Adoptee. Childhood Trauma Survivor.

Adoptee. Childhood Trauma Survivor.

About & Media

Yvonne Liu is a widely published writer and mental health advocate based in Los Angeles. Her essays about mental illness, family relationships, culture, and adoption have appeared in major outlets. Her memoir-in-progress, I TALK TO MY MOTHER IN THE CLOUDS, is a testament to the human will to survive, featuring themes of healing, identity, and forgiveness. In her book, Yvonne explores the collateral damage of secrecy, shame, and mental illness. Yet hers is a hopeful story, as Yvonne shows how she liberated herself from the confines of her past to create a better life for herself and her family.

Other

My HuffPost essay was a top trending story on Apple News on two separate occasions

Several of my essays have been picked up by Apple News, Yahoo News, and Flipboard

Ambassador for The OpEd Project, an organization dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and perspectives by helping marginalized people write and publish opinion pieces

Selected for the following:

StoryStudio Chicago Memoir In A Year with Gayle Brandeis

GrubStreet Advanced Memoir with Javier Sinay

Tin House Autumn Workshop on Revision with Reena Shah

Voices of Our Nations (VONA) Winter Workshop in Memoir with Jeannie Vanasco

Chosen by St. Martin’s Press for a one-on-one meeting with an executive editor at their 2022 Marginalized Voices Conference

Selected by Next Tribe for their 2022 publishing workshop with a Big Five senior editor

Media

Modern Love Podcast

Featured as the the lead story in a New York Times Modern Love podcast episode. In the 17-minute interview, I shared about the mother I lost—my birth mother—and the one I had—my adoptive mother.

Featured in a Q & A in Sari Botton's Oldster Substack

“Family Secrets with Yvonne Liu.” Lost and Found podcast with Dr. Michelle Choi” ⟶

"Adoption, Mammograms, and Shackles of Shame." Before You Kill Yourself podcast with Leo Flowers ⟶

“Tiny Love: Yvonne Liu’s Story.” The Story with Charu podcast with Charu Kumarhia ⟶

“Chinese American Adoptee Discusses Adoption and Mental Health.” Feature profile on Resonate, Europe’s most popular East Asian cultural website ⟶

Selected to appear in a Breast Cancer Research Foundation national campaign. Appeared in their popular blog and social media accounts. ⟶