International Conference on Lao Studies Call for Papers extended to 11/30/15

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACTS' SUBMISSION HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 30, 2015.

The Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University and the Center for Lao Studies (CLS) are pleased to announce that the Fifth International Conference on Lao Studies (ICLS V) will be held from July 8 to 10, 2016 on the Tha Phrachan campus in Bangkok, Thailand. The main objective of the conference is to promote Lao studies, broadly defined, by providing an international forum for scholars to present and discuss various aspects of Lao Studies.

The theme of the Fifth International Conference on Lao Studies is "Lao PDR in the ASEAN Context," with particular (though not exclusive) emphasis on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). All Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states have committed to creating a region which is highly competitive, equitable in economic development and fully integrated into the global economy. The establishment of the AEC in 2015 will bring enormous opportunities as well as great challenges for the individual member countries in the region, especially for Lao PDR .

For more details, go to: http://www.laostudies.org/icls/v/call-papers

Kung Fu Zombies vs. Shaman Warrior: 12/20 Reading, Minneapolis

Coming December 20th at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis:

With Hanuman as her spiritual guide, a young woman must battle zombies in the jungle, monsters that materialize from Buddhist texts, and her own personal demons in a post apocalyptic Laos. Kung Fu Zombies vs Shaman Warrior examines the perception of mental illness as demonic possession within the Lao community. 

Refugenius Labs presents a stage reading of Kung Fu Zombies vs Shaman Warrior. KFZvSW is the second installment from the Kung Fu Zombiverse anthology of stage works. Written by Saymoukda Vongsay, directed by Randy Reyes, and featuring music by DJ Kool Akiem.

Suggested Donations are $5-$15 ($15 gets you a free Kung Fu Zombies tote bag, limited quantity) Arrive Early. Seating is Limited. www.SaymoukdaTheRefugenius.com

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

12/4: UC Merced Symposium: Southeast Asian American Legacies: 40 Years After the End of the Vietnam War

The University of Merced is convening an exciting symposium on Friday, December 4th: Southeast Asian American Legacies: 40 Years After the End of the Vietnam War. Mark your calendars and register for this free event that gathers some amazing voices in the community for a special presentation together. According to the organizers:

The symposium at UC Merced will bring together scholars, community members, and artists to discuss the Vietnam War and its human legacies. 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, the end of a war that claimed the lives of an estimated 58,260 American troops and over 4 million Southeast Asians across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Even 40 years after the war, Vietnam continues to haunt politics and society from debates about foreign policy to popular culture. Free and open to the public. 

This event is sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor at UC Merced and the Office of the Provost at UC Merced. It is co-sponsored by the Center for the Humanities at UC Merced  and the School of Social Sciience, Humanities and Arts at UC Merced.

The keynote address is Cathy Schlund-Vials, University of Connecticut (president-elect of Association for Asian American Studies). The scholars presenting include Mariam Lam and Davorn Sisavath from the University of California, Riverside; and Kong Pha, University of Minnesota. Also presenting are Steve Arounsack, from California State University, Stanislaus; Leakhena Nou, from California State University, Long Beach; and Lar Yang, Director of the Hmong Story 40 Project.

TeAda Productions will be on hand to present part of Refugee Nation and May Lee-Yang and Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay will come from Minnesota to present Hmong-Lao Friendship Play OR Lao-Hmong Friendship Play.

Writer Mai Der Vang and Bryan Thao Worra will present a special poetry reading at lunch, "The Past is a Secret Country." They will draw on their work as writers from over the years and how that has tied into our understanding of ourselves and our community. This will be their very first reading together.

I-SEA Film Festival in San Francico 11/21-22

In November, You'll want to catch the inaugural I-SEA FILM FESTIVAL, which includes some amazing films from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere. Mark your calendars! As the organizers note:

The I-SEA Film Fest (International Southeast Asian Film Fest, Nov 21-22, 2015) highlights the histories, imaginaries and identities of those with ties to Southeast Asia and its diasporas. This year is the fortieth anniversary of US military engagements in Southeast Asia: the selected films seeks dialogue with local and international communities, drawing connections between wars then and now, overseas and on our streets. The films (9 features and 22 shorts) also query--and queers--standard national narratives of modern love, sexualities, and modernization.

Featuring work by award-winning directors (Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or, Prince Claus Foundation, Macarthur “Genius" award), Oscar nominees, rebels and art-world stars, I-SEA showcases world- class feature films, cutting-edge experimental shorts and controversial documentaries.

The Opening night gala will take place on November 20th at Artist Television Access. The festival takes place at New People Cinema in Japantown from November 21-22nd, 2015--select screenings will have post-screening Q&A with filmmakers and panels. The I-SEA Film Fest is founded by the Diasporic Vietnamese Artist Network. 

California is the home to the largest concentrations of Southeast Asian immigrants in the world. There are hundred of thousands of people of Southeast Asian descent in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world. Southeast Asians are both invisible and hypervisible (as model minorities, gangsters, eternal foreigners) in North American mass media. These incredibly diverse Southeast Asian communities voice the ruptures--and re-envision global realities--forged by colonization, militarization and migrations. Providing counter-points to (hetero-)normative ideologies historically constructed by the West and by Southeast Asian nation-states, our Southeast Asian stories are varied and vital.

(Re) Collecting the Vietnam War reading, 11/17

Minnesotans, you'll want to check out the U of M's presentation of The Asian American Literary Review (Re) Collecting the Vietnam War on Nov. 17 at the Elmer L. Andersen Library 5pm-6:30pm. Featuring Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, Bao Phi and Kao Kalia Yang!