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Bryan Thao Worra

Goodreads Author

Born

in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic

Website

http://thaoworra.blogspot.com

Twitter

thaoworra

Genre

Poetry, Horror, Literature & Fiction

Member Since

April 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/thaoworra

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Bryan Thao Worra is the first Laotian American writer to hold a Fellowship in Literature from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the award-winning author of several books including DEMONSTRA, On The Other Side Of The Eye, BARROW, Winter Ink, Tanon Sai Jai, Touching Detonations, and The Tuk-Tuk Diaries: My Dinner With Cluster Bombs.

He is the creative works editor for the Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement and the Arts and Entertainment Editor for Asian American Press. He works actively to support the work of Lao and Southeast Asian American writers across the country.

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Bryan Thao Worra's Blog

Interviewed On This Book Made Me

In case you missed it, be sure to catch my interview on the surprising book that was a major influence on my journey as reader and writer on This Book Made Me. I had to take a little bit of time to consider which of the many books I’d read had been deeply influential and […]

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Bryan Thao Worra’s books

Average rating: 3.79 · 963 ratings · 169 reviews · 22 distinct works • Similar authors

	Historical Lovecraft by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Paula R. Stiles (Editor), Andrew G. Dombalagian (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.86 avg rating — 361 ratings — published 2011 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Future Lovecraft by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Paula R. Stiles (Editor), Nick Mamatas 3.31 avg rating — 332 ratings — published 2011 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cthulhusattva: Tales of the Black Gnosis by Scott R. Jones (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Ruthanna Emrys (Goodreads Author), Kristi DeMeester (Goodreads Author) 3.83 avg rating — 144 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	LONTAR #1 by Jason Erik Lundberg (Goodreads Author) (Founding Editor), Kristine Ong Muslim (Goodreads Author) (Poetry Editor), Kate Osias (Contributor) 3.59 avg rating — 75 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Demonstra: A Poetry Collection 4.49 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	On The Other Side Of The Eye 4.45 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2007 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Before We Remember We Dream by Bryan Thao Worra (Goodreads Author), Nor Sanavongsay (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.56 avg rating — 9 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	BARROW 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2009	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tanon Sai Jai really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Between Souls 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Bryan is Currently Reading

Bryan Worra is currently reading

One Foot in Laos

by Dervla Murphy

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Oct 18, 2020 07:12PM

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UnCommon Origins: A Collection of Gods, Monsters, Nature, and Science

by P.K. Tyler (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 09, 2016 08:43AM

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The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan (P.S.)

by Eric Blehm

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Jan 28, 2011 06:52PM

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Bryan’s Recent Updates

Bryan Thao Worra wrote a new blog post Interviewed On This Book Made Me In case you missed it, be sure to catch my interview on the surprising book that was a major influence on my journey as reader and writer on This Book Read more of this blog post »
Aug 14, 2025 12:46AM · like
Bryan Worra has read Tracking the Weretiger: Supernatural Man-Eaters of India, China and Southeast Asia by Patrick Newman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 17, 2025 10:11AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Tracking the Weretiger by Patrick Newman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Tracking the Weretiger by Patrick Newman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Worra is now following Sueyeun Juliette Lee Author of Solar Maximum
Jan 25, 2025 01:46AM · like
Bryan Worra rated a book it was amazing Every Passing Minute by Krysada Panusith Phounsiri	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 04, 2025 06:23PM · 1 like · like
Bryan Worra rated a book it was amazing Koan Khmer: A Novel by Bunkong Tuon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A strong showing from one of the leading Khmer American voices today. Bunkong Tuon has roots as a poet and that sense of verse and line carries over into his prose that is both touching and profound, moving the reader deeply at almost every turn of t ...more
Aug 21, 2024 09:01AM · 4 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Koan Khmer by Bunkong Tuon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Koan Khmer by Bunkong Tuon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Worra has read Too Many Hats by Jess Morgan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Bryan Worra rated a book really liked it Where the Wolf by Sally Rosen Kindred (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 25, 2023 03:45PM · like
Bryan Worra rated a book really liked it What appears in the dark by Pete Kelly (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 25, 2023 03:45PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What appears in the dark by Pete Kelly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What appears in the dark by Pete Kelly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bryan Worra rated a book it was amazing We’ve Been Here Before (Conversation Pieces Book 83) by Anne Carly Abad (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Bryan Worra has read What appears in the dark by Pete Kelly (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 25, 2023 03:44PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What appears in the dark by Pete Kelly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What appears in the dark by Pete Kelly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Bryan Thao Worra (?)

“A single seed can become a forest,
A single heart can transform a nation.”
― Bryan Thao Worra, Tanon Sai Jai

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Nothing But Readi...: Log For Keeping Track of Authors From Other Countries	24	490	Dec 11, 2014 05:59PM
2025 Reading Chal...: **JulieW**	24	10	Jan 09, 2016 01:09PM
Around the World ...: Laos	12	801	Jan 09, 2025 08:43PM

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Bryan’s Quotes

“From the age of 6 I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things. When I was 50 I had published a universe of designs. But all I have done before the the age of 70 is not worth bothering with. At 75 I'll have learned something of the pattern of nature, of animals, of plants, of trees, birds, fish and insects. When I am 80 you will see real progress. At 90 I shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself. At 100, I shall be a marvelous artist. At 110, everything I create; a dot, a line, will jump to life as never before. To all of you who are going to live as long as I do, I promise to keep my word. I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign my self 'The Old Man Mad About Drawing.”
― Hokusai Katsushika

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“Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again , come , come.”
― Jelaluddin Rumi

1253 likes

“A single seed can become a forest,
A single heart can transform a nation.”
― Bryan Thao Worra, Tanon Sai Jai

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Bryan’s Groups

Laotian Writers — 12 members — last activity Jan 20, 2012 08:28AM
Discussing books by Laotian, Hmong, Tai Dam and other writers from around the world with cultural connections to Laos and Southeast Asia.

On Reading Graphic Novels — 1806 members — last activity Aug 11, 2025 02:38AM
Let's talk about the wide array of graphic novels and which ones you enjoy reading. Maybe you like reading memoirs in the graphic format like Brooklyn ...more

Think Galactic — 290 members — last activity Oct 12, 2025 03:59AM
Think Galactic is a Chicago-based reading group that seeks to discuss speculative fiction [science fiction, fantasy, & horror] from a radical left per ...more

Twin Cities Nerds Of Color — 73 members — last activity Jan 12, 2015 08:01AM
A group for fans of speculative literature and media (Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Magic Realism, Slipstream, Comics, etc.)

Creative Souls — 404 members — last activity Feb 08, 2019 09:45AM
A place for creative souls to share the books that move us.. Creative, passionate people that feel the need to create art, in any medium. All welcome.

¡ POETRY ! — 22633 members — last activity Oct 16, 2025 12:10AM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

Small Publishers Association of North America - SPAN — 29 members — last activity Nov 19, 2021 05:06AM
SPAN is a nonprofit trade association supporting independent book publishers and writers.

A Place for Poets — 455 members — last activity May 15, 2021 02:36AM
This group is for those who believe in the cross-cultural necessity and permanence of poetry. Share and discuss your favourite poets and the writing p ...more

Minneapolis City Book Club — 218 members — last activity Apr 20, 2021 09:13AM
A MPLS-based group that meets semi-frequently to share good food/drink and books. Conversation is driven by, but not limited to, a shared read.

Small and Independent Press Books — 489 members — last activity Dec 05, 2024 01:59AM
A group to discuss and recommend books published by the independent presses. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are all allowed.

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Bryan’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-3) post a comment »

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message 3: by James

Apr 30, 2014 04:33AM

Hello Bryan and friends,
My fantasy novel, The Spell of No'an, was selected for Kickstarter.
To see the project, follow this link:
www.kickstarter.com > Search projects > kirins fantasy trilogy
To learn about Kickstarter, click this link:
http://www.kickstarter.com/hello?ref=nav
Thanks very much and all the best,
Jim

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message 2: by Alien (last edited Aug 25, 2016 12:17PM)

Sep 01, 2007 04:38PM

Thanks for the comment Bryan! I've only just realized that people are leaving me comments on my profile. How exciting. I see you are a newly published poet...I can't wait to read your book!

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message 1: by Aberjhani (last edited Aug 25, 2016 11:58AM)

Aug 13, 2007 09:00PM

Please allow me to congratulate you on the publication of ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EYE. It sounds like an exciting and groundbreaking work. I wish you much success with it and hope to read it in the not-too-distant future.

Poet-I-Am Aberjhani

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