Bunkong Tuon
@bunkong.bsky.social
Khmer-American. Pushcart-winning poet and writer. Debut novel Koan Khmer out now. Father. Husband. Teacher. Former refugee. Cosmic surveyor.
https://www.bunkongtuon.com
https://www.bunkongtuon.com
I'll be doing a Zoom reading next Thursday. If you are interested in poetry about family and refugee, please consider attending. I always read (and write) from the heart.
Thanks to Ohio Poet Laureate, Kari Gunter-Seymour, for putting this together.
Thanks to Ohio Poet Laureate, Kari Gunter-Seymour, for putting this together.
November 12, 2025 at 1:52 PM
I'll be doing a Zoom reading next Thursday. If you are interested in poetry about family and refugee, please consider attending. I always read (and write) from the heart.
Thanks to Ohio Poet Laureate, Kari Gunter-Seymour, for putting this together.
Thanks to Ohio Poet Laureate, Kari Gunter-Seymour, for putting this together.
I’m recovering, slowly regaining strength. The doctor said I should be back to normal six weeks after the surgery. The other night, my family and I walked around the neighborhood looking at Halloween decorations. Getting ready to take the kids trick-or-treating tomorrow.
October 30, 2025 at 8:16 PM
I’m recovering, slowly regaining strength. The doctor said I should be back to normal six weeks after the surgery. The other night, my family and I walked around the neighborhood looking at Halloween decorations. Getting ready to take the kids trick-or-treating tomorrow.
Maxine Chernoff is writing poetry of our times. Check out these two poems from her forthcoming book "Diary" (Quale Press 2026). Thank you.
www.culturaldaily.com/maxine-chern...
www.culturaldaily.com/maxine-chern...
Maxine Chernoff: Two Diaries - Cultural Daily
Two poems by Maxine Chernoff: "It's hard to believe one can write a poem, paint a canvas, cultivate a garden with all the ugliness out there."
www.culturaldaily.com
October 25, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Maxine Chernoff is writing poetry of our times. Check out these two poems from her forthcoming book "Diary" (Quale Press 2026). Thank you.
www.culturaldaily.com/maxine-chern...
www.culturaldaily.com/maxine-chern...
I'm poetry editor at Cultural Daily, a digital arts and culture magazine. Once a week, I'm going to start posting poems that I curate for the magazine.
I'll start with David Kirby's poetry: www.culturaldaily.com/david-kirby-...
I'll start with David Kirby's poetry: www.culturaldaily.com/david-kirby-...
David Kirby: Two Poems - Cultural Daily
Two poems by David Kirby: "We’ve lost the world, you say, we’ve lost everything / except the poem that is a cathedral..."
www.culturaldaily.com
October 19, 2025 at 12:25 PM
I'm poetry editor at Cultural Daily, a digital arts and culture magazine. Once a week, I'm going to start posting poems that I curate for the magazine.
I'll start with David Kirby's poetry: www.culturaldaily.com/david-kirby-...
I'll start with David Kirby's poetry: www.culturaldaily.com/david-kirby-...
I had an emergency surgery this past weekend. I’m slowly recovering. I want to express my respect and deep gratitude to the nurses, surgeon, & anesthesiologist at Ellis Hospital for saving my life. Thank you!
October 16, 2025 at 11:54 AM
I had an emergency surgery this past weekend. I’m slowly recovering. I want to express my respect and deep gratitude to the nurses, surgeon, & anesthesiologist at Ellis Hospital for saving my life. Thank you!
Here's a list of journals that folks recommended: Long Poem Magazine (UK), The Broken Spine (UK), Last Syllable, Missouri Review, Literary Imagination, Blackbird, Ploughshares (for Fall reading period), Adroit, Cincinnati Review, Lothorian Poetry Journal (1/2)
October 4, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Here's a list of journals that folks recommended: Long Poem Magazine (UK), The Broken Spine (UK), Last Syllable, Missouri Review, Literary Imagination, Blackbird, Ploughshares (for Fall reading period), Adroit, Cincinnati Review, Lothorian Poetry Journal (1/2)
Dear Poets:
Please recommend places that accept long poems. I have a ten-page poem. I'm curious what's out there for long poems and I am also hoping that this will be helpful for other poets in a similar situation.
Thanks, in advance, and Happy Sunday!
Please recommend places that accept long poems. I have a ten-page poem. I'm curious what's out there for long poems and I am also hoping that this will be helpful for other poets in a similar situation.
Thanks, in advance, and Happy Sunday!
September 28, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Dear Poets:
Please recommend places that accept long poems. I have a ten-page poem. I'm curious what's out there for long poems and I am also hoping that this will be helpful for other poets in a similar situation.
Thanks, in advance, and Happy Sunday!
Please recommend places that accept long poems. I have a ten-page poem. I'm curious what's out there for long poems and I am also hoping that this will be helpful for other poets in a similar situation.
Thanks, in advance, and Happy Sunday!
Took my daughter skating. Teaching her about foot placement, pushing, carving. I got on a board too and I felt like a kid again. That’s me, a kid from the 80s.
September 21, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Took my daughter skating. Teaching her about foot placement, pushing, carving. I got on a board too and I felt like a kid again. That’s me, a kid from the 80s.
Reposted by Bunkong Tuon
It's an honor to have three poems chosen by Cultural Daily poetry editor @bunkong.bsky.social for publication.
www.culturaldaily.com/laura-grace-...
www.culturaldaily.com/laura-grace-...
Laura Grace Weldon: Three Poems - Cultural Daily
Three poems by Laura Grace Weldon: "Not long before she died, the family tremor passed to me / in the strange way genes bestow gifts."
www.culturaldaily.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:02 PM
It's an honor to have three poems chosen by Cultural Daily poetry editor @bunkong.bsky.social for publication.
www.culturaldaily.com/laura-grace-...
www.culturaldaily.com/laura-grace-...
An interview I did for my college, where I talked about learning to play fiddle tunes on guitar, skateboarding with my daughter, and fond memories of my beloved mentor, Harry Marten. Please give it a read when you have a minute. Happy Sunday, all!
www.union.edu/news/stories...
www.union.edu/news/stories...
Catching up with...Bunkong Tuon
www.union.edu
September 14, 2025 at 12:30 PM
An interview I did for my college, where I talked about learning to play fiddle tunes on guitar, skateboarding with my daughter, and fond memories of my beloved mentor, Harry Marten. Please give it a read when you have a minute. Happy Sunday, all!
www.union.edu/news/stories...
www.union.edu/news/stories...
I’m honored to be awarded Union College’s Stillman Prize for Faculty Excellence in Research. “Tuon writes poems, stories and personal essays that establish space for Cambodian American literature . . . ."
Happy Sunday, folks!
www.union.edu/news/stories...
Happy Sunday, folks!
www.union.edu/news/stories...
September 7, 2025 at 12:29 PM
I’m honored to be awarded Union College’s Stillman Prize for Faculty Excellence in Research. “Tuon writes poems, stories and personal essays that establish space for Cambodian American literature . . . ."
Happy Sunday, folks!
www.union.edu/news/stories...
Happy Sunday, folks!
www.union.edu/news/stories...
Sometimes I catch myself parenting in the shadow of the Khmer Rouge.
Thanks to @shopoetryjournal.bsky.social and its editors for publishing this poem.
Happy Sunday, All!
Thanks to @shopoetryjournal.bsky.social and its editors for publishing this poem.
Happy Sunday, All!
August 24, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Sometimes I catch myself parenting in the shadow of the Khmer Rouge.
Thanks to @shopoetryjournal.bsky.social and its editors for publishing this poem.
Happy Sunday, All!
Thanks to @shopoetryjournal.bsky.social and its editors for publishing this poem.
Happy Sunday, All!
Can't believe Koan Khmer is one year old today! This book is a summation of my thoughts, feelings & observations of an immigrant life in the States.
If you haven’t done so, please consider getting a copy. I will be grateful for your support!
Happy Friday!
nupress.northwestern.edu/978081014743...
If you haven’t done so, please consider getting a copy. I will be grateful for your support!
Happy Friday!
nupress.northwestern.edu/978081014743...
Koan Khmer - Northwestern University Press
A powerful debut novel about war, immigration, and home Celebrating the power of literature to rescue a life from despair, Koan Khmer is the story of Samnang...
nupress.northwestern.edu
August 15, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Can't believe Koan Khmer is one year old today! This book is a summation of my thoughts, feelings & observations of an immigrant life in the States.
If you haven’t done so, please consider getting a copy. I will be grateful for your support!
Happy Friday!
nupress.northwestern.edu/978081014743...
If you haven’t done so, please consider getting a copy. I will be grateful for your support!
Happy Friday!
nupress.northwestern.edu/978081014743...
I always tell students to write from the heart about things that matter. Life is short, I tell them. Be true to your authentic self.
(an excerpt of an interview on craft I did with Professor Khem Aryal)
(an excerpt of an interview on craft I did with Professor Khem Aryal)
August 10, 2025 at 1:14 PM
I always tell students to write from the heart about things that matter. Life is short, I tell them. Be true to your authentic self.
(an excerpt of an interview on craft I did with Professor Khem Aryal)
(an excerpt of an interview on craft I did with Professor Khem Aryal)
Reposted by Bunkong Tuon
Honored to have two poems chosen by @bunkong.bsky.social for Cultural Daily.
“The Young Man on the Train” was written during a 26-day pilgrimage through India in 2014.
“The Mountain and the Monk” is a persona poem.
www.culturaldaily.com/johnny-cordo...
“The Young Man on the Train” was written during a 26-day pilgrimage through India in 2014.
“The Mountain and the Monk” is a persona poem.
www.culturaldaily.com/johnny-cordo...
Johnny Cordova: Two Poems - Cultural Daily
Two poems by Johnny Cordova: "This mountain has gotten inside me. / I hear it rumbling through my hollow bones. / It rises in me like a dark sun..."
www.culturaldaily.com
July 20, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Honored to have two poems chosen by @bunkong.bsky.social for Cultural Daily.
“The Young Man on the Train” was written during a 26-day pilgrimage through India in 2014.
“The Mountain and the Monk” is a persona poem.
www.culturaldaily.com/johnny-cordo...
“The Young Man on the Train” was written during a 26-day pilgrimage through India in 2014.
“The Mountain and the Monk” is a persona poem.
www.culturaldaily.com/johnny-cordo...
Last day at the beach. Dad and his daughter exercising.
Happy Sunday, Everyone!
Happy Sunday, Everyone!
July 20, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Last day at the beach. Dad and his daughter exercising.
Happy Sunday, Everyone!
Happy Sunday, Everyone!
Thanks so much @pandora-books.bsky.social for your support of this Koan Khmer! Wonderful to see Khmer and Khmer American writings featured on your page.
Gratitude!
Gratitude!
"It is safer to write out these words than to utter them. That is why I am a writer."
From the novel "Koan Khmer," by @bunkong.bsky.social. Curbstone Books, Northwestern University Press, 2024
#bunkongtuon #khmer #cambodian #novels #writers #writing #curbstonebooks #northwesternuniversitypress
From the novel "Koan Khmer," by @bunkong.bsky.social. Curbstone Books, Northwestern University Press, 2024
#bunkongtuon #khmer #cambodian #novels #writers #writing #curbstonebooks #northwesternuniversitypress
July 19, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Thanks so much @pandora-books.bsky.social for your support of this Koan Khmer! Wonderful to see Khmer and Khmer American writings featured on your page.
Gratitude!
Gratitude!
The other day, talking to a student about the state of our world, I was reminded of what I need to do as a parent, the challenges of raising my kids in these turbulent times: to not let the darkness of the world infect their childhood, to keep the light in.
Hugs to all this Sunday morning.
Hugs to all this Sunday morning.
July 13, 2025 at 11:50 AM
The other day, talking to a student about the state of our world, I was reminded of what I need to do as a parent, the challenges of raising my kids in these turbulent times: to not let the darkness of the world infect their childhood, to keep the light in.
Hugs to all this Sunday morning.
Hugs to all this Sunday morning.
Unprompted, my son wrote “LOVE” in the sand. A message that is so much needed in this mutilated world. Love to all.
July 6, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Unprompted, my son wrote “LOVE” in the sand. A message that is so much needed in this mutilated world. Love to all.
Reposted by Bunkong Tuon
Happy 1st book birthday to DRESSING THE BEAR! It’s been such a wonderful year & to everyone who has read, uplifted, or engaged with these poems in any way, you have made me so happy & I am so very grateful! All the love to @triohousepress.org too! What a talented, tireless, and big-hearted team! 💙
July 1, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Happy 1st book birthday to DRESSING THE BEAR! It’s been such a wonderful year & to everyone who has read, uplifted, or engaged with these poems in any way, you have made me so happy & I am so very grateful! All the love to @triohousepress.org too! What a talented, tireless, and big-hearted team! 💙
When the U.S. dropped bombs on Iran, I had all these thoughts running through my head. The poem captures some of those thoughts. Thanks to editors @Rattle Poetry for choosing this poem for this week’s Poets Respond.
Thank you for reading.
www.rattle.com/what-the-war...
Thank you for reading.
www.rattle.com/what-the-war...
What the War Has Taught Us by Bunkong Tuon - Rattle: Poetry
God dies when a bomb is dropped.
God dies when a child is killed.
God dies when families are torn asunder
and neighbors become strangers.
www.rattle.com
June 29, 2025 at 2:02 PM
When the U.S. dropped bombs on Iran, I had all these thoughts running through my head. The poem captures some of those thoughts. Thanks to editors @Rattle Poetry for choosing this poem for this week’s Poets Respond.
Thank you for reading.
www.rattle.com/what-the-war...
Thank you for reading.
www.rattle.com/what-the-war...
My poetry and novel are part of the Proleung Khmer exhibit at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
Deep gratitude to the Khmer folks in Lowell for their generous support. I went to read in March of this year a stranger, and they welcomed me with open arms. Thank you for accepting this koan Khmer.
Deep gratitude to the Khmer folks in Lowell for their generous support. I went to read in March of this year a stranger, and they welcomed me with open arms. Thank you for accepting this koan Khmer.
May 18, 2025 at 12:19 PM
My poetry and novel are part of the Proleung Khmer exhibit at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
Deep gratitude to the Khmer folks in Lowell for their generous support. I went to read in March of this year a stranger, and they welcomed me with open arms. Thank you for accepting this koan Khmer.
Deep gratitude to the Khmer folks in Lowell for their generous support. I went to read in March of this year a stranger, and they welcomed me with open arms. Thank you for accepting this koan Khmer.
Happy to have a poem in the Michigan Quarterly Review. There are things that still won’t let me go. Thanks to editor Marcelo Hernandez Castillo for this incredible genre-bending, border-crossing, multimedia issue on memory and migrations. I will spend some time with it.
May 4, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Happy to have a poem in the Michigan Quarterly Review. There are things that still won’t let me go. Thanks to editor Marcelo Hernandez Castillo for this incredible genre-bending, border-crossing, multimedia issue on memory and migrations. I will spend some time with it.
Reposted by Bunkong Tuon
Thank you for the shoutout, @clmporg.bsky.social!
shopoetryjournal.com/apa-heritage...
@arahko.bsky.social
@sati-m.bsky.social @jessnirvanapoet.bsky.social
@eylieblue.bsky.social
@itsmelktea.bsky.social
@bunkong.bsky.social
@theoceanisgay.bsky.social
shopoetryjournal.com/apa-heritage...
@arahko.bsky.social
@sati-m.bsky.social @jessnirvanapoet.bsky.social
@eylieblue.bsky.social
@itsmelktea.bsky.social
@bunkong.bsky.social
@theoceanisgay.bsky.social
May 2, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Stoked to have my debut novel reviewed in World Literature Today. Thanks for Charles Rammelkamp for this wonderful review and @worldlittoday.bsky.social for their continued support. (1/2)
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/may/koa...
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/may/koa...
Koan Khmer by Bunkong Tuon
Curbstone Books. 2024. 256 pages.
worldliteraturetoday.org
April 25, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Stoked to have my debut novel reviewed in World Literature Today. Thanks for Charles Rammelkamp for this wonderful review and @worldlittoday.bsky.social for their continued support. (1/2)
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/may/koa...
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/may/koa...