Meet Minhkha Dang

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Minhkha Dang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Minhkha below.

Minhkha, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

From the start, my optimism grew slowly, like a flower from a seed, blooming through my whole life. Beginning in the first moments I read picture books aloud with my mom at the public library, I found joy and bliss through the arts. From singing my heart out at my local theater as Matilda in Matilda the Musical, to adventuring into the Bob Ross world of painting, I couldn’t help the smile on my face whenever
I finished a performance or dipped my brush into the colors. Soon, I discovered it wasn’t just the arts I loved–it was creation I craved. I adored plucking words and arranging them into poetry, I enjoyed forming worlds beyond my imagination, and most of all, I loved pouring my heart and soul in creations that allowed others to feel uplifted and happy, ensuring they walked away with a smile on their face. And, over time, I realized that optimism wasn’t just a personality trait you could write on a line. It was truly a character choice, a conscious decision that soon provided the stepping stones in which Apricus Literary was built upon.

Beginning as a freshly created non profit the summer of my freshman year of high school, I began Apricus Literary in hopes that teen girl creatives like me would feel uplifted and celebrated globally. I specifically chose the name “Apricus” for the magazine, since this was Latin for sunkissed, bathed in sun–and this was the exact emotion I wanted to invoke when someone wrote poetry, read their published pieces, or designed art for many of our opportunities. Offering guaranteed publishing in our creatively themed publications was my personal way of exclaiming “Your art has a home here! We celebrate all!”. In fact, Apricus Literary solely publishs works that reflect an optimistic perspective, my personal push for more supportive and celebratory communities for young women. As more individuals discovered our mission and submitted their work, the reach of our multimedia magazine stretched beyond my imagination. We now have 10+ global chapters, 310+ teen girl creatives published, 5k+ followers, and have made a stunning 1.1 million impressions on social media.

These statistics aren’t just numbers to me, however. They’re living proof of the optimism radiating from Apricus Literary, and how that same emotion is spread throughout the world. So, I suppose my optimism comes from the joy of creation, by utilizing my creativity to support and uplift others.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am the founder & editor-in-chief of Apricus Literary, a non profit multimedia magazine designed to uplift and celebrate teen girl creatives in all their endeavors. In a male-dominated industry, Apricus Literary pioneers representation for young women globally. Flourishing out of my love for entrepreneurship and the arts, Apricus Literary has evolved into a beautiful global community, including our chapters, which are based in a variety of countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Paris, South Africa, and more! Our book club, The Petal Press, elevates Apricus Literary to the next level — providing a space for teen girls to have their voices heard in an analytical, literary setting!

Outside of my adventures with Apricus Literary, I enjoy dancing ballet, performing the piano, journalism, and, of course, reading and writing. As a 12x published author and a writer with an affinity for extensive worldbuilding, much of my literary-oriented free time is either spent annotating history books, brainstorming future chapters for my novel works in progress, currently dubbed Moonfruit and Á La April, respecitvely, or Googling synonyms for various nomenclature. Speaking of annotation, the thrilling journey of research, whether historical or scientific, has a special place in my heart. In fact, during my freshman year, I won the Exceptional Historical Research Award for my school’s National History Day. When I am set loose with a set of digital notecards and an empty Doc outline, I can arrive back to you in less than 1 hour with an extensive collection of cited resources, pages full of Chicago style MLA, and too many open tabs to count.

Among my artistic endeavors, I’m an internationally recognized pianist, with the performances of my extensive repertoire earning me an opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall. Even though I compete in piano frequently regionally and state-wide, my passion for piano stems from the emotion and mood that I can invoke with just my fingers placed on the keys. Much of my practice time is spent pressing my fingers on the keys at different angles, with different motions, all to see which invokes the best tone–is this happy, or a melancholy tone? Is the line of this phrase crying, or jubilant? Personally, performing the piano is not just a correct execution of what is written on the page by composers, it’s the delivery of a multilayered experience that truly brings the listener into the sound, transporting them to a world of Liszt, Mozart, or Bach as you trill on the keys. Going hand-in-hand with music, I’m a ballet dancer trained in the Vaganova style. Ever since I began dancing when I was 3 years old, I’ve always loved the mindset of ballet. There’s always a keen focus present. Especially while dancing en pointe, as I have since I was 9 years old, there’s a special kind of precision involved that fine tunes my brain to the perfect setting. There is no limit to the elegance and expression throughout your movements, and dance allows me to express my emotions through classical variations, unique contemporary pieces, and feel-good commercial style dance. As a dancer on my school’s dance team, Synergy Dance Ensemble, I’ve learned the true meaning of community and connection–from detailed Pom routines to the moments backstage before we run on with bright smiles and proper posture.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities that impacted me most in my journey were empathy, curiosity, and storytelling.

Empathy was necessary to formulate Apricus Literary. By understanding and reflecting on the lack of spaces for teen girl creatives, I could develop a non profit multimedia magazine dedicated and designed to uplift and celebrate. Not only did it provide the foundation, but empathy guided me through every bit of the submission reading process, curating internship opportunities for young women, and allowed me to morph it into an essential tool for leading a team of 900+ volunteers and 25+ staff. Empathy can be discovered anywhere–pay attention to others, focus on compassionate thinking and actions, and metaphorically tie on someone else’s shoes. Walk in them for a bit. You’ll be better for it.

Curiosity was involved in every part of the development. I had to ask myself questions often, and some of the frequent ones were, “How can I make this better?”, “Is this the most efficient way?”, and, most often, “Synonym for this word”. If I wasn’t curious, I wouldn’t have reflected on my experiences, discovering how I could spread optimism to teen girl creatives globally. My inner curiosity allowed me to successfully establish and lead Apricus Literary. Never stop asking questions, about yourself and the world around you.

And last but not least, storytelling was a cornerstone of what Apricus Literary represented. Since I ran a multimedia magazine that highlighted young women in their creative endeavors, I needed to ensure the story they had created was portrayed accurately and beautifully. The Apricus Literary publications are designed intricately and detailed, with every drag of the mouse and addition of the flower bouquet elevating the reading experience. Nothing feels better than seeing your story displayed on the page.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

When I was in the third grade, my homeroom teacher introduced me to L.M. Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables. I fell in love with Anne’s sharp wit, her playful nature, and optimistic, curious nature. In many ways, I found myself connecting with Anne, and as I dove into the books taking place after she lands on Prince Edward Island, I realized that I didn’t just love the novel for it’s beautiful writing and brilliant imagery–it was the authenticity of it. Anne was truly honest and herself, inspiring me to always believe in what I wish, talk as I like, and create what I desire to. Anne Shirley may have not taught me how heal croup, but she taught me to stay true to myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/apricusliterary
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apricusliterary
• Other: Apricus Literary’s Chill Subs: https://www.chillsubs.com/magazine/apricusliterary?t=overview

Image Credits

Diem Dang