Fiction

In college, I published a short story in one of the university’s literary magazines, Exit 30, titled “Orinoco’s Retreat.” I was so proud of this story, and I think every writer probably has a soft spot for their first published piece, even if it was only read by approximately four people. After exploring fiction for a bit—and loving it—I was still not confident enough to minor in creative writing or consider fiction as a career. So I took a long hiatus while I delved into other passions, such as creative nonfiction, literary journalism, and food writing. It didn’t occur to me, until much later, that I could combine my love of fiction with my interests in other creative writing forms, particularly food writing.

For the past few years, I have been working on a collection of short stories themed around food, folklore, and Taiwan, tentatively titled Have You Eaten? As part of my process, I have been trying to publish individual pieces from the collection. Some of the stories in this collection are retellings of myths or nursery songs, such as “The Ox and the Magpies” from Fractured Literary, which won third place in the 2024 Elsewhere Prize, and “Niwawa (Clay Baby)” from CALYX Journal, which was the recipient of the Margarita Donnelly Prize in Prose Writing.

Other stories are a bit wackier, such as “Escaping Flavortown with Guy Fieri,” from Weekly Humorist or “Watermelon Salad” from MSU Roadrunner Review. Some stories also toe the line between folkloric and contemporary language, such as Raohe Night Market, which appeared in the 53rd Annual Agnes Scott College Steven R. Guthrie Memorial Writers’ Festival Magazine as fiction prize winner.

Some pieces that are slated to appear in print soon include “Fungirl” in Water~Stone Review, about a mushroom creature that is harvested for food at a fine dining establishment, “The Lucky Buddha” in The Greensboro Review, about a sentient (and judgmental) plastic Buddha in an Asian fusion restaurant, “Peach Boy Momotaro” in The Pinch Journal, about the fetus of a legendary demon slayer as he grows to infancy in a giant peach, and “Taming the Beast” in Little Old Lady Magazine, about a cat that is convinced he’ll be eaten by the air conditioner.

If you’re interested in learning more about the collection, please contact me! If you’re actually looking for other genres, there’s a post for Critical Essays, Creative Nonfiction, and Food Writing.

Full list of publications here.