
Leslie V. Nguyen-Okwu is the author of the forthcoming book American Hyphen — an intimate journey across the rocky terrain of racism, as a first-generation Vietnamese Nigerian American navigates the fissures and faultlines between Black America and Asian America. American Hyphen comes at a crossroads: as America grapples with racial injustice, anti-Black brutality, and anti-Asian attacks. Through untangling the Gordian knot of Asian assimilation and Black belonging, this memoir answers Toni Morrison’s call to challenge the “master narrative” that portrays communities of color in conflict. Black and Asian communities are commonly pitted against each other. But there’s a long, hidden history of shared solidarity and secret alliances too.
As the proud daughter of Vietnamese refugees and Nigerian immigrants, Leslie writes about the liminal spaces between borders and belonging. Her career as a former foreign correspondent covering displacement, statelessness, and contested homelands shapes her storytelling. She is committed to amplifying immigrant, refugee, and diaspora voices — a mission that fuels her role as the Director of Strategic Communications at Welcoming America, a national nonprofit advancing inclusive communities across the country. She holds a Bachelor's in International Relations from Stanford and pursued a Master's in Public Policy at Harvard.
Leslie is an award-winning journalist and narrative change strategist with a ten-year track record serving in the highest levels of communications and working with major media outlets and industry giants. Her portfolio includes bylines in The New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, The Economist, Harper's Bazaar, and creative collaborations with tech titans like Google (via EnVeritas Group), Airbnb, and HTC. With extensive experience writing for major media outlets and advising influential policymakers and business leaders, Leslie‘s commentary has made her a sought-after expert, with notable appearances on print, radio, and television, including PBS World.
Her writing has earned her numerous residencies, fellowships, and scholarships, including from the American Mandarin Society, the Asian American Journalists Association, Tin House, Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation, the Disquiet International Literary Program, Hedgebrook, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, the Community of Writers, and the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Most recently, she served as a writer-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada.
In a defining chapter of her life, she battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer. While attending graduate school at Harvard, she balanced both chemo and classes while lugging around a portable infusion pump. Today, Leslie is in full remission and determined to finish her memoir. Like many refugees, she believes in the power of second chances at life and finding narrative coherence in adversity.
Previously, she worked as a technology reporter in Silicon Valley and a foreign correspondent in Asia. Special assignments included getting a knife massage in Taiwan, interviewing persecuted pop stars in Vietnam, and going under the needle for a traditional magic tattoo in Cambodia. Fluent in Mandarin, Leslie is a member of the Black China Caucus and the National Association for Black Engagement with Asia. In her spare time, Leslie finds joy in performing improv and stand-up comedy, tackling full marathons and Spartan races, embarking on multi-day mountain treks, and coaching workouts as a volunteer fitness instructor.
She has perfected the art of writing in the third person.
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As the proud daughter of Vietnamese refugees and Nigerian immigrants, Leslie writes about the liminal spaces between borders and belonging. Her career as a former foreign correspondent covering displacement, statelessness, and contested homelands shapes her storytelling. She is committed to amplifying immigrant, refugee, and diaspora voices — a mission that fuels her role as the Director of Strategic Communications at Welcoming America, a national nonprofit advancing inclusive communities across the country. She holds a Bachelor's in International Relations from Stanford and pursued a Master's in Public Policy at Harvard.
Leslie is an award-winning journalist and narrative change strategist with a ten-year track record serving in the highest levels of communications and working with major media outlets and industry giants. Her portfolio includes bylines in The New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, The Economist, Harper's Bazaar, and creative collaborations with tech titans like Google (via EnVeritas Group), Airbnb, and HTC. With extensive experience writing for major media outlets and advising influential policymakers and business leaders, Leslie‘s commentary has made her a sought-after expert, with notable appearances on print, radio, and television, including PBS World.
Her writing has earned her numerous residencies, fellowships, and scholarships, including from the American Mandarin Society, the Asian American Journalists Association, Tin House, Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation, the Disquiet International Literary Program, Hedgebrook, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, the Community of Writers, and the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Most recently, she served as a writer-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada.
In a defining chapter of her life, she battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer. While attending graduate school at Harvard, she balanced both chemo and classes while lugging around a portable infusion pump. Today, Leslie is in full remission and determined to finish her memoir. Like many refugees, she believes in the power of second chances at life and finding narrative coherence in adversity.
Previously, she worked as a technology reporter in Silicon Valley and a foreign correspondent in Asia. Special assignments included getting a knife massage in Taiwan, interviewing persecuted pop stars in Vietnam, and going under the needle for a traditional magic tattoo in Cambodia. Fluent in Mandarin, Leslie is a member of the Black China Caucus and the National Association for Black Engagement with Asia. In her spare time, Leslie finds joy in performing improv and stand-up comedy, tackling full marathons and Spartan races, embarking on multi-day mountain treks, and coaching workouts as a volunteer fitness instructor.
She has perfected the art of writing in the third person.
Social: Twitter | LinkedIn