Nourish Me is a blog written by Hoang Samuelson, a Vietnamese American writer, editor and aspiring author currently based in Portland, Oregon. This is more or less a weekly journal of my life, an online visual document for the future.
When my kids were little, I kept journals specifically for both of them, where I wrote about their changes, developments, things they say or do with the intention that I would give them the journals when they’re older so they’d know what their childhood was like. (This is in addition to the thousands of photos I took lol). But at some point, life became too busy and I stopped writing. I stopped documenting.
I decided now is the time to get back into that.
These days, online blogs have a particular message or purpose. Many of them (especially on Substack) have a paywall, asks for your money in exchange for reading their posts. While I have no problem with anyone who wishes to engage in the protection of intellectual property, I have a different mindset. I write these posts not just for my kids to refer to later, but also for family members and friends who might want to keep up with me. I write things that I would like to remember in the future, in case dementia grabs a hold of me somehow.
Now that I’ve told you what this blog is about, here’s what it’s not.
Gripes about the current state of affairs
Major announcements (any life changes will be subtly announced)
Analysis of certain things on my mind that have no answers
Critiques of pop culture events
Bragging about my supposed achievements (at least very minimally)
Long essays about things that happened in the past
Things about my professional life (I like to keep my job separate, so there will be very minimal talk about work, if any at all)
If that sounds interesting to you, then why not join me?
Who are you?
I’m Hoang Samuelson, a food and culture writer based in Portland, Oregon. I was born in Vietnam and lived in a small village about thirty minutes away from Saigon until I was ten, when I came to America. I’ve been in Portland ever since.
Currently, I’m working on a novel (my first!) about the Vietnam War, based on my parents’ youth. I’ve been published in several outlets including Food52, The Kitchn, The Takeout, Catapult, Memoir Land, and Roxane Gay’s The Audacity newsletter. You can find more of my work here.
Here’s what people have said about my writing….
“Your newsletter is one of the few I read immediately when it comes to my inbox. You have such beautiful writing and the subjects you deal with are compelling.” - Marjorie N.
“You write beautifully about some very poignant topics. I look forward to your pieces.” - Deb B.
“I loved reading this post. A street that is not just a roadway but a journey that continues. Beautiful.” - Elizabeth M.
“Thanks for sharing this beautiful essay, inspiring!” - David T.
Join me elsewhere
You can also find me Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Come say hi!
I’m also a regular columnist for BooknBrunch, The Kitchn, and The Takeout.
