Anthony Veasna So, whose debut short story collection, Afterparties, will be published by Ecco next August, has died. He was 28.
His death was confirmed by his publicist, Michael Taeckens of Broadside PR, in an email to Kirkus. No cause of death was given.
So was born in Stockton, California, and educated at Stanford University and Syracuse University. He received a host of honors during his short career, including a Lambda Literary Fellowship and a Tin House Scholarship. He described himself as a “a queer boy [and] a Khmer-American son of former refugees.”
His work appeared in magazines including Granta, ZYZZYVA, and the New Yorker; the latter featured his story “Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts” in February.
Afterparties is considered one of the most anticipated books of 2021. The story collection was praised by authors George Saunders, Brit Bennett, and Bryan Washington.
“We are devastated by the unexpected passing of Anthony Veasna So,” Ecco wrote on Twitter. “Our condolences to his partner, his family, and his loved ones. He was an incredible talent and we are so proud to be publishing his work.”
We are devastated by the unexpected passing of Anthony Veasna So. Our condolences to his partner, his family, and his loved ones. He was an incredible talent and we are so proud to be publishing his work.
— Ecco (@eccobooks) December 10, 2020
So is survived by his partner, Alex Torres, as well as his parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.
So’s friend Claire Jarvis has organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to benefit Torres.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
