MELUS features Lao American poetry of Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay

Lao American Writers Summit co-founder Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay‘s poetry is studied in a new article in Melus by Tim August! Look for MELUS Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States Volume 41, Number 3 Fall 2016

Blind Lao khaeng master receives US highest honor for folk arts

“Meet the Laotian Master Musician Who Won America’s Highest Folk Arts Award” is a good profile on the Fresno-based Laotian master musician Bounxeung Synanonh, who recently received the NEA Heritage Fellowship.

Lao mural unveiled in Chicago

Congratulations to Chantala Kommanivanh. He and his students recently unveiled their 2016 summer mural project in conjunction with Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago. The mural will be installed at their offices in Uptown, Chicago.

Lao American Theater Artist featured in Asians Doing Everything

Asians Doing Everything recently highlighted the work of theater artist Samson Syharath in Portland Oregon. We're looking forward to hearing more from him in the future. Will he become as well known as Lidet Viravong, Ova Saopeng, Leilaini Chan, Kulap Vilaysack, or K.P. Phagnasay? Only time will tell!

Souvankham Thammavongsa up for The Journey Prize

The Journey Prize announced a rare “double double” this year. Congratulations to Souvankham Thammavongsa on having a second story longlisted for the 2016 Journey Prize! Her story “Paris” was first published by Ricepaper. Her story “Mani Pedi” first appeared in Puritan Magazine.

CTRL+ALT coming to New York City

On November 12 and 13 the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center will present Ctrl+Alt: A Culture Lab on Imagined Futures – taking place in the former site of the Pearl River Mart in SOHO NYC as an arena to explore the future of our nation, neighborhood and selves.

The weekend will feature 40+ artists and scholars doing their thing, from adrienne maree brown to Yumi Sakugawa, including Lao American artist Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and Bryan Thao Worra. This is a free event. The event will be held at 477 Broadway, from 11AM to 9PM.

Bryan Thao Worra is the president of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, an international literary organization celebrating the poetry of the imaginative and the fantastic. A Lao American writer, he holds over 20 awards for his work including an NEA Fellowship in Literature and was a Cultural Olympian representing Laos during the 2012 London Summer Games. The author of 6 books,his work appears internationally including Australia, Canada, Scotland, Germany, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea, and Pakistan.

You can visit him online at http://thaoworra.blogspot.com for more news on Asian American science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is a Lao American writer. She was born in a refugee camp in Nongkhai, Thailand and immigrated to Minnesota in 1984. Because of her unique background, her work is focused on creating tools and spaces for the amplification of refugee voices through poetry, theater, and experimental cultural production. She is a teaching artist with COMPAS, Success Beyond the Classroom, East Metro Integration District, and the East Side Arts Council. Her writings can be found in such publications as Saint Paul Almanac (Arcata Press), Lessons For Our Time (MN Center for Book Arts), Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement (Purdue University Press), and The Asian American Literary Review (Binghamton University). Her work has been possible due to support from the Jerome Foundation, Bush Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the MN State Arts Board. She is best known for her award-winning play KUNG FU ZOMBIES VS CANNIBALS (Theater Mu) and is developing two more plays for the KUNG FU ZOMBIEVERSE anthology of stage works.

You can visit her at http://saymoukdatherefugenius.com