Today we’d like to introduce you to Lyra.

Hi Lyra, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I have always loved imagining. My mother bought me a lot of wonderful picture books. My favorites were One Thousand and One Nights, Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and Chinese folklore and mythologies. I read these books over and over, made up stories, and acted them out with my toys. I remember that somehow a sushi roller mat came into my possession, so I used it as a bamboo boat for my protagonist to travel on as she escaped the chase from a monster. I started drawing little comics as soon as I learned how to write. The joy of creating a world that can be anything, with its own rules and infinite possibilities – has been simply intoxicating.
However, I never thought I could make a career out of this passion. I have always planned to be a doctor, so I came to the U.S. to study medicine. My love for storytelling drew me to a thespian group, where I found a sense of belonging. My new friends encouraged me to take an acting class and audition for a college production. While anxiously waiting for the callback, a classmate told me that unless I could perform in musicals, there were very few roles available for Asian actors. So I wrote a play with an all-Asian cast and got a grant to produce it on campus. It was a blast, and I was invigorated by this new sense of purpose – to tell stories and create opportunities for people in underrepresented communities.
To hone my craft, I pursued an MFA degree in writing for the stage and screen. I read and watched as many plays as I could. I studied tv pilots, screenplays, and binge-watched many shows. I learned from great mentors and gradually built a network in the industry. One thing I learned is that there is no set path as a writer or artist– everyone has to find their own, and success can mean different things for different people. At first, I thought success meant winning recognitions and having my work professionally produced. After I graduated, I wanted to concentrate on writing, so I moved to a small town and freelanced for three years. While I had plenty of time to write, I constantly worried about finding my next gig and paying my bills.
Then, I thought success meant being in the room – being in the industry. So, I tried to break into the TV industry by working my way up from the bottom. I moved to New York City and got an assistant job at a talent agency. While I worked in the industry, I had no time for writing. I consulted a playwright and TV writer I admired about my dilemma, and she recommended that I find a day job outside of the entertainment industry – one that would allow me to have the mental space and energy to write. Eventually, I found a temp job at a nonprofit, where I helped individuals from underserved communities find employment. I found the work incredibly fulfilling and inspiring.
I now work full-time at the organization and write in the mornings and on weekends. Throughout my journey, I have been extremely fortunate to have the support from my family, friends, and my dear partner, who has been with me for a decade. Success, to me, now means never giving up on writing while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It is so easy to self-doubt or criticize myself for not doing enough. Whenever that happens, I try to remind myself of the childish joy I got from storytelling – the pure joy of playing and imagining, completely independent of external validation. And that keeps me going.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Haha, no. Aside from the challenges I mentioned above, I also struggle with writing in my non-native language. That was one of my parents’ first doubts, “How can you compete with native speakers?” The good news is that more and more non-native English speakers are writing for American audiences, and audiences are increasingly open to bilingual or multilingual work. Even though it feels like an extremely competitive field, I like to think of us writers not as competitors, but companions– all of us have unique stories to tell. When I shared my work with my super supportive native-speaker writer friends, they often complimented my “poetic way of expression,” even though I was simply translating a common Chinese phrase. That made me realize that translation itself can be a creative process. I may never write a script with perfect English grammar (I still don’t get the exceptions for articles– apparently, they can’t be explained). But I see this as a strength. It allows me to play with language in fresh and bizarre ways, which naturally fits the types of stories I’m drawn to– ones about characters who live in worlds different from ours.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I am a Brooklyn-based playwright and screenwriter who writes adventurous tales about teens, cultures, history, mental health, gender, and systems. My plays include PAPER DREAM (Judith Royer Excellence in Playwriting Award Winner; L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Nominee; O’Neill NPC Semi-finalist), CHUAN & MOM (Three Brothers Playwright Residency, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Nominee), THE PEACHLANDERS (Horticultural Playwright’s Fellowship), ROAD LESS TRAVELLED (commissioned by Silk Road Cultural Center), DROUGHT GIRL (Purple Crayon Player, originally commissioned by Adventure Theatre MTC), DREAM REUNION (Pan Asian Repertory Theatre NuWorks 2023), and BLUE MOON (Circle In the Square Emerging Writer’s Residency). As a screenwriter, I have developed film and mini-series adaptation projects with Tapas and Crazy Maple Studio, and crafted educational scripts for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I hold an MFA from Northwestern University and trained as a librettist at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.
At the moment, I am most proud of my coming of age dystopian play Blue Moon. It is a YA dramedy about a 14-year-old model student in a society where emotions are tightly controlled. She begins to see cracks in the system and embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth about herself and the world. I had the fortune of collaborating with Circle in the Square School’s incredible faculty and students to develop the piece and present it as a staged reading on Circle’s Broadway stage in February 2025. We had a blast! The audience – many of them the target demographic– seemed to be highly engaged with the story as they laughed and gasped at every joke and twist. The play speaks to our current political climate, but provides distance and humor for the audience to breathe and reflect. I think what sets it apart are that the scope of worldbuilding doesn’t come at the cost of character-driven drama and my superpower for writing non-perfect-English-grammar dialogue (and you know AI can’t write this).

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?

Since success to me means not giving up, persistence is naturally the most important quality to my success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lyranalan.com
• Instagram: lyranalan

Image Credits

photo 1: Poster Art by Yuan Li
Photo 2: Photo by Lyra, rehearsal on Circle in the Square theatre
photo 3: Photo by Lyra, rehearsal on Circle in the Square theatre
photo 4: poster art by Andrew Skwish