Celeste Ng
Born 1980 · Age 46
American novelist and short‑story writer known for Everything I Never Told You (2014), Little Fires Everywhere (2017) and Our Missing Hearts (2022). Her work explores family, race, suburbia and social justice.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Celeste Ng was born to parents who emigrated from Hong Kong in the 1960s.
Family moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio
At about age 10 Ng's family relocated from Pittsburgh to Shaker Heights after her father took a position as a physicist at a NASA research center and her mother worked as a chemist at Cleveland State University.
Childhood interest in writing and activism
Wrote plays, poems and stories; active in student race-relations group (SGORR) in high school discussing discrimination and stereotyping.
Play produced at Dobama Theatre (while in high school)
While a teenager Ng had a play produced at Cleveland Heights' Dobama Theatre (date during high school years).
Graduated from Shaker Heights High School
Completed high school; co‑edited the school's literary magazine Semanteme and participated in playwriting and creative writing classes.
Active in SGORR (Student Group on Race Relations)
Participated in and led school visits and discussions at local elementary schools on discrimination and stereotyping.
Matriculated at Harvard University
Began undergraduate studies in English at Harvard University (later graduated in 2002).
Began MFA in Creative Writing at University of Michigan
Enrolled in the University of Michigan's creative writing program (later earned an MFA in 2006).
Graduated Harvard University (BA, English)
Completed undergraduate degree in English at Harvard.
Earned MFA from University of Michigan
Completed MFA (Helen Zell Writers’ Program) in creative writing; received internal recognition such as the Hopwood Award while at Michigan (award noted in biographies).
Worked briefly at a tech startup and freelanced
After graduating, Ng did short tenure work at a tech startup and freelanced as a copy editor/proofreader while writing and submitting stories.
Began multi‑year process writing first novel
EBSCO and other sources report the first novel took about six years of work prior to 2014 publication; roughly began rewriting/working in the late 2000s.
Short story 'Girls, at Play' published in Bellevue Literary Review
'Girls, at Play' was accepted and published in Bellevue Literary Review after being rejected multiple times.
Short story rejected ~17 times before acceptance
Ng's story 'Girls, at Play' reportedly faced around 17 rejections prior to publication — often cited as part of her persistence narrative.
Won Pushcart Prize for 'Girls, at Play'
The short story 'Girls, at Play' received a Pushcart Prize in 2012.
Amazon's #1 Best Book of 2014
Everything I Never Told You was named Amazon's Book of the Year (2014).
New York Times Notable Book and New York Times bestseller
Everything I Never Told You was a NYT Notable Book of 2014 and reached the NYT bestseller list.
Book translated into 30+ languages
Everything I Never Told You has been translated into more than thirty languages internationally.
Won multiple awards for debut novel
Everything I Never Told You received awards including the Massachusetts Book Award and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was later associated with an ALA Alex Award (sources vary on exact year).
Published debut novel 'Everything I Never Told You'
Ng's first novel was released on June 26, 2014 and centers on a Chinese American family in 1970s Ohio.
ALA Alex Award (associated)
Sources indicate an Alex Award recognition in 2015 related to Ng's early work (some sources attribute the Alex Award to Everything I Never Told You); attribution varies by source.
Received National Endowment for the Arts fellowship
Awarded an NEA fellowship (supported her writing career and projects).
Started #SmallActs Twitter campaign
After the 2016 U.S. presidential election Ng popularized the #SmallActs hashtag to encourage small acts of support for marginalized communities.
Published second novel 'Little Fires Everywhere'
Ng's second novel was published in 2017; it examines race, privilege and motherhood in suburban Shaker Heights.
Little Fires Everywhere: #1 New York Times and Indie Next bestseller
The novel reached #1 on the NYT bestseller list and #1 on the Indie Next list; it was named Amazon's Best Fiction Book of 2017.
Goodreads Choice Award winner (Fiction)
Little Fires Everywhere won the Goodreads Readers' Choice Award in Fiction (2017).
Named best book of year by 25+ publications
Little Fires Everywhere was named a best book of the year by over 25 publications.
Won Ohioana Award in Fiction
The Ohioana Library Association honored Celeste Ng with its fiction award for Little Fires Everywhere.
Spent over a year on NYT bestseller list (Little Fires Everywhere)
Little Fires Everywhere remained on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year, sustaining Ng's commercial profile.
Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship
Ng received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2020 in recognition of her literary work.
Partnered with We Need Diverse Books to launch adult grants
In 2020 Ng partnered with the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books to launch grants for adults from diverse backgrounds interested in publishing careers.
Served as a producer on Hulu adaptation
Ng was credited as a producer on the Little Fires Everywhere limited series.
Hulu miniseries 'Little Fires Everywhere' premiered
A television adaptation of Little Fires Everywhere, produced by Celeste Ng and starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, premiered on Hulu in March 2020.
Our Missing Hearts received starred reviews and critical praise
The novel earned strong reviews from major outlets (e.g., Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus) and was widely praised as a significant work.
Published third novel 'Our Missing Hearts'
Our Missing Hearts, a near‑future novel dealing with censorship, race and family, was released on October 4, 2022 and became an immediate New York Times bestseller.
Continued essays and fiction in major outlets
Ng's essays and short fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Kenyon Review and other publications (ongoing publishing activity).
Lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts (with family)
As of recent biographies she resides in Cambridge with her husband and son and maintains an active social media presence advocating social justice.
Editor and teacher roles (Fiction Writer's Review, Grub Street)
Ng has worked as an editor at Fiction Writer's Review and taught at Grub Street in Boston (dates not precisely specified; part of her early career development).
Recognized as influential contemporary novelist
Widely cited as an influential voice for Asian American writers and contemporary fiction; used platform for activism and community support.
Key Achievement Ages
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