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Bamboo Among The Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans
205
by Mai Neng Moua (Editor)
Mai Neng Moua
Bamboo Among The Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans
205
by Mai Neng Moua (Editor)
Mai Neng Moua
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Overview
Of an estimated twelve million ethnic Hmong in the world, more than 160,000 live in the United States today, most of them refugees of the Vietnam War and the civil war in Laos. Their numbers make them one of the largest recent immigrant groups in our nation. Today, significant Hmong populations can be found in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Michigan, and Colorado, and St. Paul boasts the largest concentration of Hmong residents of any city in the world.In this groundbreaking anthology, first-and second-generation Hmong Americans—the first to write creatively in English—share their perspectives on being Hmong in America. In stories, poetry, essays, and drama, these writers address the common challenges of immigrants adapting to a new homeland: preserving ethnic identity and traditions, assimilating to and battling with the dominant culture, negotiating generational conflicts exacerbated by the clash of cultures, and developing new identities in multiracial America. Many pieces examine Hmong history and culture and the authors' experiences as Americans. Others comment on issues significant to the community: the role of women in a traditionally patriarchal culture, the effects of violence and abuse, the stories of Hmong military action in Laos during the Vietnam War. These writers don't pretend to provide a single story of the Hmong; instead, a multitude of voices emerge, some wrapped up in the past, others looking toward the future, where the notion of "Hmong American" continues to evolve.In her introduction, editor Mai Neng Moua describes her bewilderment when she realized that anthologies of Asian American literature rarely contained even one selection by a Hmong American. In 1994, she launched a Hmong literary journal, Paj Ntaub Voice, and in the first issue asked her readers "Where are the Hmong American voices?" Now this collection—containing selections from the journal as well as new submissions—offers a chorus of voices from a vibrant and creative community of Hmong American writers from across the United States.
Contributors: BC, Bee Cha, True Hang, Sharon Her, May Lee, Kou Lor, Pacyinz Lyfoung, Mai Neng Moua, Vayong Moua, Noukou Thao, Bryan Thao Worra, Va-Megn Thoj, Ka Vang, M.S. Vang, Mayli Vang, Soul Choj Vang, Hawj Xiong, Kao Xiong with Dia cha, Pa Xiong, Naly Yang, Peter Yang, Kao Yongvang
Contributors: BC, Bee Cha, True Hang, Sharon Her, May Lee, Kou Lor, Pacyinz Lyfoung, Mai Neng Moua, Vayong Moua, Noukou Thao, Bryan Thao Worra, Va-Megn Thoj, Ka Vang, M.S. Vang, Mayli Vang, Soul Choj Vang, Hawj Xiong, Kao Xiong with Dia cha, Pa Xiong, Naly Yang, Peter Yang, Kao Yongvang
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780873514378 |
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Publisher: | Minnesota Historical Society Press |
Publication date: | 10/01/2002 |
Pages: | 205 |
Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d) |
About the Author
Mai Neng Moua came to the United States as a refugee from Laos with her family in 1981. A graduate of St. Olaf College, she is the public policy coordinator for the Institute for New Americans and cofounder and editor of Paj Ntaub Voice, the premier Hmong literary journal. Her work has appeared in Gypsy Cab, INK, Journal of the Asian American Renaissance, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Women's Press, We Are the Freedom People: Sharing Our Stories, and Creating a Vibrant America. Her most recent book is The Bride Price: A Hmong Wedding Story.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments | ix | |
Introduction | 3 | |
BC | ||
Recovering to the Hills | 17 | |
Bee Cha | ||
Being Hmong Is Not Enough | 22 | |
True Hang | ||
A Good Hmong Woman | 34 | |
Sharon Her | ||
Smokes | 43 | |
May Lee | ||
Hmongspeak | 47 | |
The Voice | 50 | |
Kou Lor | ||
Loneliness | 51 | |
Slices with a Hmong Knife | 53 | |
Pacyinz Lyfoung | ||
Walking Manifesto #2 | 55 | |
Mai Neng Moua | ||
Along the Way to the Mekong | 57 | |
D.C. | 61 | |
Father Died Twenty-five Years Ago | 63 | |
Life in Four Short Chapters | 64 | |
My Mother Is a Coffee Table | 65 | |
My white lover | 66 | |
Endstage | 67 | |
Vayong Moua | ||
The Hmong Wall | 77 | |
The Shadow that Loved | 78 | |
Noukou Thao | ||
The Garden | 83 | |
Bryan Thao Worra | ||
The True Tale of Yer | 88 | |
The Last War Poem | 98 | |
Fury | 100 | |
Wisdom | 101 | |
Va-Megn Thoj | ||
Hmoob Boy Meets Hmong Girl | 104 | |
Ka Vang | ||
REM & Dab & Neeg & Dab Neeg | 109 | |
Twinkies | 111 | |
Extraordinary Hmong | 111 | |
Yellow Man's Burden | 113 | |
Ms. Pac-Man Ruined My Gang Life | 114 | |
Disconnect | 122 | |
M. S. Vang | ||
943 | 138 | |
The Case of the Red Pens | 145 | |
Mayli Vang | ||
Dreams of a Forgotten Widow | 152 | |
Some Old Hmong Woman | 153 | |
We Women of the Hmong culture | 154 | |
Reflections of My Father | 155 | |
Soul Choj Vang | ||
A Tropical Garden in the San Joaquin Valley | 159 | |
Chino | 160 | |
Letter from the Shore of the Dragon River | 162 | |
Immunization | 165 | |
Retired | 166 | |
The American | 167 | |
Hawj Xiong | ||
The Last Walk | 170 | |
Kao Xiong with Dia Cha | ||
The Lovers: A Halloween Tale of Horror | 174 | |
Pa Xiong | ||
Broken | 180 | |
Running Away from Home | 181 | |
The Green House | 183 | |
Condom Nations | 184 | |
Naly Yang | ||
Chapter One | 186 | |
In Remembrance | 187 | |
Spirit Trails | 188 | |
Peter Yang | ||
Mother's Day | 189 | |
My Dad the Mekong and Me the Mississippi | 190 | |
Kao Yongvang | ||
Is the Beauty Queen a Real Woman? | 192 | |
Contributors | 196 | |
Notes | 203 |
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