Mia Tijam was born in Iriga City, where Rinconada is the mother tongue. Her family migrated to Naga City, where she acquired the Bikol language. She studied European languages, philosophy, literary theory, creative writing, and comparative literature at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

One of the first fellows for CNF in the 2007 Silliman National Writers Workshop, and a fellow in CNF in the 2024 Women’s Annual Writing Workshop, Mia also served as co-editor of the pioneering virtual anthology Philippine Speculative Fiction Sampler; editor for the inceptive Special Section for PWDs and PADs of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Literary Journal ANI 41: LAKBAY and co-editor of its tribute to departed cultural workers in the pandemic, “Hanggang sa Muli: Pagpupugay at Pasasalamat sa mga Pumanaw;” editor for Philippine Genre Stories; and category judge for Bikol translation in the National Book Awards in the Philippines.

Tijam has been acknowledged as one of the writers and editors who have advanced Philippine speculative fiction, and her debut short fiction collection, Flowers for Thursday published by Ateneo de Naga University Press, was a finalist in the 40th National Book Awards; its bilingual second edition, published in 2024, is the first English-Rinconada short fiction book in Philippine literature.