CHIEM, David Phu An 1969-

PERSONAL:

Born 1969, in Vietnam; immigrated to Australia, 1978. Education: University of Technology, Sydney, B.A.; Australian Film, Television and Radio School, M.A.

ADDRESSES:

Office—c/o MindChamps Pte. Ltd., HDB Hub E. Wing, 17th Fl., 480 Lorong 6 Toa, Payoh 310480, Singapore.

CAREER:

Actor, director, producer, and writer. Founder and director, Accelerated Learning Worldwide; founder and CEO, MindChamps. Actor on the Australian television series Sons and Daughters, 1982, and Butterfly Island, 1988; actor in the films Fresh Air, 1991, and Greenkeeping, 1992.

AWARDS, HONORS:

New South Wales Premier's Literary Award nomination, for The Full Story.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

(With Brian Caswell) Only the Heart (young adult novel), University of Queensland Press (St. Lucia, Australia), 1997.

(With Brian Caswell) The Full Story, University of Queensland Press (St. Lucia, Australia), 2002.

Deeper Than the Ocean, Marshall Cavendish, (Singapore, Singapore),2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

David Phu An Chiem arrived in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam when he was eight years old; shortly thereafter he became the first Asian to star in an Australian television series. He continued acting while studying at the University of Technology, Sydney, and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, where he earned his master's degree. In 1997, he teamed up with writer Brian Caswell to publish Only the Heart, a young adult novel about the Vietnam immigrant experience told through the eyes of Toan and Linh, two young newcomers to Australia. The book quickly earned a spot in many school curricula. Critics appreciated the novel's uplifting message and its examination of the many facets of the immigrant experience. A reviewer in the Australian journal Scan enjoyed the novel as a "story of courage, perseverance, [and] loyalty" and another Scan reviewer called it a tale of "epic transmigration." The duo's next novel, The Full Story, was also well received and was nominated for Australia's New South Wales Premier's Literary Award.

In addition to his writing, Chiem is an avid motivational speaker and the founder of MindChamps, an organization that seeks to help individuals realize their intellectual and emotional potential.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Scan, February, 1998, review of Only the Heart; May, 2000, review of Only the Heart.

ONLINE

MindChamps Web site,http://www.mindchamps.org (September 15, 2006).