We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tanya Thamkruphat. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tanya below.

Tanya, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

Yes and no. Yes, because I think I would have had more time (and energy) to commit to learning about poetry, about writing non-fiction, etc. I’ve only seriously invested into my poetry career later in life at the age of 35. Sometimes I wish I could have gone back in time and majored in creative writing as an undergrad and gone on to get an MFA. However, I don’t think I would have wanted to start my creative career sooner because then I would have missed out on all the wonderful life experiences I did have. All this to say, I think I started my poetry career at the right exact moment.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I like to think of myself as a writer of all sorts. I took a serious interest in writing when I was in second grade. I wrote short stories and poetry which were inspired by authors like Shel Silverstein. I created homemade books using green bar computer paper, cereal boxes, and rice for glue. As I grew older, I entered various writing contests and won some, including a local poetry contest in sixth grade and a few essay contests when I was in high school. When I was a senior in high school, my story about my maternal grandfather was published in The Orange County Register. I didn’t pursue writing in college but did so after I graduated from college. I was a freelance writer for OC Weekly and Bangkok Post, to name a few publications.

In 2010, I had my first major publication, which was a slice-of-life essay about living in Santa Ana, which was published for “The Morning Read” (front page) of The Orange County Register. In 2016, I pursued poetry, remembering how I loved it when I was younger. Since then, I’ve won a couple of poetry contests, performed my poetry, and have had many of my poems published in The Orange County Register, Button Poetry, Honey Literary, The Cincinnati Review, Rio Grande Review, and elsewhere. I’m also the author of the poetry chapbooks Em(body)ment of Wonder (Raine Publishing, 2021) and It Wasn’t a Dream (Fahmidan Publishing & Co., 2022). My third poetry chapbook, CARE INSTRUCTIONS, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in early 2024.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think it all starts in our school systems. When I was growing up, and I think this is somewhat reflective in today’s school system, art was considered more of an elective rather than a core subject. I think it’s important that in our schools and local communities that we uplift and support the arts. I firmly believe if we support arts in the schools, that in the long run art will be considered more than a phase, a hobby, etc. I think being able to express yourself through a creative medium can be therapeutic, educational, and great for our mental health. Also, we should support creatives by helping find ways to create spaces in our local communities, to integrate their work and their teachings in those spaces. Lastly, supporting creatives (e.g., spreading about their work through word of mouth, buying their work, donating money to them, inviting them to local, public events, etc.) is a great way to sustain a thriving creative ecosystem.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had utilized social media earlier in my career to build relationships in the writing community and access writing related resources and opportunities. As someone who is introverted and socially anxious, I have found being on social media was a comfortable way for me to connect with other creatives on social media platforms. However, when I started using social media, it was almost exclusively for personal use and not for professional use. However, I am grateful for the time, resources, and relationships I’ve built so far!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://tanyasangpun.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madamewritelyso/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/madamewritelyso
• Other: http://tanyasangpun.com/contact/