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The M Dash

Live with purpose.


Susan Lieu

Posts by Susan Lieu

Susan Lieu is a Vietnamese-American author, playwright, and performer who tells stories that refuse to be forgotten. A daughter of nail salon workers, she took her award-winning autobiographical solo show 140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother on a ten-city national tour, with sold-out premieres and accolades from the Los Angeles Times, NPR, and American Theatre. Eight months pregnant, she premiered her sequel, OVER 140 LBS, at ACT Theatre. She is a proud alumna of Harvard College, Yale School of Management, Coro, Hedgebrook, and Vashon Artist Residency. She is also the cofounder of Socola Chocolatier, an artisanal chocolate company based in San Francisco. 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.

“I felt a new kind of hunger”: How Susan Lieu Found Purpose Through Performance

February 27, 2024

“I felt a new kind of hunger”: How Susan Lieu Found Purpose Through Performance

An exclusive first look at The Manicurist’s Daughter, a highly anticipated upcoming memoir.

Beauty Killed My Mother

November 15, 2019

Beauty Killed My Mother

Susan Lieu, a Vietnamese-American activist and playwright, reflects on how her mother’s tragic obsession with beauty shaped her own understanding of herself.

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