Podcasts about Souvankham Thammavongsa

Souvankham Thammavongsa reads her story “Bozo” from the April 8, 2024, issue of the magazine. Thammavongsa has published four volumes of poetry and the story collection “How to Pronounce Knife,” which won the Giller Prize in 2020.

welcome back to the best i've ever read podcast with liv & kim! on this weeks episode, we wanted to highlight some of our favourite books by asian authors. we wanted to give a disclaimer that although aapi stands for asian american & pacific islander, we chat about books by authors that also live in canada, england, and australia. we hope this list gives you some fresh ideas for books to read, not just this month, but all year round! as always, liv & kim catch up on the random things they've been up to. liv talks about seeing live music in kingston (shout out to the sugar pills), while kim talks about football in sevilla and spending time in the pool because of the spring heat. we get into the book recommendations around 20:00. books mentioned: ⁠We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama⁠ ⁠The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon⁠ ⁠Either/Or by Elif Batuman⁠ aapi books mentioned: ⁠We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Aloha Vietnam by Elizabeth Nguyen⁠⁠ ⁠⁠When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Bad Fruit by Ella King⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Pachinko by Min Jin Lee⁠⁠ ⁠⁠I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Bliss Montage by Ling Ma⁠⁠ ⁠⁠White Ivy by Susie Yang⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan⁠⁠ ⁠⁠All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien⁠ ⁠How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa⁠ as always, email us your thoughts or suggestions at bestreadpodcast@gmail.com support us on patreon patreon.com/bestreadpodcast and give us a 5 star rating!

We talk about New Year's Resolutions, habits that are a good idea for pet guardians, helping dogs and cats cope with winter, grooming dogs and cats, writing habits, and what we're reading right now.The books mentioned:A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of dogs in a World Without Humans by Jessice Pierce and Marc BekoffThe Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep is Broken and How to Fix It by W. Chris WinterHow to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa

Get ready to feel all the emotions with our poetry and novel-in-verse recommendations. Books mentioned in this episode: Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles, A Really Good Brown Girl by Marilyn Dumont, The Tradition by Jericho Brown, and Cluster by Souvankham Thammavongsa. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keepitfictional/message

Souvankham Thammavongsa reads her story “Trash,” from the June 13, 2022, issue of the magazine. Thammavongsa has published four volumes of poetry and the short-story collection “How to Pronounce Knife,” which won the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Souvankham Thammavongsa reads her story “Trash,” from the June 13, 2022, issue of the magazine. Thammavongsa has published four volumes of poetry and the short-story collection “How to Pronounce Knife,” which won the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Join us for a look back at some highlights from past seasons of Writers Festival Radio as we head towards our 25th Anniversary this Fall.    This recap spotlights some content from Season 1, which ran in the Fall of 2020. Click play for interview clips featuring Aislinn Hunter, David Eagleman, Will Ferguson, Shani Mootoo, Tara Henley and Stephen Nachmanovitch, and brief readings by Craig Davidson, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Andrew Pyper and Francis Boyle. Books are available from our friends at Perfect Books.   The Ottawa International Writers Festival is supported by generous individuals like you. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter and making a donation to support our programming and children's literacy initiatives.

On this episode, a story about sexual encounters between the seventy-year-old narrator, voiced by Kathleen Chalfant, and her thirty-two-year-old neighbor Richard. Plus host Aparna Nancherla chats with the author about her inspiration for this story, and more. Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is an extract from an hour long insta live on Bookversations. At the end of every month, we'll be hosting a live on the Bookversations Instagram page to recap all the books we've read and interact with you at the same time! We want to know what books you're reading, your thoughts on our episodes and everything in between. Books Mentioned: Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot By Mikki Kendall, Grown by Tiffany D.Jackson, Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, House of Stone by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma, How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa, Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh and At Night All Blood is Black by David Drop. As always, we're excited to hear your thoughts! Email us at bookversationspod@gmail.com or drop us a message here: https://anchor.fm/bookversations/message Follow us on Instagram @bookversations for more book reviews. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bookversations/message

Souvankham Thammavongsa in conversation with Sharmilla Ganesan Literature tends to view the experience of refugees and migrants through the lens of terrible tragedy or extraordinary achievement, with characters portrayed as victims or heroes. In her debut short story collection, ‘How to Pronounce Knife', Souvankham Thammavongsa subverts these literary tropes and reveals refugees and migrants as ordinary people. In this conversation, the 2020 Giller Prize winner speaks to Sharmilla Ganesan about the role of laughter in her fiction, her reorientation of ‘centre' and ‘margins', moving between poetry and prose, and how her writing is an invigorating refusal of pity. This conversation is supported by the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia.

Souvankham Thammavongsa, Kayla Czaga, Ottavia Paluch, Jan Zwicky, and Tina Do each join Andrew for an interview about their involvement in Best Canadian Poetry 2021! Five interviews in one episode? What a treat! ----- Listen to more episodes of Page Fright here. Follow the podcast on Twitter here. Follow the podcast on Instagram here. ----- Andrew French is an author from North Vancouver, British Columbia. He has published two chapbooks, Do Not Discard Ashes (845 Press, 2020) and Poems for Different Yous (Rose Garden Press, 2021). Andrew has a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. He writes poems, book reviews, and hosts this very podcast.

Lindy joins me to talk books, where we discuss Canadian lit, vignettes and white space in writing, and what really makes a monster.Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 226: Cucumber Sandwiches Subscribe to the podcast via this link: FeedburnerOr subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: SubscribeOr listen through TuneIn Or listen on Google Play Or listen via StitcherOr listen through Spotify Or listen through Google Podcasts Books discussed:  You're Eating an Orange. You are Naked. by Sheung-KingEveryone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka GalchenThe Centaur's Wife by Amanda LeducThe Seed Keeper by Diane WilsonWhat Willow Says by Lynn BuckleOther mentions:Shadow Giller PrizeHow to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham ThammavongsaGiller PrizeKuessipan by Naomi FontaineTournament of BooksA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth OzekiJeanette WintersonAtmospheric Disappearances by Rivka GalchenThe Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey DragerDisfigured by Amanda LeducLitFest AlbertaThe Fabulous Zed Watson! by Basil Sylvester and Kevin SylvesterBraiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer2019 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal report about Indigenous childrenWhen the Light of the World was Subdued.... edited by Joy HarjoThe Summer Book by Tove JanssonBeneath the Rising by Premee MohamedAnd Miles to Go Before I Sleep by Jocelyn SaucierCome Together, Fall Apart by Cristina HenriquezRelated episodes: Episode 095 - Lose the Outside World with Lindy Pratch Episode 124 - Mush Creatures with Lindy PratchEpisode 159 - Reading Doorways with LindyEpisode 196 - Miscommunication with Lindy Episode 221 - Joint Poetry Readalong with Book CougarsEpisode 223 - Cicada Season with Rachel Mans McKennyStalk me online:Lindy Reads and Reviews (blog)Lindy on Twitter Lindy is @Lindy on LitsyJenny at GoodreadsJenny on TwitterJenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy Follow ShadowGiller on Twitter All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

In this episode, Heather O'Neill's short story, "Messages in Bottles" (from Daydreams of Angels, published by HarperCollins in 2014) becomes the focal point of a discussion about why distance does not necessarily impede intimacy--sometimes, in fact, it helps us to be or feel more closely connected--and in that process, literature may play an important part. In her takeaway, Linda chats about her newest "discovery," Souvankham Thammavongsa's Found (Pedlar Press 2007). Check out this video with Thammavongsa speaking about and reading from Found. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Director Janicza Bravo talks about turning a viral, stranger-than-fiction Tweet thread into the film Zola. Band leader Isaac Brock discusses Modest Mouse's seventh studio album, The Golden Casket. Souvankham Thammavongsa on her award-winning short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife. Karen Kain reflects on her career as principal dancer and artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada.

Guest host Dylan Marron presents three works that demonstrate the power of words.  In “The Dancing Mind,” the late Toni Morrison talks about why writers love their craft, and readers love their creations.  Joe Morton is the reader.  In Canadian poet and short-story writer Souvankham Thammavongsa's story, “How to Pronounce Knife,” one word links two cultures.  It's performed by Deborah S. Craig.  And Ian McEwan's “My Purple-Scented Novel,” is a satirical tale about  two authors and one masterpiece, performed by Denis O'Hare.  Join and give!: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/symphonyspacenyc?code=Splashpage See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are just so many great books by authors of Asian descent that we are back to suggest more titles for adults. Books mentioned in this episode: Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra, How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa, Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee, Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin, and Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keepitfictional/message

In the latest episode of Tricycle Talks, editor-in-chief James Shaheen sits down to talk with four contributors to Tricycle’s Summer issue out this May. First up are psychotherapist Mindy Newman and translator and musician Kaia Fischer. Together over the past year they have presented a series of teachings from a newly translated Tibetan sutra. Through their collaborative writing practice, Mindy and Kaia have been able to explore psychology and scriptural exegesis, Buddhist storytelling, and guru devotion in the Tibetan tradition.  Poet and short story writer Souvankham Thammavongsa is a rising star in the literary world. Born in a Lao refugee camp in Thailand and raised in Toronto, Thammavongsa is known for her nuanced reflections on immigrant and refugee experiences. In this episode, she joins us to talk about her family’s history, the power and limits of language, dislocation, and loss—themes woven throughout her short story How to Pronounce Knife, which appears in the current issue.  In his feature article, “The Land of Many Dharmas,” Kenneth Tanaka, a Jodo Shin Buddhist priest and professor emeritus of Buddhist Studies at Musashino University in Tokyo, discusses how, for the first time, Buddhists from virtually every tradition can be found living side by side in North American cities. He explores America as a site of unprecedented religious pluralism and asks what this means for the future, especially in light of the recent wave of anti-Asian violence. Also in this issue: Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles—the editors of the anthology Black and Buddhist—discuss what the dharma and the experience of Black people in America can teach us about the nature of suffering and freedom; scholar Donald S. Lopez writes about how, for most of its history, Buddhist teachings have had little to offer social activism; and the photography of Burmese artist Nge Lay captures the collision of Myanmar’s past and present.

On this episode, we discuss our April 2021 book club pick, How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa, a collection of short stories centering on the perspectives of the Laos diaspora. Souvankham's stories offer us a glimpse into a community whose stories often get forgotten in the greater conversation of Asian representation.*Support the podcast by purchasing books at our bookshop *Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba May 2021 pick is  The Silence of Bones by Jane HurThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

In this episode, we're discussing READ EIGHT of the Cove Collective Book Club: How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa. This collection of short stories has a theme of disconnection with each story focusing on characters struggling to find their way in unfamiliar countries and cultures. We discuss our different takeaways from the book, the themes throughout the short stories, and how immigrants are treated by North American society.Purchase our “Forgotten Black women writers & storytellers” PDF hereFollow us on InstagramPurchase our 30-day JournalCheck us out on Twitter

Depuis plus de quinze ans, Alain Guyard s'évertue à décloisonner la philosophie et la rendre accessible en tenant des ateliers à « des lieux où l'on ne l'attend pas »; Le K ne se prononce pas, de Souvankham Thammavongsa, obtient non seulement des critiques louables du New York Times et du Globe and Mail, mais il plaît également aux membres de notre club de lecture.

Produced by: Catherine Charlwood (@DrCharlwood) and Laura Ludtke (@lady_electric) Music composed and performed by Gareth Jones. About the episode: This first episode of the new, third series of LitSciPod sees the co-hosts reflecting on what the pandemic has taught us about the indivisible connection between the humanities and the sciences. We cover vaccine communications and vaccine hesitancy, Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s reflections on scientific truth, and books which have got us thinking. Materials discussed: Sally Frampton, ‘Vaccine scepticism is as old as vaccines themselves. Here's how to tackle it’ The Guardian (23 Feb 2021): https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/23/vaccine-scepticism-how-to-tackle-it Kazuo Ishiguro, Klara and the Sun (Faber, 2021) Adam Curtis, Can’t Get You Out of My Head: An Emotional History of the Modern World (2021) Charlotte Sleigh, “The abuses of Popper,” Aeon (16 Feb 2021): https://aeon.co/essays/how-popperian-falsification-enabled-the-rise-of-neoliberalism What Laura & Catherine have been reading: Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) (1889) Souvankham Thammavongsa, How to Pronounce Knife (2020) Daisy Johnson, Sisters (2020) Lucy Hughes-Hallet, Fabulous (2019) Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim (1899) Rebecca West, The Return of the Soldier (1918) Kevin N. Laland, Darwin’s Unfinished Symphony: How Culture Made the Human Mind (2017)

Souvankham Thammavongsa reads her story from the March 1, 2021, issue of the magazine. Thammavongsa has published four volumes of poetry and the short-story collection “How to Pronounce Knife,” which won the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, Souvankham Thammavongsa on her book, How to Pronounce Knife, public perceptions of poetry and prose, immigration, regionalism, boxing, future plans, and more! Supported by you on Patreon, Live at Massey Hall, Pizza Trokadero, the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad's Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S. and Black Women United YEG. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Anna and Annie the Giller Prize winner for Canadian Fiction, How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa. Our book of the week is The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. A historical romance set in the 1920s, this has been described as a 'tour de force' (Wall Street Journal) and 'a delicious hothouse of a novel' (USA Today).  Waters is a best-selling author who has been three times shortlisted for the Booker Prize.  We've been meaning to read her for ages.  But was this the right book to start with?  Coming up: our Best Books of 2020. Follow us! Facebook: Books On The Go Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com  Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz

#12 We Don’t Ask Why It ShinesNov. 23, 20200:00       Souvankham Thammavongsa, English instructor and 2020 Giller winnerHow to Pronounce KnifeSouvankham Thammavongsa Wins the 2020 Scotiabank Giller PrizeA photo of Thammavongsa in the vintage dress she wore for the virtual ceremony14:56     Matthew Wyman-McCarthy, Research Facilitator25:33     Azka Choudhary & Paige Grant,  Alumni, Concurrent  EducationBeing Raced Research StudyOne Market is hosted by Associate Professor Bruce Gillespie, Program Coordinator of Digital Media and Journalism.Thank you to Serena Austin, One Market Research Assistant, Melissa Weaver for graphics, and Nicole Morgan for campus promotion. Music by Scott Holmes. To send feedback or volunteer to be a guest, please contact Bruce Gillespie (bgillespie@wlu.ca) or Tarah Brookfield (tbrookfield@wlu.ca). Connect with us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Never miss an episode! Sign up for an email reminder each time we release a new episode. 

This week began with the good news that Pfizer and its partner, the German company, BioNTech, have a vaccine that is 90% effective, at least according to preliminary results. How good is that news and what will it take to vaccinate Canadians. Libby Znaimer reached Dr. Jillian Kohler, professor at the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. AND This year's Scotiabank Giller Prize winning book, "How To Pronounce Knife" is part of a long tradition of Canadian literature about the immigrant experience. Author Souvankham Thammavongsa was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and arrived with her parents at the age of one. Libby chatted with her after she won the $100,000 prize.

Join us in celebration of the art and craft of the short story. How do these acclaimed authors distill the human experience into such a concentrated form? How can they illumine so much of live's ambiguity with so few words? This episode features Frances Boyle in conversation with artsfile.ca's Peter Robb and Rhonda Douglas with David Bergen and Souvankham Thammavongsa. Following men and boys bewildered by their circumstances and swayed by desire, and featuring a novella about a young woman who rejects the laws of her cloistered Mennonite community, the latest from Scotiabank Giller Prize-winner David Bergen deftly renders complex moral ambiguities and asks what it means to be lost—and how we might be found:. The short stories in Here the Dark explore the spaces between doubt and belief, evil and good, obscurity and light. In Seeking Shade, the debut short story collection from poet, editor and author Frances Boyle, nuanced characters endure trauma, evolution and epiphany as they face challenges, make decisions, and suffer the inevitable consequences. Named one of the best books of April by The New York Times, Salon, The Millions, and Vogue, and featuring stories that have appeared in Harper's, Granta, The Atlantic, and The Paris Review, How to Pronounce Knife from O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa establishes her as an essential new voice.

Souvankham Thammavongsa is a Toronto based author and poet. She was nominated for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller prize for "How to pronounce knife." We speak with her about what it is like to release a book during a pandemic.

Souvankham lectures on being small See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Souvankham Thammavongsa is the author of How to Pronounce Knife. Her stories have won an O. Henry Award and appeared in Harper's Magazine, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Granta, NOON, The Believer, Best American Nonrequired Reading 2018, and O. Henry Prize Stories 2019. She is the author of four books of poetry, Cluster, Light, Found and Small Arguments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lindy is back, just in time to share about her appointment to the Shadow Giller Jury. We talk about the Canadian book prize and its shadow, recent crafting projects, and recent reads. Jenny is focused on Persian lands in fantasy and a debut novel while Lindy has been reading Canadians from other places. If you would like to contribute to the 200th episode, please see the link in the show notes.Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 196: Miscommunication Subscribe to the podcast via this link: FeedburnerOr subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: SubscribeOr listen through TuneIn Or listen on Google Play Or listen via StitcherOr listen through Spotify New! Listen through Google Podcasts Books discussed: Polar Vortex by Shani MootooGirl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa BashardoustThe Subtweet by Vivek ShrayaDaughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava HornaHow to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham ThammavongsaOther mentions:Contribute to the 200th episode (words, not money)Scotiabank Giller PrizeCereus Blooms at Night by Shani MootooGirls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa BashardoustHelen HumphreysThomas KingSorcery & Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer Vanishing Monuments by John Elizabeth StintziCrooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo FordRelated episodes:Episode 095 - Lose the Outside World with Lindy Pratch Episode 107 - Reading Goals 2018  Episode 124 - Mush Creatures with Lindy PratchEpisode 159 - Reading Doorways with LindyEpisode 191 - Stealthy yet Sparkly with Gail Carriger (Sorcery & Cecelia)Episode 192 - Sly Milieu with Thomas (The Subtweet)   Stalk us online:Lindy Reads and Reviews (blog)Lindy on Twitter Lindy is @Lindy on LitsyJenny at GoodreadsJenny on TwitterJenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and LitsyFollow ShadowGiller on Twitter

A New York Times Editors' Choice, this revelatory debut story collection from O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa honors characters struggling to find their bearings far from home, even as they do the necessary "grunt work of the world." In the title story of Souvankham Thammavongsa's debut collection, a young girl brings a book home from school and asks her father to help her pronounce a tricky word, a simple exchange with unforgettable consequences. Thammavongsa is a master at homing in on moments like this -- moments of exposure, dislocation, and messy feeling that push us right up against the limits of language. The stories that make up How to Pronounce Knife focus on characters struggling to build lives in unfamiliar territory, or shuttling between idioms, cultures, and values. A failed boxer discovers what it truly means to be a champion when he starts painting nails at his sister's salon. A young woman tries to discern the invisible but immutable social hierarchies at a chicken processing plant. A mother coaches her daughter in the challenging art of worm harvesting. In a taut, visceral prose style that establishes her as one of the most striking and assured voices of her generation, Thammavongsa interrogates what it means to make a living, to work, and to create meaning.

In this episode of Brick Podcast, Souvankham Thammavongsa pushes back against being underestimated. She discusses her new short story collection How to Pronounce Knife, her Randy Travis fandom, and giving Little Red Riding Hood a brand new ending.   . . . Source

Named one of The New York Times' "7 New Books to Watch Out for in April," this revelatory debut story collection from O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa honors characters struggling to find their bearings far from home, even as they do the necessary "grunt work of the world." In the title story of Souvankham Thammavongsa's debut collection, a young girl brings a book home from school and asks her father to help her pronounce a tricky word, a simple exchange with unforgettable consequences. Thammavongsa is a master at homing in on moments like this -- moments of exposure, dislocation, and messy feeling that push us right up against the limits of language. The stories that make up How to Pronounce Knife focus on characters struggling to build lives in unfamiliar territory, or shuttling between idioms, cultures, and values. A failed boxer discovers what it truly means to be a champion when he starts painting nails at his sister's salon. A young woman tries to discern the invisible but immutable social hierarchies at a chicken processing plant. A mother coaches her daughter in the challenging art of worm harvesting. In a taut, visceral prose style that establishes her as one of the most striking and assured voices of her generation, Thammavongsa interrogates what it means to make a living, to work, and to create meaning.

Souvankham Thammavongsa, poet and O. Henry Prize-winning author of How to Pronounce Knife: Stories (Little, Brown and Company, 2020), talks about her stories set in the world of refugees and immigrants who do the hard work, yet are so often unseen.

Author and poet Souvankham Thammavongsa joins us to discuss her debut short story collection How to Pronounce Knife. Thammavongsa chats with Daniel Ford about her O. Henry Award-winning short story "Slingshot," why she had more luck than one of her characters getting in touch with the Randy Travis, and why aspiring writers need to write what they love. To learn more about Souvankham Thammavongsa, visit her official website. Today’s episode is sponsored by Libro.fm and OneRoom.

We’re all having unique, difficult experiences these days, and I don’t want to dwell on it but: be safe, take care of yourselves, take care of each other. There’s been a lot of loss in my family in the last 10 days, and now it’s harder than ever to deal with such things. So…be kind to people. You can’t know what they’re facing. Okay that’s way heavier than usual. I hope you’re reading what you can, if you’re finding yourself with free time. I recommend Souvankham Thammavongsa‘s new collection, How To Pronounce Knife. It’s wonderful. Listen to her talk about it on this week’s show.

Souvankham Thammavongsa is a poet who lives and works in Toronto. Her parents were raised in Laos, and she was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1978. Thammavongsa's family moved to Canada when she was a year old. Her book Found (2007) describes these experiences, and was made into a short film by director Paramita Nath. Thammavongsa's first book of poems is Small Arguments (2003).

Souvankham Thammavongsa on Agnes Martin's Untitled #10

Souvankham Thammavongsa on Agnes Martin’s Untitled #10