Vu Tran is the author of "Dragonfish," a New York Times Notable Book and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year, as well as the forthcoming novel "Your Origins." His short fiction has appeared in prestigious publications such as the "O. Henry Prize Stories," "Best American Mystery Stories," "Ploughshares," and "Virginia Quarterly Review." He also guest-edited "McSweeney’s Issue #78: The Make Believers" and has been honored with a Whiting Award, along with fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, MacDowell, Yaddo, and Bread Loaf.
Born in Vietnam and raised in Oklahoma, Tran earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a PhD from the Black Mountain Institute in Las Vegas. His work often explores themes of displacement, identity, and cultural intersections. As an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Chicago, he directs undergraduate studies in creative writing, mentoring emerging writers while continuing his own literary pursuits.