All posts tagged: Literature

Staff Holiday Recommended Reads

Published by littlelaosontheprairie

As you can imagine, for a staff devoted to writing, reading, and amplifying Lao voices–this list was hard to pare down. We hope you enjoy our attempt at enticing you to pick up some of the books that have left a deep impact on us. Come back and let us know if you chose any of these stories–and the impressions it left on you! — Chanida Phaengdara Potter Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong Inside out– I felt it. As a fellow Southeast Asian refugee, I resonate deeply with the poetry of Ocean Vuong. From the aunties to the nail shop to the pain of colonists. It’s searing, powerful, nostalgic and so goddamn heartbreaking. Hope Dies Last by Studs Terkel Most think hope is too abstract, but it’s the only thing that’s saved us during difficult times. As one of my favorite legendary storytellers, we could learn a thing or two from the people Studs Terkel had the honor of listening to in this collection. Changing Lives in Laos: Society, Politics, and Culture in …

Tales and Travels: Talking with Folklorist David Zander

Published by littlelaosontheprairie

David Zander has been a familiar friend of the Southeast Asian community in Minnesota for well over 20 years now since he first began work at the Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans in the 1990s before retiring. But even in his retirement, he has continued to be a positive and constructive part of the community, volunteering his time and energy to help build a network of Southeast Asian American storytellers, with substantial success in the Hmong, Vietnamese, Karen, Cambodian and Lao communities. In 2013, he was deservedly honored with a Lifetime Service Award at the Council On Asian Pacific Minnesotans Asian Pacific American Heritage Dinner.  He recently celebrated his birthday this week. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, over the years he has applied that knowledge in a dizzying array of avenues, from the arts to public policy. He has worked tirelessly to connect Asian American artists to excellent opportunities to train and perform in Minnesota, at events such as the Twin Cities Dragon Festival. Many of the Lao community met with him recently at the …