Writing Podcast Episode 702: Souvankham Thammavongsa and her award-winning 'Pick a Colour'

There are three short words you're often told when you first walk into a nail salon – and they form the title of award-winning Laotian Canadian poet and author Souvankham Thammavongsa's new novel Pick a Colour . In this episode, Souvankham explains how the novel came about, its unusual inspiration and timeframe as well as the cultural and power dynamics it explores. 00:00 Welcome 06:03 Writing tip: Dealing with rejection| 08:58 WIN!: Staged by John M. Green 10:44 Word of the week: 'Lactometer' 13:19 Writer in residence: Souvankham Thammavongsa 14:33 Explaining the story of Pick a Colour 15:25 The Seinfeld episode inspiration! 18:10 How her characters see the world 19:40 The boxing inspiration 21:41 Setting limitations on the story 23:26 Language and cultural identity 25:07 From short stories to the novel 27:31 Writing techniques and influences 29:41 Character dynamics and power themes 33:14 The writing process and Souvankham's backstory 37:00 Awards and recognition 40:55 Discussing the work done in the margins 43:47 Advice for aspiring writers 45:11 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

You can listen to Writing Podcast Episode 702: Souvankham Thammavongsa and her award-winning 'Pick a Colour' online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Writing Podcast Episode 702: Souvankham Thammavongsa and her award-winning 'Pick a Colour' is an episode from So You Want To Be A Writer with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre podcast by Australian Writers' Centre.

This episode is 47:08 long.

This episode was published on Feb 2, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from So You Want To Be A Writer with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.