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. A fellow of the Silliman University National Writers Workshop (2007) and the Women’s Annual Writing Workshop (2024), she has published award-winning poetry, nonfiction, and short fiction.
She has served in various editorial and judging roles, including for Philippine Speculative Fiction Sampler, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ literary journal ANI, Philippine Genre Stories, the National Book Awards, and several literary competitions.
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.