Writing Workshop with Andrew Lam
Literary nonfiction—whether personal essays, memoirs, journalism, or profiles of others—is an art form that demands patience and care. For beginners, however, the essential first step is to discover one’s authentic voice.
The workshop is a 3-hour program in which participants write a letter in the traditional style.
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Composing a letter to someone you know, admire, or love is one of the most effective ways to connect with your own voice. Participants will then read a portion of their letter aloud, followed by a group discussion to share thoughts and provide constructive feedback to refine the work.
The subject matter is open: childhood experiences, hidden traumas, observations about the world we inhabit, or our deepest fears and longings. While the letter may be deeply personal, it should be crafted with the intention of eventually shaping it into a literary piece—one that could one day reach a wider audience.
In other words, write in your natural, intimate voice, but always keep in mind that the work might someday be read by many. For the best experience, the workshop is limited to 20 participants.
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Writing Workshop with Andrew Lam
April 10, 2026, from 10 am to 1 pm
Location Boulder Main Library, Boulder, CO
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Andrew Lam is a Vietnamese American author and journalist whose works have been published since 1989. He is among a handful of the first generation to write and publish in mainstream media.
Lam and his family arrived in San Francisco in May 1975, a couple of weeks after the Vietnam War ended. They were the first refugees to settle at the end of Mission Street, Daly City.
His first book, Perfume Dreams, which won the Pen Beyond Margins Award in 2010, is all about the trauma and recovery of post-war Viet refugees in the Bay Area. His second, East Eats West, a book of essays on immigration and cultural exchange between East and West, was nominated for the top shelf Top 10 Books of Nonfiction in 2007. His short story collection, Birds of Paradise Lost, published in 2013, won the Josephine Miles Literary Award and was a finalist for the California Book award in 2014.
His latest book is the collection of stories, Stories from the Edge of the Sea, has garnered great reviews and blurbs. He is among the first to write of his community to write for mainstream media (NY TImes, LA Times, AP, Huffington Post etc) and to be a commentator on NPR's all things considered on the regular basis. PBS did a documentary on Lam's going back to Vietnam in 2004 called My Journey Home. Lam used to blog regularly with the Huffingpost and published with In These Times and World Literature Today. He is working on a novel.