for my poem, I learned that the yellow chrysanthemum holds a spiritual significance in Vietnam. They are one of the flowers most often placed on ancestor altars.
This commission was my first time working with a film festival. Despite being an outsider to Vietnamese culture, I found a “way in” through the compelling themes in the film that I connected with.
Note:
The watercolor illustration in the background is “Yellow Chrysanthemum” (1886) by Maud Naftel. While doing research for my poem, I learned that the yellow chrysanthemum holds a spiritual significance in Vietnam. They are one of the flowers most often placed on ancestor altars.
