
Daniel Nieh is a writer and translator from Portland, Oregon. Daniel is the author of two novels, Beijing Payback and Take No Names, both of which were Editor’s Choice selections in the New York Times Book Review. His translation clients include publishers, universities, nonprofits, and museums around the world. Daniel’s essays, criticism, and short fiction have appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Esquire.
New to our 2025 teaching roster, writer and translator Daniel Nieh is here to help you revitalize your writing life in the new year. Daniel will be teaching Resources for Refining Your Creative Process from February 27 – March 20, and we are delighted to introduce him to you with this short interview as part of our Teacher Spotlight series.
What are some things you hope students will learn in your class?
I hope students learn to feel like they’re not alone in the challenges they face. Writing is a solitary practice. I think we all sometimes feel especially insecure or lazy. But every novelist I know must dance with their demons each time they sit down. So, a big part is just letting go of that feeling like, “What’s wrong with me, I just spent four hours writing three sentences?”
Part Two is, everybody will walk away with a concrete strategy to tangibly, significantly improve their creative output. Distraction and procrastination are thorny challenges. They require multi-pronged approaches. Together we’ll be workshopping our bespoke strategies and refining our creative habits with a whole cornucopia of tools: productivity software, phone prisons (!), books, habit stacking and tracking, and community resources.
If you were to describe your teaching style in five words or less, what would you say?
Communion among learners, including myself.
How is your own writing life shaped by the work you do as a teacher, or vice versa?
When I teach, I’m reminded how much people care about writing. It’s nourishing. I feel motivated by the company of people who love books as much as I do.
What books or authors have shaped you the most in terms of your writing life or your pedagogy?
Creative angst and imposter syndrome are persistent challenges for me. One thing that helps is reading books about creativity and craft. It’s a boon to be able to engage with brilliant writers who have written about how they’ve done it. High on the list are books on creativity by George Saunders and Elizabeth Gilbert. Books like these will be among the focal points of my class.
As for teaching and learning, the one book that has influenced me the most by far is Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire.
Are there any other current sources of creative inspiration for you, literary or otherwise, you’d like to recommend?
This is strange but I have this practice of making myself audio-visual pastiches that I find very soothing and inspiring. I put on a nature documentary or a dreamy Fellini film or some 1990s basketball highlights, and I mute the sound. Then I put on music that roams without lyrics and melody—like Keith Jarrett or Leo Kottke. The juxtapositions smooth out my brain and allow me to fall into creative space. And I’m having a sensory experience that nobody else has had before. The minutes begin to gleam.
Do you have any recent or upcoming publications you’d like us to shout-out?
Please buy my novels and eat them with peanut butter and maple syrup.
You can register for Daniel Nieh’s upcoming workshop, ‘Resources for Refining Your Creative Process’, here.