Author Bio:

Marpheen Chann is an award-winning author, writer, thinker, advocate, and speaker on identity, intersectionality, equity, and inclusion. As a gay, first-generation Asian American born in California to a Cambodian refugee family and later adopted by an evangelical, white working-class family in Maine, Marpheen uses a mix of humor and storytelling to help people view topics such as racism, xenophobia, and homophobia through an intersectional lens.

Marpheen Chann lives in Portland, Maine. He works in the nonprofit and advocacy sector and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine and a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law.

Current Public and Community Service:

• President and Founder, Khmer Maine
• Member, Planning Board for the City of Portland, Maine (March 2020 - Present)
• Board Member, Maine Conservation Voters
• Board Member, Quality Housing Coalition

Past Elected and Appointed Office:

• At-Large Charter Commissioner, City of Portland, Maine (Elected)(June 2021 - August 2022)

“Moon is Full is a beautifully written, deeply layered and open-hearted story about so many things: beauty, love, pain, loss, reunion, displacement and forgiveness. As Marpheen Chan excavates his personal history with an astounding courage and honesty, he seeks no blame, no villains, no enemies. His desire is only to understand the people he loves: his Cambodian mother and godparents, his adopted Evangelical family, the meaning of his roots in rural Maine and Southeast Asia. I have read hundreds of memoirs but the final pages of Moon is Full truly changed my understanding of how a story—any story—can end.” —Jaed Coffin, Author of Roughhouse Friday

"Moon in Full, is much more than just a coming-of-age story; it is a remarkably open and honest story of a young man's triumph over adversities most people would refuse to face." —Bill Bushnell, Kennebec Journal