Susan Lieu, a Vietnamese-American author, playwright, and performer, tells stories that refuse to be forgotten. A daughter of nail salon workers, she took her autobiographical solo theater show 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother on a 10-city national tour with sold out premieres and accolades from L.A. Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Eight months pregnant, she premiered her sequel Over 140 LBS as the headliner for ACT Theatre’s SoloFest. Within one year she held 60 performances to over 7,000 people. Her award-winning work has featured at Bumbershoot, Wing Luke Museum, The Moth Mainstage, On The Boards, and The World Economic Forum.
Speaking at more than a dozen universities, Susan Lieu delivered talks to Harvard, Brown, Tufts, UCLA, Mills College, the Claremont Colleges, and more. In addition, Susan has given talks at Google, Salesforce, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle Public Library Foundation, and the Dent Conference as their Artist-in-Residence.
Her debut memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, is an Apple Book of the Month, Apple Book Must Listen of the Month, most anticipated 2024 book by Elle Magazine and Goodreads, L.A. Times’ Top 6 Books for Lunar New Year, and has been featured on The New York Times, NPR Books, and The Washington Post. Creator of Vagina Monologues, V (formerly Eve Ensler) calls The Manicurist’s Daughter “a stunning, raw, brave memoir that wouldn’t let me go.”
Also, Lieu is the co-host of The Model Minority Moms podcast and board member for international NGO Asylum Access. She worked with Consumer Watchdog to pass a law to raise medical malpractice caps to protect low-income BIPOC women. Susan and her sister co-founded Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company based in San Francisco. She is a proud alumnus of Harvard College, Yale School of Management, Coro, Hedgebrook, Mineral School, Millay Arts, and Vashon Artist Residency.
Susan lives with her husband and son in Seattle where they enjoy mushroom hunting, croissants, and big family gatherings. The Manicurist’s Daughter is her first book. Follow her on Instagram @susanlieu.
photo credit: Tamara Staples