Lisa Usani Phillips is an Asian American writer and editor who is Hakka by way of Thailand on her mom’s side and Dutch, English, German, and Irish on her dad’s side. She writes poetry and prose with two workshops, Fabrica Poetica and the Ediths (named after classicist Edith Hamilton, who published her first book when she was in her sixties). Lisa’s work has appeared in or is forthcoming from The Beacon Street Review, Current Biography, House Mountain Review, riksha: Asian American Notes and Images, and Salt Magazine, among others. She has received several honors for her writing, including the Emerson College Emerging Writer Award for MFA students. Her debut poetry and fiction collection, Guest People, was published by Wheeling Tern Books in October 2022.
The top character of my seal is Li, meaning “graceful.” The bottom character, san, means “waving coral.” Lisan is the Hakka name my grandfather gave me. This seal was designed by Jun Shan at ArtChops.
Photo ca. 1978.