Podcasts about Kao Kalia Yang

If you're looking for a heartwarming and inspiring conversation, you've come to the right place! In this episode of Reading with Your Kids, we had the pleasure of chatting with Frankie Thompkins, the new executive director of Clowns Without Borders USA, as well as authors Azizi Tuere and Kao Kalia Yang. Frankie shared the incredible mission of Clowns Without Borders - providing relief through the power of laughter in areas of crisis, both internationally and right here in the US. As she explained, clowning has this unique ability to transcend language barriers and bring joy to people experiencing trauma and hardship. It's such a beautiful and impactful way to make a difference. Azizi Tuere spoke about her "Because I Am" book series, which aims to redefine concepts like beauty, genius, and resilience for children in a positive, empowering way. She shared how her own multicultural upbringing and passion for community have inspired her writing. The third guest, Kao Kalia Yang, revealed that it was her father, a Hmong "song poet," who modeled the practice of "collecting the beautiful" - the beautiful things people say to each other. This has been a guiding principle in Kao's own life and work as a writer. Whether it's Clowns Without Borders bringing smiles to those who need it most, Azizi's empowering stories, or Kao's celebration of Hmong culture, this episode is a reminder of the power of connection, compassion, and finding joy in the world around us. So get ready to be uplifted, inspired, and maybe even a little teary-eyed (in the best way!). This is one conversation you won't want to miss. Click here to visit our website – www.ReadingWithYourKids.com Follow Us On Social Media Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/readingwithyourkids Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/readingwithyourkids/ X - https://x.com/jedliemagic LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/reading-with-your-kids-podcast/ Please consider leaving a review of this episode and the podcast on whatever app you are listening on, it really helps!

Malcolm is a first generation Hmong living in Minnesota longing for a sense of safety, a stronger sense of his identity, and a connection with his ancestors. This middle grade novel is storytelling at its finest. Transcript here

In this captivating episode of the Reading with Your Kids podcast, host Jed Doherty sits down with two remarkable guests who are using their unique talents to make a difference in the world. First, we hear from Kao Kalia Yang, a Hmong American author whose debut middle-grade novel, "The Diamond Explorer," takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and cultural identity. Kalia shares the powerful story of her family's harrowing escape from Laos during the Vietnam War, and how her father's resilience and love of storytelling inspired her own writing. She delves into the themes of her book, which follows a young Hmong boy named Malcolm as he navigates the complexities of class, race, and finding his place in the world. Kalia's words are both heartbreaking and hopeful, as she highlights the importance of representation and the transformative power of literature for young readers. Next, we meet Naomi Schaefer, the former "boss clown" of the nonprofit organization Clowns Without Borders. Naomi explains how this incredible group of performers brings laughter and joy to children in refugee camps, conflict zones, and areas of natural disaster. She shares the inspiring origins of Clowns Without Borders, which started with a simple request from children in a Croatian refugee camp for more laughter in their lives. Naomi eloquently describes how laughter and play can be powerful tools for healing trauma and cultivating resilience, especially for vulnerable young people. She also shares a heartwarming story about bonding with her stepdaughter over the children's book "Baby Clown," underscoring the importance of representation and shared experiences in literature. This episode is a powerful exploration of the ways in which storytelling, in all its forms, can uplift, inspire, and transform lives. Whether through the written word or the art of clowning, these guests are using their talents to make the world a little bit brighter. Click here to visit our website - www.readingwithyourkids.com 

Big Book and Bold Ideas talks with authors from around the globe. But our favorite moments come when host Kerri Miller sits down with Minnesota writers to talk about story, craft and how calling this state home influences both. This week, we took a look back at some conversations with notable Minnesota authors, including Shannon Gibney, who just won her third Minnesota Book Award, Hmong writer Kao Kalia Yang and not-ashamed-to-be-a-mystery-writer William Kent Krueger.

 Kao Kalia Yang, an award-winning Hmong author, tells the emotional story of her family's immigration to the U.S, "A mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful memoir about a Hmong family's epic journey to safety told from the perspective of the author's incredible mother who survived, and helped her family escape, against all odds." Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs Global with JJ Green on YouTube. Please subscribe. Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com.

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong writer who has written her family and country's history through deeply personal prisms. She told the story of her family's beginnings via her grandmother's story in The Latehomecomer, shared the life of her father in The Song Poet and now writes her mother's journey in Where Rivers Part. Told in the first person, Where Rivers Part is the beautiful and compelling story of Tswb, who fled Laos to Thailand, eventually fighting her way to Minnesota to give a better future to her children. It is an epic tale of mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, struggle and triumph. Our bookstore this week is a 22-year-old dynamo who has already taken Mendham, NJ by storm…watch out world, it's Chapter One Books. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Where Rivers Part by Kao Kalia Yang The Song Poet by Kao Kalia Yang Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang The Shared Room by Kao Kalia Yang From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang Yang Warriors by Kao Kalia Yng The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich The Round House by Louise Erdrich The BFG by Roald Dahl Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Kao Kalia Yang's mother was a child growing up in Laos, she lived a comfortable life. Her father was a prosperous merchant. She was the only Hmong girl in the village to go to school. She felt valued. The war changed all that. Hunted by North Vietnamese soldiers, Yang's maternal family had to flee into the jungle and live a desperate existence for years. Eventually, her mother met a boy also in hiding, and they married. She was 16. It was an extraordinary chapter in her mother's remarkable life. Yet when Yang suggested that she record the full story, her mother doubted anyone would care.Thankfully, Yang persisted. Her new book, “Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother” is one attempt to capture the drama of her mother's life. From a riverside village in Laos to a bleak refugee camp in Thailand to a new home in St. Paul, Yang tells the story through her mother's eyes and captures the grief, determination and pride of the immigrant journey. Yang joined host Kerri Miller on this week's Big Books and Bold Ideas to share what it was like to record the unvarnished truth of her mother's life and why she couldn't write this book until now. Guest: Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American speaker and writer. She is the award-winning of author of many books, including several about her family, including “The Latehomecomer” and “The Song Poet.” Her latest is “Where Rivers Part.” Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.

In a wide-ranging discussion with host Jarren Dean Peterson, acclaimed authors Stanley Kusunoki and Kao Kalia Yang discuss the power art has to speak the truth and connect us to our shared humanity. They provide intimate examples of how their courageous storytelling has impacted their own and their audiences' perspectives and lives.   Stanley Kusunoki, whose Japanese American parents were incarcerated in the U.S. internment camps during World War II, is the author of three collections of poetry; 180 Days, Reflections and Observations of a Teacher; Items in the News; and Shelter in Place—Poems in a Time of COVID-19. He has taught creative writing to young people through programs at The Loft, Asian American Renaissance, Intermedia Arts, and S.A.S.E., Among his honors, he was awarded a MN State Arts board "Cultural Collaboration" grant to create, write and perform "Beringia-The Land Bridge Project" with Ojibwe performance poet, Jamison Mahto at Intermedia Arts. He is the co-host/curator of the Literary Bridges reading series at Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul. He most recently was the High Potential Coordinator at Red Oak Elementary School in Shakopee.  Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American teacher, speaker, and writer. She is the award-winning author of the memoirs, The Latehomecomer, The Song Poet, Somewhere in the Unknown World, and Where Rivers Part. Yang co-edited the groundbreaking book, What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Native Women and Women of Color. Yang is a librettist for The Song Poet Opera (commissioned by the MN Opera). She has also written several children's books that center around Hmong children who live in our world, who dream and hurt and hope in it. Yang's work has been recognized by numerous organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the PEN USA literary awards, the Dayton's Literary Peace Prize, as Notable Books by the American Library Association, Kirkus Best Books of the Year, the Heartland Bookseller's Award, and garnered four Minnesota Book Awards.  Additional information is available on their respective websites: poeteacher.com and kaokaliayang.com. This episode was hosted by Jarren Peterson Dean and produced by Charlotte Sebastian, with editing by Laurel Osterkamp and audio engineering by PJ Hoffman. Music generously donated by Bensound.com.

Hour 2: Jason talked to Hmong American teacher, speaker, and writer Kao Kalia Yang on Jason Talks to the Media. Then he's joined by Josh and Kristi Holmstrom who explain why they're launching "Thank a Hero Day" in Plymouth

Hmong American teacher, speaker, and writer Kao Kalia Yang joins Jason to talk about her career and sharing the story of her family and so many like her - on Jason Talks to the Media

On our mid-month check in for March 2024, we recap the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, as well as go over some exciting adaptation and festival news!Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:The Perfections by Lulee MaRevolutions Are Made ofLove by SunYung Shin and Mélina Mangal; illust by Leslie BarlowNunu and the Sea by Isabella Kung A Home on the Page by Kao Kalia Yang;illust by Seo KimDeathly Fates by Tesia TsaiDragon Force: Infinity'sSecret by KatieTsang and Kevin Tsang Falling Star by Linda LiuI Guess I'll Go Eat Worms by Linda LiuThe Day the BooksDisappeared by JoannaHo and Caroline Kusin Pritchard; illust by Dan SantatLou with the Band by Alexandra LeighYoungProdigal Tiger by Samantha ChongThe Art of How Dogs Sleep by Alison KimNews stories covered on this episode:Babel optioned for screen adaptationYALLWEST announces lineup*Support the podcast by supporting our Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba March 2024 pick is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum & translated by Shanna Tan This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Michigan's presidential primary is Tuesday and some voters are checking "uncommitted" on their ballots. It's part of a national movement to pressure President Biden to call for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. With Minnesota's primary a week away, we'll talk about how this movement is taking shape. We'll hear why four young voters are politically engaged, but not all that excited about this year's election. It's a new series we're calling "State of Democra-Z". We'll learn more about the person named to be the University of Minnesota's next president. In March author Kao Kalia Yang is out with a new memoir about her mother and a picture book about her own childhood.A St. Paul-based podcast explores how to support and celebrate young people of color.

Local author Kao Kalia Yang is releasing two new books in March. One is a children's book called “The Rock in My Throat” and the second is a memoir called “Where Rivers Part.” Both are personal stories about Kalia's experience as a Hmong person.“The Rock in My Throat” is a true story about when she stopped speaking for many years as a child. She was at the store with her mother when her mom didn't know the word for lightbulb. She asked “for the thing that makes the world shiny.” The clerk didn't understand, and never came back with a lightbulb. That's when as a child Yang began to think that people did not want to hear a voice like hers and became a selective mute. Yang's memoir “Where Rivers Part” is a story about her mother's journey from Laos to the U.S. It is the first book she has written in the first-person. She talked to MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about learning her mom's story, how she found her voice, and the impact her books have had on young Minnesotans.“A Rock in My Throat” comes out March 5th. “Where Rivers Part” comes out March 19th.

The Rogue Festival in Fresno's Tower District showcases local talent through improv, comedy and storytelling. This year the festival will host nearly 200 performances over the course of two weekends.  One of them is a performance of the novel Latehomecomer by Hmong American author Kao Kalia Yang. Guest: Jasmine Vang, Hmong American Actor  The Sierra is glittering white. Over the last week, recent storms have added up to four feet of snow to the mountain range. Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQED

Writer and editor Zeke Caligiuri joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss American Precariat: Parables of Exclusion, a new collection of essays on class he co-edited along with eleven other incarcerated writers. The volume's contributors include Eula Biss, Kao Kalia Yang, Lacy M. Johnson, Valeria Luisielli, Kiese Laymon, and many others. Caligiuri, who worked on the book while in Minnesota correctional facilities and is now free, discusses the challenges of creativity and the literary life in prison settings, as well as how the book came to be. He also reflects on the idea that “the history of class hasn't always been written by the powerful, but they have always been its editors,” as he writes in a foreword, which he reads from during the episode. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This episode of the podcast was produced by Anne Kniggendorf. Zeke Caligiuri American Precariat: Parables of Exclusion (ed.) This is Where I Am Prison Noir (ed. Joyce Carol Oates) The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer's Life in Prison (ed. Caits Meissner) How a Collective of Incarcerated Writers Published an Anthology From Prison - Electric Literature “Before I Was Anything” (poem) Literary Hub Others: Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop What Incarcerated Writers Want the Literary Community to Understand: Caits Meissner on Why "Prison Writer" Is a Limiting Label (featuring Zeke Caligiuri, Literary Hub, Sept. 11, 2019) C. Fausto Cabrera Kiese Laymon Valeria Luiselli Steve Almond Jen Bowen Kristin Collier  Sarith Peou Toni Morrison Eula Biss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Song Poet, a memoir written by Hmong author, Kao Kalia Yang, becomes the first Hmong story adapted for the operatic stage. It's a story about a Hmong father's hope, art, and grief. In this episode, we talk about the stories in The Song Poet and how we relate to them. A few tears were shed as we thought about our parents and their journeys. What are your parents' stories? — Hosts: Mai Xee Vang, Pang Xiong, Sunny Thao Music produced by Pang Xiong Lofi music by Lasfm Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @teambeyondfriends https://www.facebook.com/teambeyondfriends https://www.instagram.com/teambeyondfriends Email us at teambeyondfriends@gmail.com

Happy Wednesday, Scorekeepers! It's time for another episode of THE SCORE and have we got a show for you! Thursday, March 9 is the world premiere of The Song Poet, the first Hmong story adapted for the operatic stage! Join us for an emotional and insightful conversation with Kao Kalia Yang, author of both the book The Song Poet as well as the opera's libretto, all about this incredible story's journey from the page to the stage. We're also joined local Hmong-American artist Josephine Yang, MN Opera's Community Engagement Consultant. We'll chat about the genesis of Kao Kalia's beautiful story, the resilience and strength of the Hmong people and the special relationship between the Hmong and Black communities here in the Twin Cities. It's a fascinating, powerful conversation that you won't want to miss (0:21:51)! Plus, as always, a little PBJ to help you get through the rest of the week (1:17:24). Let's do it to it, y'all!Hosts: Lee Bynum, Rocky Jones, Paige Reynolds (Iyawo Inawale)Guests: Kao Kalia Yang, Josephine YangProducer: Rocky Jones--LinksMN Opera's The Song Poet (Buy Tickets)Kao Kalia Yang (Website)Josephine Yang - Blink Artisan (Website)--New episodes of THE SCORE drop every other Wednesday. If you like what you hear, please support us and SUBSCRIBE to the show on your favorite podcast app and be sure to SHARE our show with your friends. Also, leaving a 5-star REVIEW on Apple Podcasts is a great way to help people find our show. For more info about the exciting EDI work happening at MN Opera, please visit mnopera.org/edi. Email your questions or comments to thescore@mnopera.org.

When someone mentions opera, what comes to mind? Verdi, Puccini, maybe Mozart? Probably not Kao Kalia Yang. The St. Paul writer never set out to get into opera. In 2016 she wrote her book, “The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father.” On March 9, that story will have its debut at the Minnesota Opera. It's already making history as the first Hmong story to be adapted for the operatic stage. Kalia spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about her story.

It's deadline week for new legislation at the State Capitol. Find out what's gotten done and what is still in the works. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with the creators of a Minnesota-made podcast pairing artists and poetry. A statewide student walk out is planned over the potential involvement of Robbinsdale police in the death of 26-year old Kahlil Ahmad Azad. We'll get the details. A memoir by award winning Minnesota based writer Kao Kalia Yang is premiering on Thursday as an Opera. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about the experience.

Authors Kao Kalia Yang  and Grade Lin answer the question How old were you when you started to write books?  and kid reviewer Elaine reviews The Shared Room written by Kao Kalia Yang and illustrated by Xee Reiter , and kid reviewer Dorrie reviews The Most Beautiful Thing written by Kao Kalia Yang and illustrated by Khoa Le.

In this episode, I will share thoughts and quotes concerning one of my favorite and not-so-easy life lessons - patience - (cierpliwość).As Kao Kalia Yang stated:"Patience is the road to wisdom." —Kao Kalia Yang.As I recall events during the decades of my life, I would like to share one particular event that impacted years to come.  It was the time when I came to America as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I didn't know the language or the culture, yet I knew it would be my new home for the next 18 months.  It was not as simple as I had imagined before coming to America.  However, I learned much about patience during those first months, primarily for myself and others or simply waiting while trying to understand the language and articulate myself.In closing, I  share another song I wrote many years ago: "Cierpliowość" - patience, a reminder that if I wait and trust God, I will see and understand that God is in all details of my life.

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our October 2022 mid-month check-in, including checking in on some bookstore drama and unionizing in the publishing world.New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news:Homeseeking by Karissa ChenRed by Cherry ZongProdigy by Cyrena Lee; illust by Julia KuoThe Magic Lunch Box by Hanna Kim; illust by Emily PaikMy Mama Is a Work of Art by Hana AcabadoThe Healers of Harlem: The Lost History of the Black Women Medical Pioneers in America's First Desegregated City Hospital by Nina ChhitaThe Red Car to Hollywood by Jennie LiuThe Shadow and the Ghost by Cat MinDivining the Leaves by Shveta ThakrarLetters for My Brown Self by Sarah Mughal RanaLeo's First Vote by Christina Soontornvat; illust by Isabel RoxasMami King by Jacqueline Chio-Lauri; illust Kristin SorraOnce Upon a Sari by Zenia Wadhwani; illust by Avani DwivediChinese Menu by Grace LinLittle Night Says Goodnight by Grace LinBorn Naughty: My Childhood in China by Jin Wang, with Tony Johnston; illust by Anisi BaigudeWelcome, Pink! by Laan ChamThe Red Roti written by Namita Moolani Mehra; illust by Beena MistryScroll of Heaven by Shannon Lee & Fonda LeeThe Rainbow Bangles by Thushanthi Ponweera; illust by Maithili JoshiThe Rock in My Throat by Kao Kalia Yang; illust by Jiemei LinMaking a Scene by Constance WuEveryone Hates Kelsie Miller by Meredith IrelandIf You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang*Support the podcast by purchasing books at our bookshop *Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba October 2022 pick is The Hole by Hye-Young PyunThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Today we have one of the greatest, contemporary Hmong authors with us: Kao Kalia Yang.Kalia was born in December 1980 in Thailand's Ban Vinai refugee camp, which is the same camp where Yia was born. Her family came to Minnesota in 1987.In 2003, she graduated from Carleton College and then received her Master's in Creative Nonfiction from Colombia University soon after that.Kalia has published numerous nonfiction works and children's books since 2008, and it was in that year that she released one of her greatest works: The Latehomecomer, which is a memoir that tells of her family's harrowing escape from the war in Laos. She's also known for The Song Poet, which follows the life of her father, through his most tragic and most joyous moments.Before we get started today, there's one quick note I want to share about today's episode.Somehow or another, Kalia really got Yia to open up his emotions and much of this podcast is him in a very vulnerable state: speaking about his hopes, his fears, and of course, his family.As a result, Yia speaks much more than Kalia and near the end, it begins to feel like she's the host, interviewing him.There is so much that we didn't cover with Kalia and we hope to have her on again soon. Until then, please appreciate this vulnerable moment of two people opening up to each other.-If you enjoy the show, let us know by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Be sure to check out the show on Instagram and Facebook.Oh, and our YouTube channel is finally here!-Produced by Gleam Tower MediaAll music courtesy of Artlist

Shannon Gibney is a mother of three, prolific author, activist, educator, runner, and Buddhist transracial adoptee. In this episode, she blesses us with profound reflections. We dive straight into the “structures of feeling”, a place beyond words, where loss and other body wisdom lives, a kinship among adoptees and to loss itself. Shannon connects the losses of adoption to experiences of infant loss and miscarriage, to create a space for recognition and honoring of the, ultimately, impermanent nature of all things. She also gives a first sneak peak into her new book, Botched: A Speculative Memoir on Transracial Adoption, out in early 2023, among many other publications. Please be on the look out for numerous publications coming out in 2022 and beyond:     Where We Come From, a co-authored picture book with John Coy, Sun Yung Shin and Diane Wilson, Lerner, October 2022     Botched: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption, Dutton, early 2023     Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight, University of MN Press, Spring 2023     Adoptee to Adoptee, co-edited with Nicole Chung, Harper Teen, Fall 2023     Middle grade trilogy about tweens taking on Big Oil, 2024? Shannon Gibney Bio:Shannon Gibney is a writer, educator, activist, and the author of See No Color (Carolrhoda Lab, 2015), and Dream Country (Dutton, 2018) young adult novels that won Minnesota Book Awards in 2016 and 2019. A Bush Artist and McKnight Writing Fellow, her new book, Botched, explores themes of transracial adoption through speculative memoir (Dutton, 2022). In October 2019, University of Minnesota Press released What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Native Women and Women of Color, which she co-edited with writer Kao Kalia Yang. www.shannongibney.comTwitter: @GibneyShannonIG: @shannonelainegibneyCo-Hosts: Nari Baker & Robyn ParkMusic: Mike Marlatt & Paul GulledgeEditing: Federico aka mixinghacksArtwork: Dalhe KimListen on: iTunes & SpotifyInstagram: @laboroflovepodcastVenmo: @laboroflovepodcast

After experiencing a stillbirth at 41 1/2 weeks, author Shannon Gibney found the silence around the experience an added source of trauma after an already devastating experience. As writers so often do, she turned to the literature and found that most of what was written was by white women or did not reflect her truth. So, she and author Kao Kalia Yang, who had suffered a pregnancy loss at 19 weeks, set out to elevate the voices of Indigenous women and women of color who have experienced miscarriage and infant loss.   Gibney joins Mom Enough to discuss What God is Honored Here? Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Native Women and Women of Color, which she co-edited with Kao Kalia Yang. Tune in to hear her story, excerpts from the book, and how we can all challenge the silence and dominant narratives around pregnancy loss.   WHAT CAN YOU DO TO CHALLENGE EXISTING NARRATIVES AROUND MISCARRIAGE AND INFANT LOSS? Have you or someone you know experienced a miscarriage or infant loss? In what ways did you or your loved one find comfort or silence in the stories you heard about others' experiences or losses? What might you do differently in the future to support a friend or family member after a miscarriage or infant loss?   WANT TO LEARN MORE MISCARRIAGE AND INFANT LOSS? ❉ HELPING PARENTS HEAL AFTER MISCARRIAGE, STILLBIRTH OR A PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS OF A LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION. For many of us, pregnancy is a time of excitement, joy and anticipation of who this baby will be. But when anticipation turns to loss through miscarriage, a devastating prenatal diagnosis or stillbirth, grief engulfs mom, dad and other family members. Too often these heartbreaking experiences are suffered in silence – or perhaps dismissed by well-meaning friends who say, “You'll be able to have another baby.” Tune in as Delta Larkey and Alyssa Wright discuss helping families navigate these losses and find strength and healing through rituals that are responsive to each family's unique needs and strengths.   ❉ MOTHERHOOD & WORDS: GIVING VOICE TO MOTHERS' LOVE, LOSS AND LAUGHTER. Being a mom can evoke the highest and lowest of emotions, sometimes all at once! Minneapolis author and writing teacher Kate Hopper brings writers to Motherhood & Words at The Loft Literary Center to read from their latest works about their lives as mothers. Listen to three authors, including Kao Kalia Yang, who reads a powerful new piece about losing her first son in a very late miscarriage.   ❉ HAVE YOU OR SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU LOST A CHILD? The loss of a child is surely the most devastating thing a parent can experience. Dr. Joann O'Leary and Dr. Jane Warland, both experts in parenting after loss, bring rich insights and useful tips for moving forward (or helping someone you know move forward) after loss in this episode of Mom Enough.

Where should we turn if we think our child's development might not be on track? For example, our toddler isn't saying as many words as other kids her age? Or, our one-year-old isn't sleeping through the night? Or perhaps our three-year-old is aggressive with other kids? And what if our parents or other family members tell us one thing, based on their cultural traditions and beliefs, and our healthcare provider or an early childhood professional suggests something else? This is a common dilemma. But this week's Mom Enough guest, Zang Vang-Lee, brings wisdom on how to bridge those two worlds, based on her own experience as a Hmong mother of three and an experienced early childhood professional with a Masters of Education from the University of Minnesota.   Zang speaks with grace and respect about her own parents' more relaxed approach -- “He'll do it when he's ready” -- compared to professional encouragement to take a child in for early childhood screening. She tells how a shaman helped her family get through a rough time with an unconsolable infant, as well as how her whole family came together around a wise decision to seek professional help for another challenge. Most of all, Zang explains and exemplifies how important it is for early childhood professionals to do all they can to understand a family's culture and history, build a relationship of trust, and listen carefully in order to co-create a plan that addresses the needs and strengths of the child and the whole family. Marti & Erin thank Help Me Grow for their sponsorship of this informative and inspiring discussion with Zang Vang-Lee, as well as their long-time supporting partnership with Mom Enough.   WHAT CULTURAL  BACKGROUND OR FAMILY HISTORY FACTORS HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN YOUR PARENTING? How does your cultural background or history shape the way you think about early child development? To what extent do you and the previous generation in your family hold the same beliefs, and does that pose a dilemma when you are deciding how to handle a difficult parenting situation? Where do you turn for information that you can trust to help you figure out the best next step for your child and you? Visit the Help Me Grow website to see how their carefully developed resources can help you learn more about child development and where to go if you are concerned about one of your children.   WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CULTURAL TRADITIONS, HMONG CULTURE, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT? ❉ HMONG EARLY CHILDHOOD COALITION. A grassroots community organization, the HECC seeks to ensure all Hmong families and children have what they need to succeed and thrive, including access to early childhood education, translated and up-to-date information, and advocacy.   ❉ HMONG CULTURAL CENTER. Through art and education, the Hmong Cultural Center promotes positive race relations in the Twin Cities. A Minnesota non-profit, the HCC provides resources and focuses on sustaining and teaching about Hmong culture.    ❉ HMONG MUSEUM. Check out this museum, which is preserving Hmong culture, history, and arts and educating others about this important culture.   ❉ AMERICAN INDIAN CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: BEYOND LORE AND STEREOTYPES. In this Mom Enough episode, sponsored by Help Me Grow MN, Lucy Littlewolf Arias, an Ojibwe Blackfeet and Latina mom and educator, joins Marti and Erin for a thoughtful discussion of this timely topic. She offers many resources where you and your children can learn more about American Indians here in Minnesota or among the 574 tribal nations throughout the U.S.   ❉ THE LATE HOMECOMER: A HMONG FAMILY MEMOIR by Kao Kalia Yang   ❉ THE SONG POET: A MEMOIR OF MY FATHER by Kao Kalia Yang    ❉ THE SPIRIT CATCHES YOU AND YOU FALL DOWN: A MONG CHILD, HER AMERICAN DOCTORS, AND THE COLLISION OF TWO CULTURESby Anne Fadiman

In inspired and incisive writing the contributors to WE ARE MEANT TO RISE speak unvarnished truths not only to the original and pernicious racism threaded through the American experience but also to the deeply personal, bearing witness to one of the most unsettling years in the history of the United States. This episode features Carolyn Holbrook, David Mura, Douglas Kearney, Melissa Olson, Said Shaiye, and Kao Kalia Yang. It is a recording from a live event at Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul, MN, on November 29, 2021. Minor edits and adjustments have been made for sound quality; some volume adjustment might be needed from time to time.We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World can be purchased at Next Chapter Booksellers. https://www.nextchapterbooksellers.com/book/9781517912215Carolyn Holbrook is founder and director of More Than a Single Story, as well as founder of SASE: The Write Place. She is a writer, educator, and an advocate for the healing power of the arts.David Mura has written ten books, including the memoirs Turning Japanese (a New York Times Notable Book) and Where the Body Meets Memory. He teaches at VONA, a writers' conference for writers of color, and has worked with Alexs Pate's Innocent Classroom.Douglas Kearney has published seven collections, including Sho; the award-winning Buck Studies; and a collection of libretti, Someone Took They Tongues. He teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota.Melissa Olson is an Indigenous person of mixed Anishinaabe and Euro-American heritage, a tribal citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Melissa has worked as a writer and producer of independent public media at KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio in Minneapolis.Said Shaiye is a Somali writer working on his MFA degree at the University of Minnesota. He is author of Are You Borg Now?Kao Kalia Yang is an award-winning Hmong American writer for both children and adults. She is the Edelstein-Keller Writer in Residence in the creative writing program of the University of Minnesota.Show note: At 43:11, a minor sound glitch occurs during a reading; the full text reads: “‘Fuck-12' in a ragged handwriting was tagged everywhere, and Black and Brown youths zipped around on their bikes observing people wandering around in shock and disbelief.”

Jessica Nordell discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known. Jessica Nordell is a science and culture journalist whose writing has appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times, the New Republic and many other publications. A former writer for public radio and producer for American Public Media, she graduated from Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The End of Bias: A Beginning is her first book. Notes on a Foreign Country by Suzy Hansen https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-shattering-and-a-shame-on-suzy-hansens-notes-on-a-foreign-country/ Somewhere in the Unknown World by Kao Kalia Yang https://harvardreview.org/book-review/somewhere-in-the-unknown-world/ Black Dog of Fate by Peter Balakian https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/peter-balakian/black-dog-of-fate/ Amaud Jamaul Johnson https://www.cortlandreview.com/issue-87/esteban-rodriguez-reviews-imperial-liquor-amaud-jamaul-johnson/ The skills to navigate difficult emotions https://www.gottman.com/blog/6stepstomindfullydealwithdifficultemotions/ The fact that biased behaviour and organisations can change https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/oct/02/the-end-of-bias-by-jessica-nordell-review-how-to-remove-your-blinkers This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World features numerous local writers bearing witness to the tragedies and changes of the previous year. --Tiffany Bui reports:A new book offers a view of 2020 through the lens of 31 different writers of color. We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World features numerous local writers bearing witness to the tragedies and changes of the previous year. Co-editors Carolyn Holbrook and David Mura showcase the diversity of stories that exist within Black, Indigenous and other communities of color in Minnesota. It's a project of Holbrook's organization, More Than A Single Story, which encourages cross-cultural understanding through public discussions for marginalized people.According to Holbrook, they tried to select a diversity of authors, in race and ethnicity, as well as age.“For me, and for More Than a Single Story, it is really important for people across the BIPOC communities to communicate with each other,” said Holbrook. “So that we can recognize that, as groups of people and as a collective group of people, we are stronger, more powerful.” The book contains 34 stories, each different from the last. Some are on-the-ground reactions to the demonstrations following George Floyd's murder. Others are personal essays on a variety of themes, like financial trauma and queer and trans survival. Mura writes in the book that these authors provide us with “individualized portraits of who we are.”“The reader will get a sense of the enormous variety of experience and voices that are there in the Minnesota BIPOC community,” said Mura. “And it really shows that this is a very complex community, racially, ethnically, and we have a mix of different populations that are unlike anywhere in the country, including a very strong representation of Native American writers, which you wouldn't have in many other cities.”Contributors include nationally-recognized local authors such as Kao Kalia Yang and Louise Erdrich, as well as emerging writers. 

Kao Kalia Yang's family immigrated to Minnesota after her parents fled Laos and she now tells the stories of the many immigrants who call Minnesota home.

SubText Books and East Side Freedom Library are pleased to present a virtual event to celebrate the release of "Yellow Rain" by Mai Der Vang (Graywolf Press) on Friday, October 1st at 7:00 PM. Mai Der Vang will be in conversation with Kao Kalia Yang. About: In this staggering work of documentary, poetry, and collage, Mai Der Vang reopens a wrongdoing that deserves a new reckoning. As the United States abandoned them at the end of its war in Vietnam, many Hmong refugees recounted stories of a mysterious substance that fell from planes during their escape from Laos starting in the mid-1970s. This substance, known as “yellow rain,” caused severe illnesses and thousands of deaths. These reports prompted an investigation into allegations that a chemical biological weapon had been used against the Hmong in breach of international treaties. A Cold War scandal erupted, wrapped in partisan debate around chemical arms development versus control. And then, to the world's astonishment, American scientists argued that yellow rain was the feces of honeybees defecating en masse—still held as the widely accepted explanation. The truth of what happened to the Hmong, to those who experienced and suffered yellow rain, has been ignored and discredited. Integrating archival research and declassified documents, Yellow Rain calls out the erasure of a history, the silencing of a people who at the time lacked the capacity and resources to defend and represent themselves. In poems that sing and lament, that contend and question, Vang restores a vital narrative in danger of being lost, and brilliantly explores what it means to have access to the truth and how marginalized groups are often forbidden that access. Mai Der Vang is an editorial member of the Hmong American Writers' Circle. Her poetry has appeared in the New Republic, Poetry, and the Virginia Quarterly Review, and her essays have been published in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Washington Post. Her debut collection, Afterland, received the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets. She lives in California. Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong-American writer, teacher and public speaker. Born in the refugee camps of Thailand to a family that escaped the genocide of the Secret War in Laos, she came to America at the age six. Yang holds degrees from Carleton College and Columbia University. Her works of creative nonfiction include The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, The Song Poet, What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color, and Somewhere in the Unknown World. Yang has also written multiple children's books such as A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, and The Most Beautiful Thing, Yang Warriors, and the forthcoming From the Tops of the Trees. Her work has won numerous awards and recognition including multiple Minnesota Book Awards, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor, an ALA Notable Children's Book Award, Dayton's Literary Peace Prize, and a PEN USA Award in Nonfiction. View the video: https://youtu.be/Wu2-CoXNeH0

Poet Michael Kleber-Diggs and memoirist Kao Kalia Yang join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss Minnesota's complex history with immigrants, as well as how the Twin Cities' literary scene is responding in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. First, Kleber-Diggs reads from his forthcoming debut poetry collection, Worldly Things, and talks about being a Black poet in Minnesota. Then, Yang reflects on her experience entering the literary community as a Hmong refugee, and reads from her new book, Somewhere in the Unknown World: A Collective Refugee Memoir.  To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video excerpts from our interviews at LitHub's Virtual Book Channel and Fiction/Non/Fiction's YouTube Channel, and don't miss our brand-new website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/ This podcast is produced by Andrea Tudhope. Selected readings: Michael Kleber-Diggs Worldly Things There's a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis edited by Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman “Letter From St. Paul: On the Complex Flavors of Black Joy,” Literary Hub You. Are. Not. Welcome. Here. Being Black in Minnesota | Essay Minnesota Reformer   Kao Kalia Yang Somewhere in the Unknown World The Latehomecomer The Song Poet  A Map Into The World The Shared Room The Most Beautiful Thing What God Is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color  co-edited with Shannon Gibney   Others: The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman Walter Mondale, Ex-Vice President Under Jimmy Carter, Dies at 93, The New York Times The Center for Victims of Torture The Advocates for Human Rights ‘These People Aren't Coming From Norway': Refugees in a Minnesota City Face a Backlash Refugenius/Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kao Kalia Yang and Billy Thao host a virtual event with the East Side Freedom Library on Friday, April 16, for a discussion of their new book, "Yang Warriors." In this inspiring picture book, fierce and determined children confront the hardships of Ban Vinai refugee camp, where Kao Kalia Yang lived as a child. For more information and to view the video: https://youtu.be/ay7CSG-NZVQ

CW: Miscarriage(March 31, 2021) This special episode is devoted to an issue so many women struggle with, and so few people discuss. Shannon Gibney and Kao Kalia Yang, co-editors of What God Is Honored Here: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color, talk about why it's important to give voice to this common pain.Writer Mother Monster is a conversation series devoted to dismantling the myth of "having it all" and offering writer-moms solidarity, support, and advice as we make space for creative endeavors.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/writermothermonster)

The East Side Freedom Library and the Ramsey County Historical Society invite you to our monthly “History Revealed” program, featuring Kao Kalia Yang. As the country's doors were closing and nativism was on the rise, Kao Kalia Yang—herself a refugee from Laos—set out to tell the stories of the refugees to whom University Avenue is now home. Here are people who have summoned the energy and determination to make a new life even as they carry an extraordinary burden of hardship, loss, and emotional damage. In Yang's exquisite, poetic, and necessary telling, the voices of refugees from all over the world restore humanity to America's strangers and redeem its long history of welcome. KAO KALIA YANG is a Hmong-American writer. She holds degrees from Carleton College and Columbia University. Yang is the author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir winner of the 2009 Minnesota Book Awards in Creative Nonfiction/Memoir and Readers' Choice, a finalist for the PEN USA Award in Creative Nonfiction, and the Asian Literary Award in Nonfiction. Her second book, The Song Poet won the 2016 Minnesota Book Award in Creative Nonfiction Memoir, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, a PEN USA Award in Nonfiction, and the Dayton's Literary Peace Prize. The story has been commissioned as a youth opera by the Minnesota Opera and will premiere in the spring of 2021. She is now writing a series of children's books. For this event, before we open the virtual floor for questions and comments from audience members, Yang will be joined in conversation by four readers of her book: Saymoukda Duanphouxay Vongsay is an award-winning Lao American poet, playwright, cultural producer, and social practice artist. She is the author of the children's book WHEN EVERYTHING WAS EVERYTHING (Full Circle Publishing) and is currently the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Playwright in Residence at Theater Mu. Visit her at www.SaymoukdaTheRefugenius.com and follow her @refugenius. Thet-Htar Thet (she/her/hers) is a writer, educator and activist originally from Yangon Myanmar. Now based in her home country, Thet-Htar is focused on education reform and identity-driven writing as a consultant for UNESCO and a freelance creative nonfiction writer. Sangay Taythi is a Tibetan refugee born in India who with his family immigrated to the United States in 1998. He has been a community and labor organizer, including the Students for a Free Tibet chapter at the University of Minnesota, the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of Minnesota, the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota, the Tibetan National Congress and Tibetans for Black Lives and SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. Najaha Musse is a 4th year medical student pursuing a doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine. Her family fled rural Ethiopia for a refugee camp in Nairobi Kenya, and then settled in Minnesota where she began formal education in the 3rd grade. As the oldest in a family of 8 children, she became the first in her family to graduate from high school and receive a college degree. While attending medical school, Najaha has focused on social justice issues pertaining to educational access for disadvantaged students and social medicine. To view the video: https://youtu.be/c_p7Nx_SmD8

During tough times we need to find ways to endure. Award-Winning Writer Kao Kalia Yang shares stories and advice for times such as these. Through the power of storytelling and wisdom from her family, we help you learn about the importance of endurance and resiliency.~ ~ ~ Kao Kalia Yang is an award-winning Hmong-American writer. She is the author of the memoirs The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, The Song Poet,and Somewhere in the Unknown World. Yang is also the author of the children’s books, A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, and The Most Beautiful Thing. She co-edited the ground-breaking collection What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color. Yang’s literary nonfiction work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the PEN USA literary awards, the Dayton’s Literary Peace Prize, and garnered three Minnesota Book awards. Her children’s books have been listed as an American Library Association Notable Book, a Zolotow Honor, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, winner of a Minnesota Book Award in Children’s Literature and the Heartland Bookseller’s Award. Kao Kalia Yang is a recipient of the McKnight Fellowship in Prose, the International Institute of Minnesota’s Olga Zoltai Award for her community leadership and service to New Americans, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts’ 2019 Sally Award for Social Impact. ~ ~ ~Support the show on Patreon @norlundCheck out more details about the show at https://www.chrisnorlund.com/podcastFollow on Twitter @chris_norlundFollow on Instagram @norlundStay positive and thank you so much for listening!

Kao Kalia Yang's family immigrated to Minnesota after her parents fled Laos and she now tells the stories of the many immigrants who call Minnesota home.

We often hear that volunteering can lead you to places that will change your life. For Jessica Goudeau, volunteering led to starting a nonprofit that provided supplemental income for Burmese refugee artisans for seven years and then to writing After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America, which was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice book.  Jessica has a PHD n literature from the University of Texas and has spent over 10 years working with refugees in Austin. In our conversation, we discuss how Jessica’s friendships with “Mu Naw” and “Hasna” , inspired her to devote two years to writing her first book, and the ways her experiences helping refugees has transformed her life. We also discuss how the sentiment towards towards refugee resettlement in the USA has changed, and a few ways the refugee resettlement program is evolving. Jessica’s book recommendations: Kao Kalia Yang, Somewhere in the Unknown World Dina Nayeri, The Ungrateful Refugee Ahmed Badr, While the Earth Sleeps We Travel Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Displaced Follow the podcast or reach out @iwhjpodcast      

“Each individual lives a full life. Each individual has their stores of joys and their treasure troves of beauty to offer to the world. This is my team of superheroes in 2020. They are the reason I’m not afraid of looking at tomorrow. Because no matter what happens tomorrow, I still get to share this city and this world with these individuals.” - Kao Kalia Yang Kao Kalia Yang is an award-winning Hmong-American writer. She is a graduate of Carleton College and Columbia University. Yang is the author of the memoirs The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir and The Song Poet. Yang is also the author of the children’s books, A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, and The Most Beautiful Thing. She co-edited the ground-breaking collection What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color. Her newest title is Somewhere in the Unknown World, a collective memoir of refugee experiences. Yang’s literary nonfiction work has been recognized by the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the PEN USA literary awards, the Dayton’s Literary Peace Prize, and garnered three Minnesota Book awards. Her children’s books have been listed as an American Library Association Notable Book, a Zolotow Honor, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a finalist for the Midwest Independent Bookseller’s Award, and winner of a Minnesota Book Award in Children’s Literature. Kao Kalia Yang is a recipient of the International Institute of Minnesota’s Olga Zoltai Award for her community leadership and service to New Americans and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts’ 2019 Sally Award for Social Impact. Connect with Kalia on her website. Kalia's book recommendation: After the Last Border by Jessica Goudeau (listen to our podcast episode with Jessica here) Shop all our authors' books and book recommendations on our Bookshop.org page! -- This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Support Black Authors. Our December book of the month is Kindred by Octavia Butler. We donate 5% of all our sales to a different feminist organization each month. Our November charity is Native Women's Wilderness. Get $5 off your Feminist Book Club Box with the code PODCAST at feministbookclub.com/shop.   --   Website: http://www.feministbookclub.com Instagram: @feministbookclubbox Twitter: @fmnstbookclub Facebook: /feministbookclubbox Pinterest: feministbookclub Goodreads: Renee // Feminist Book Club Box and Podcast Email newsletter: http://bit.ly/FBCemailupdates Bookshop.org shop: Feminist Book Club Bookshop -- This podcast is produced on the native land of the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples.   Logo and web design by Shatterboxx  Editing support from Phalin Oliver Original music by @iam.onyxrose

Live Drop guest Kao Kalia Yang is a celebrated Hmong-American writer. She holds degrees from Carleton College and Columbia University. Yang is the author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir  winner of the 2009 Minnesota Book Awards in Creative Nonfiction/Memoir and Readers' Choice, a finalist for the PEN USA Award in Creative Nonfiction, and the Asian Literary Award in Nonfiction. Her second book, The Song Poet  won the 2016 Minnesota Book Award in Creative Nonfiction Memoir, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, a PEN USA Award in Nonfiction, and the Dayton's Literary Peace Prize.Yang's debut children's book, A Map Into the World  is a American Library Association Notable Book of the Year, a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book, winner of the Northstar Best Illustrator Award, and winner of the 2020 Minnesota Book Award in Children's Literature. Her co-edited collection titled What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color  is a groundbreaking work that centers the poetry and prose of women whose voices have been neglected and silenced on the topic despite the fact that they experience these losses disproportionately. Her most recent Children's book: The Most Beautiful Thing   was just published on October 6th, 2020. Kalia is also a teacher and public speaker.I wanted to talk to Kalia about the legacy of the Secret War in Laos - how it is remembered in the Hmong diaspora. A civil war fought alongside Vietnam's in the shadows by the CIA, with Hmong fighters against communist insurgents. I ended up having an enlightening cultural conversation with a poet in real time about birth, life, suffering, loss, death and grief in Hmong tradition and in current-day America.  Her next book Somewhere in the Unknown World  – a collective memoir about the lives of refugees - is available for pre-order and comes out on November 8th, 2020. You can find out more about Kalia and her work at  kaokaliayang.comEpisode 49If you've enjoyed this episode and would like to hear more, please consider signing up as a contributing patron and join the community for exclusive commentary, and content.  A $10 a month donation will really keep us going - https://www.patreon.com/thelivedropAlternatively, if you would like to help make Season Three operational you could offer a one time donation of any amount right here ---> https://www.paypal.me/thelivedropThank you for listening and your support,Mark ValleyCrea Get bonus content on Patreon Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kao Kalia Yang is an author, public speaker, and teacher. She was born in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp in Thailand and settled with her family in St. Paul, Minnesota, when she was six years old. After graduating from Carleton College, she moved to New York to complete an M.F.A. at Columbia University. She moved back to the Twin Cities to launch her writing career and has been based there ever since.  Kalia has taught in K-12 schools in a variety of communities, as well as at many colleges and universities. She is the author of two memoirs, The Latehomecomer and The Song Poet, and editor of two anthologies, What God Is Honored Here? (coedited with Shannon Gibney) and Somewhere in the Unknown World. Kalia is also the author of three children's books, A Map into the World, The Shared Room, and The Most Beautiful Thing.  For more information about her writing, teaching, and availability for public speaking engagements, visit her homepage: https://kaokaliayang.com/. 

In this episode book talk bonus episode, Cori shares three recent kidlit releases she loves:THE SHARED ROOM by Kao Kalia Yang and Xee ReiterDANBI LEADS THE SCHOOL PARADE by Anna KimARE YOU EATING CANDY WITHOUT ME? by Draga Jenny Malesevic and Charlotte BruijnYou can learn more about Cori's work on her website at coridoerrfeld.com. You can connect with her on Instagram @coridoerrfeld and on Twitter @CoriDoerrfeld.You can support independent bookstores by purchasing Cori's books through bookshop.org:Link to all books written or illustrated by Cori on bookshop.orgTHE RABBIT LISTENED by Cori DoerrfeldGOODBYE, FRIEND! HELLO, FRIEND! by Cori DoerrfeldTHAT'S LIFE written by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Cori DoerrfeldTHE WELCOME WAGON by Cori DoerrfeldThank you for listening to the show. You can connect with host Chrissie Wright on Instagram @chrissiemwright and on Twitter @chrissiemwright, and follow the show on Instagram @authorvisitspod.

Today's episode is about a listener named Janet, whose mother is at one end of life, whose new grandson is on the other, and where is she? Held in the the vast in-between of loss and love. Words by Winter: Conversations, reflections, and poems about the passages of life. Because it’s rough out there, and we have to help each other through.Original theme music for our show is by Dylan Perese. Artwork by Mark Garry. Today’s poem, “The Hammock,” by Li-Young Lee, is used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc., on behalf of BOA Editions, Ltd. The excerpt from The Latehomecomer, by Kao Kalia Yang, is used with permission of the author, who can be found at kaokaliayang.com.

Miscarriage and infant loss are experiences that disproportionately affect Indigenous women and women of color. WHAT GOD IS HONORED HERE? is the first book of its kind, a literary collection of voices of these women coming together to speak about the traumas and tragedies of womanhood. "We are talking about equity. We are talking about racism. We are talking about all of the things that we've been needing to talk about. This work is only still beginning," says co-editor Kao Kalia Yang, who is joined here by co-editor Shannon Gibney and writers Michelle Borok, Soniah Kamal, Jami Nakamura Lin, and Seema Reza. This edited conversation was recorded in July 2020. More about the book: z.umn.edu/wgihh A transcript of this conversation is available: z.umn.edu/t-wgihh

Children’s books transport us – sometimes to places of imagination and sometimes to places rooted in place and culture. A children's book can also be doorway to emotional understanding around complex topics. Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong American writer and grieving mother who recently published The Shared Room, a brave and tender book for children (and adults) about a family grieving the death of their daughter. The Shared Room is at once a book about memories, sorrow, joy, and the ways grief is carried individually and collectively.   Listen to Kao Kalia Yang & Shannon Gibney, co-editors of What God is Honored Here - Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss, By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color on Grief Out Loud, Ep. 127.  To learn more about Kao Kalia Yang’s writing, teaching, and speaking, visit her website.  Watch Kao Kalia and illustrator, Xee Reiter, discuss The Shared Room. 

Sun Yung Shin is an award winning Minnesota writer and poet, she’s also an educator and activist. In 2016 she edited the book : A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota -- it features essays on what it’s like to live as a person of color in Minnesota, and includes writers Kao Kalia Yang, Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria, Shannon Gibney, David Lawrence Grant, Heid Erdrich, and many more. A Good Time for the Truth was just named our next One Book One Minnesota book and it’s been made freely available for Minnesotans to engage in a collective reading and to come together as a virtual community

This week we are pleased to present writers Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kao Kalia Yang, and Vu Tran who'll discuss their contributions to the anthology The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives. This conversation was originally recorded at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes [...]

This week we are pleased to present writers Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kao Kalia Yang, and Vu Tran who'll discuss their contributions to the anthology The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives. This conversation was originally recorded at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer. Listen to more episodes [...]

Black, Native American, Hmong and Latino women share their experiences of coping with the loss of their child during pregnancy in a new book, “What God is Honored Here.” The worst nightmare for any parent is the loss of a child. As a society we are uneasy and reluctant to talk about death and certainly not about the death of a child. The trauma can be devastating as parents quietly cope with their loss. But when fetal loss happens at a significantly higher rate for Black and Native American women, the community looks for answers. The Counter Stories team looks at the effect of implicit bias and institutional racism on women of color’s reproductive health, and at the greater historical narrative of native women and women of color being continually separated from their children. Hosts are: Don Eubanks, associate professor at Metropolitan State University and cultural consultant. Anthony Galloway, executive director of Arts-Us, Center for the African Diaspora. Marianne Combs, correspondent for MPR News. With special guests: Shannon Gibney and Kao Kalia Yang, co-editors of “What Gold is Honored Here? Writings on miscarriage and infant loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color.”

Kao Kalia Yang and Shannon Gibney are writers, friends, and grieving mothers. Shannon's daughter, Sianneh, died at forty-one and a half weeks. Kalia's son, Baby Jules, died at nineteen weeks. In the days, weeks, and months after these losses, Shannon and Kalia went searching for the words of others experiencing similar grief. What they found was limited and written primarily by white women. The absence of narratives about loss written by Indigenous women and women of color just amplified their sense of isolation. So, they decided to create what they most needed to read and hear. Their new book, What God is Honored Here? Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color, is a collection of deeply personal essays from women exploring the rawness of grief and how it intertwines with race and culture.    

Monday November 26th on KPFA's Women's Magazine: Women's Magazine's producer Sharon Sabotta talks to Wenonah Wilms, winner of the Austin Film Fest Script competition who gives us a preview of her award-winning script Horse Head Girls and about and about her process of bringing the voices and narratives of her Native American roots to the screen. Wenonahwrites.com Kao Kalia Yang, author of multiple non-fiction books and forthcoming children's books reveals her process of bringing Hmong American experiences to life on the page. Kaokaliayang.com Feminist Poet KateLynn Hibbard reads a piece from her newly released collection Simples. katelynnhibbard.com   The post Celebrating Woman filmmaker Wenonah Wilms, writer Kao Kalia Yang and feminist poet Kate Lynn Hibbard appeared first on KPFA.

In episode #015, we elders (minus Elder Paj) talk about Facebook groups specifically for Hmong women and our interactions with these groups and other online spaces; we elders ponder the use of the Lao word ບັນຫາ and Hmong word teeb meem; we elders share our thoughts on Kao Kalia Yang’s book The Latehomecomer; and Elder Linda teaches Elder Sandy and Elder Mee the song “zoo siab rau koj hnub yug” and Elder Sandy talks about gaining the elder title as she welcomes a new year. Follow us on Twitter: @hashtag_hoochim; like us on Facebook: Hoochim; find us on Apple Podcasts, MixCloud, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play.

In this episode, Kao Kalia Yang reads "To the Placenta of Return" by Mai Der Vang and discusses the sacrifices mothers made to protect their families during America's Secret War in Laos. Over the course of two award-winning memoirs, Yang has charted the physical, political, emotional, and spiritual terrain of the Hmong journey to the United States in the aftermath of that war. Her books include The Latehomecomer and The Song Poet. “To the Placenta of Return” by Mai Der Vang appears in the collection Afterland, published by Graywolf Press. Keep up with Kao Kalia Yang on Facebook, Twitter, and kaokaliayang.com. As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher. https://radiopublic.com/interesting-people-reading-poetry-60aNDL/ep/s1!d001a

“Literature is not the same thing as publishing. We're in the literature business and publishing is one thing that we do.” Chris Fischbach talks about taking over leadership of an organization, the health of print and the challenge of getting someone to actually purchase a specific book. He also excitedly talks about the work of Kao Kalia Yang and the latest work from Valeria Luiselli.  Twenty-two years ago, Chris Fischbach got an internship at Coffee House Press in Minneapolis. In 2011 he became publisher. Chris has served as co-chair of the Minneapolis Arts Commission and as assistant director of the Twin Cities Book Festival and currently sits on the board of directors of the Friends of the Hennepin Country Library. The mission of Coffee House Press is to publish exciting, vital, and enduring authors of our time; to delight and inspire readers; to contribute to the cultural life of our community; and to enrich our literary heritage. By building on the best traditions of publishing and the book arts, we produce books that celebrate the imagination; innovation in the craft of writing; and the many authentic voices of the American experience.

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong-American memoirist and teacher, and a leading voice for one of Minnesota’s fastest growing ethnic groups. Her moving 2008 memoir, The Latehomecomer, chronicles the story of her own family – and hundreds like them – who made the harrowing trek from their native Laos, to refugee camps in Thailand, and […]

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong-American memoirist and teacher, and a leading voice for one of Minnesota’s fastest growing ethnic groups. Her moving 2008 memoir, The Latehomecomer, chronicles the story of her own family – and hundreds like them – who made the harrowing trek from their native Laos, to refugee camps in Thailand, and ultimately to the United States […]

Kao Kalia Yang is a Hmong-American memoirist and teacher, and a leading voice for one of Minnesota’s fastest growing ethnic groups. Her moving 2008 memoir, The Latehomecomer, chronicles the story […]

Our April 2015 EDTalks featured Kao Kalia Yang, a teacher, public speaker, writer and author of the award-winning book "The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir. She spoke about her experiences as a Hmong student in public schools. Dana Mortenson, co-founder of World Savvy believes deeply in the transformative power of global education. Dana discussed the importance of globally competent teaching. Our emcee for the evening was Tane Danger.

A personal story that speaks to the moment.  

A personal story that speaks to the moment.

A personal story that speaks to the moment.

A personal story that speaks to the moment.

On this week's installment: Hmong American writer, Kao Kalia Yang In the Summer of 2012, WNYC's widely popular show, Radiolab, sought the Hmong perspective on chemical warfare during the Vietnam War, dubbed Yellow Rain.  Producers from that show interviewed Kao Kalia Yang, award winning author of The Latehomecomer, and Eng Yang, documentarian of the Hmong experience post Vietnam War for Thailand.  What would ensue in the interview has been widely discussed, and mostly criticized by Radiolab fans. Kao Kalia Yang recently spoke at the annual Listen to the Silence conference at Stanford University. Yang also sat with APEX Contributor, R.J. Lozada to express her perspective on recent developments with WNYC, Radiolab, and the Hmong community. Also it's fund drive at KPFA, and we've been in touch with Coffee House Press, the publisher of Kao Kalia Yang's award-winning memoir, The Latehomecomer-if you donate during broadcast, you receive The Latehomecomer as a thank you gift! To listen to Radiolab's amended segment vist here: http://www.radiolab.org/2012/sep/24/yellow-rain/ They made four different edits from it's initial launch on their website on September 24, 2012 to October 05, 2012: first, to add Radiolab host, Jad Albumrad's context, the second, to remove snickering at the end of the segment, third, to shorten the silence following Kao Kalia Yang's tearful close of the interview, and fourth, to add Radiolab host, Robert Kruwich's apology. To read Kao Kalia Yang's response she posted to Hyphen, vist here: http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/10/science-racism-radiolabs-treatment-hmong-experience To read a much more complete treatment of Yellow Rain that includes the Yang's perspective, vist here: http://www.citypages.com/2012-11-14/news/behind-laos-s-yellow-rain-and-tears/ To sign a petition put together by 18 Million Rising, visit here: http://act.engagementlab.org/sign/18mr_Radiolab/ The post APEX Express – February 28, 2013 appeared first on KPFA.