Hi, I’m Lian.

Every time I say I write for a living, I get a little giddy. 

My writing career began when I wrote my first poem at four years old, which critics* called “a stunning tale about a bumblebee in an apple tree.”

(*Critics = my mom.)

Me, circa 2001, probably writing something deep and meaningful.

I officially learned how to #PartyLikeAJournalist at The Temple News in my freshman year. In three-and-a-half years, I wrote more than 200 stories. I got to interview a Nobel Laureate, followed the fraught journey of an on-campus stadium, and attended many, many student government meetings — though admittedly sometimes only for the cookies.

I ended up working nonstop through college, including: three internships (one international), two freelance gigs, serving as associate news editor at TTN for a year, and a partridge in a pear tree. I figured all of this would give me a head start on my early career, whatever that looked like.

Eating Korean shin ramyun and wearing the baggiest clothes I own.

When I left school, I was both extremely relieved to be free of the constant grind of academia and student journalism, but also anxious that I didn’t know where I was supposed to go next. Many of my friends went on to local news outlets, but I had a feeling that wasn’t the path I wanted to take.

So back home to Boston I went, where I spent the next four months freelancing for Wicked Local and re-exploring my hometown. 

I landed my first job out of college at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street as Digital Content Coordinator. It transpired that it ultimately wasn’t the right environment for me (cue scene of me crying in the car at 8:30 a.m. on a Wednesday). I do miss the food though. 

Senegalese braised chicken with onions and lime (for breakfast!)

I realized that there weren’t many resources out there for young people entering the media and communications world. Like any trained journalist, I had questions: how much should I be getting paid, anyway? How do I ask for a raise? Was J-school worth it? How do I know what kind of journalism or media is right for me? How do I network? What if I hate my job? 

And thus, out of a combination of pandemic boredom and my own incurable overachieving spirit this newsletter/blog was born. I’ll be chatting biweekly about all of the above, plus my WFH playlists, hot takes on the infamous imposter syndrome, what I think self care actually is, and why I think “paying your dues” is dumb. I’ll also be sharing plenty of resources, guides, and what I’ve been cooking in my 425-square-foot apartment. 

My first homemade tortellini. It was thrilling.

Currently, I am wearing many hats and spinning many plates as Editorial Production Assistant at The Harvard Gazette and serve as a board member of the Asian American Journalist Association New England chapter. Six years of my bylines can also be found scattered around various corners of the Internet. And I am definitely still figuring it out. 

Welcome to Talking Heds. I’m so happy you’re here.