Aimee Phan: A Conversation about The Lost Queen Part 1 [S7 EP. 262]

aimee-phan-the-lost-queen

Listen to the full episode below:

What if the legendary queens of Vietnamese history were reborn as teenage girls in California? That’s the premise behind The Lost Queen, the brand-new YA fantasy novel from author and educator Aimee Phan—and let us tell you, this conversation had us absolutely hooked from the start. We got to dive deep with Aimee about how her identity as the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, her love for literature, and her students’ enthusiasm for YA all came together to shape this powerful story.

Aimee shared her experience growing up in Southern California, surrounded by rich family history that rarely showed up in the books she read at school. We loved hearing how that gap pushed her to write her own stories—ones that center Vietnamese characters, culture, and myths. 

Her novel takes inspiration from the legendary Trung sisters, but reimagines them in a modern fantasy world filled with big themes like identity, friendship, family, and power. And as Aimee put it, stepping into the fantasy genre felt “incredibly freeing”—because with dragons, time travel, and reincarnation in play, anything is possible!

What made this conversation especially meaningful for us as teachers was how naturally it tied into the classroom. Aimee talked about how her college students were so much more engaged when reading YA, often going beyond the assigned reading because they were truly invested. 

We discussed how The Lost Queen invites students to reflect on their own power and agency, and how big questions—like who you trust, how you find your voice, and what holds you back—can guide richer, more relevant classroom conversations. If you’re looking to bring more diverse and empowering stories into your teaching, this episode (and this book!) is a must.

topics discussed:

  • Aimee’s background as the child of Vietnamese refugees and her inspiration for writing about the Vietnamese diaspora

  • The importance of representation in literature and Aimee’s experiences growing up without seeing Vietnamese characters in books

  • Aimee’s journey from writing literary fiction to exploring fantasy and young adult genres, including challenges and motivations

  • The process and significance of adapting Vietnamese mythology, specifically the Chung sisters, into a modern YA fantasy novel

  • Classroom connections: using essential questions and identity formation in YA literature to engage students

  • Key themes in "The Lost Queen," such as identity, power, family, friendship, and the role of myth and fantasy in reflecting real adolescent experiences

resources:

Meet aimee:

Aimee Phan was born and raised in Orange County, California. She received her BA in English from UCLA and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of two books for adults, We Should Never Meet: Stories and the novel The Reeducation of Cherry Truong. 

She has received fellowships and residencies from the NEA, MacDowell Colony, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, Djerassi and Hedgebrook. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Time, USA Today and CNN.com among other publications.  Aimee teaches as an associate professor in writing and literature at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and resides in Berkeley, California with her family.

Connect with aimee:

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More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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