Originally, I designed this color edition of In Singularity for Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. The book is formatted in color with a print size of 8.25" x 11". Inside, you'll find 10 original artworks, digitally stretched to fit the book's dimensions and provide an immersive reading experience. However, after receiving my copy from Amazon, I realized that many intricate details in these drawings were lost.
That's why I've decided to upload this edition along with high-resolution files of the edited artworks for free access and download. Feel free to print them for personal use and choose a printing quality that suits your preferences. Please note that the files and your printed copies should not be distributed commercially, as I may sell limited signed copies through my representing galleries in the future.
I'm also open to redesigning the book for specific purposes, such as including it in a school library or creating a limited commercial edition. If you'd like to collaborate or propose an idea, please don't hesitate to reach out!
In fact, a black-and-white, text-only edition featuring some pumpkin-themed illustrations is already available on Amazon. I believe that removing the detailed artworks and presenting the book in black and white beautifully emphasizes the text. The digital pumpkin illustrations, though simple, complement this format well. This version is designed for readers to take notes or make drawings in the blank spaces, transforming the book into a personal space for an intimate conversation between us.
in Singularity
Verbal and visual imagery seamlessly blend. Ten original artworks—created using ink, watercolor, ballpoint pen, gold and silver glitter, pigment, and gouache on paper—now accompany the poems that inspired them and those they, in turn, have inspired.
If you are on mobile, please rotate your phone horizontally for the best reading experience!
How did in Singularity come to be?
In December 2023, I attended a local spoken word event and connected with fellow writing enthusiasts, who introduced me to a longstanding writing group in Hanoi. This group, known as the Hanoi Scribblers, has been around for over 20 years, with its oldest member participating for more than a decade. Every Sunday morning, the group gathers on the rooftop of a cozy, rustic two-story café tucked away in an alley in the Old Quarter. At the start of each meetup, we each create a writing prompt, drop it into a cup, and then randomly select one to respond to within 15 minutes. We share our responses in an open discussion, where our thoughts on each other’s writing, related literature, and life philosophy blend together, creating something far greater than the sum of its parts. It was in this creative and inspiring space that the idea for a book combining my written works and sketchbook art took shape.
As I move on from my writing group to pursue new endeavors, I dedicate this collection to the friends I’ve made (and the ones I’ve lost) in the group, as well as the friends I have yet to meet on my journey through life. To the strangers I’ve encountered and those I haven’t, to the stranger I once was, and to the strangers we all are to one another at times—this book is my love letter to strangers.
What sort of content can one expect in in Singularity?
I am both a mother and a child. The child writes with curiosity about the small little things of the world, while the mother reflects on self, grown-up love and loss, and life’s beginnings and endings. Sometimes, the mother edits the child's work; other times, the child pushes the mother to write fearlessly, to explore without hesitation, and to embrace mistakes.
As I revisit my past writing, recurring themes emerge: skin as a concept, water in nature, the universe’s end, celebrating life, and letting go to live fully. These threads prompted me to gather my writings—both poetry and prose, from sketchbooks and beyond—into this book.
Though I don’t write much, small fragments accumulate over time, growing heavier until they form a few poems a year. Meanwhile, the drawings in my sketchbook, once left behind, now color the spaces where words once were, becoming full illustrations. They are here to accompany the words, reminding me that friends and strangers can be one and the same. This book is a love letter to my stranger.