Hilary Tham is the author of nine books of poems, including MEN & Other Strange Myths (1994), Counting (2000), and The Tao of Mrs. Wei (2003), and a memoir, Lane With No Name: Memoirs and Poems of a Malaysian-Chinese Girlhood (1997).
Born in Klang, Malaysia, Tham was educated at a convent school by Irish nuns, married a Peace Corps volunteer, converted to Judaism, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1971. From 1973 until her death at age 58, she lived in Arlington, VA.
She was awarded ten Artist-in-Education grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and taught creative writing in schools and for the Writer’s Center. In addition, she served as editor-in-chief for The Word Works, Inc. (whose Capital Collection series of regional poets is now named for her), co-edited the anthology Winners: A Retrospective of the Washington Prize (with Karren L. Alenier and Miles David Moore, 1999). For many years, she was poetry editor for the Potomac Review. Tham was also a visual artist, working primarily in pen and ink and watercolor.
The Homes
2600 N. Upshur St., Arlington, VA
Hilary Tham
2600 N. Upshur St.
Located in Northern Virginia