Mia Tijam was born in Iriga City and grew up in Naga City in the Bicol Region. She studied European languages, philosophy, creative writing, and comparative literature at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Her writing voice began through the nurturing of the writer, critic, and academician Jose Wendell P. Capili; and writer, editor, and pioneering digital publisher Joseph F. Nacino. A fellow of the Silliman University National Writers Workshop (2007) and the Women’s Annual Writing Workshop (2024), she has published short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
Mia has served in diverse editorial roles including for Philippine Speculative Fiction Sampler,  the inaugural section for PWDs in the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ literary journal ANI, Philippine Genre Stories, and judging for literary competitions such as the National Book Awards.
Her debut collection, Flowers for Thursday (Ateneo de Naga University Press), was a finalist in the 40th National Book Awards. Its 2024 bilingual edition is the first English–Rinconada short fiction book in Philippine literature. Mia is recognized as one of the writers and editors who have helped advance Philippine Speculative Fiction. Her new book The And That Was was launched in July 2026 from Rosarium Publishing.