Beth Minh Nguyen (, born 1974) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and nonfiction writer. She is the author of the novels ''Short Girls'' (2009), which won a 2010

American Book Award The American Book Awards are an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "t ...

, and ''Pioneer Girl'' (2014). She has also written two memoirs, ''Stealing Buddha's Dinner'' (2008) and ''Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir'' (2023).

Life

Bich Minh Nguyen was born in 1974 in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

, which her family fled by ship the following year. After staying in refugee camps in Guam and at

Fort Chaffee Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, also known as Fort Chaffee, is an Arkansas Army National Guard Military base, installation located in western Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Fort Smith. Established as Camp C ...

in Arkansas, they settled in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, where Nguyen grew up. She graduated from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

with a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

. In 2005, she received a PEN/Jerard Award for her 2008 memoir ''Stealing Buddha's Dinner''. She taught at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

and the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

, and is currently a professor at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

, where she teaches fiction and creative non-fiction writing. Nguyen changed her preferred name to "Beth" some time before 2021. She discussed the change in an essay in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

''. Nguyen married fellow novelist

Porter Shreve Porter Shreve is an American author and professor of English and Creative Writing. He is the son of writer Susan Shreve. Life He graduated from the University of Michigan Creative Writing MFA Program in 1998, where he studied with Charles Baxte ...

in 2002. Nguyen stated she was divorced in 2023.

Works

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Anthologies

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References

External links

Author's website

"Welcome to the Great Michigan Read"
Bich Minh Nguyen
"Bich Minh Nguyen"
''29th Key West Literary Seminar'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Bich Minh Living people 1974 births 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American novelists of Asian descent American women novelists American writers of Vietnamese descent University of Michigan alumni Vietnamese emigrants to the United States Vietnamese writers American Book Award winners English-language literature of Vietnam