FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Kaying Thao
kaying (dot) thao @gmail (dot) come
Hmong Book Launch
MINNEAPOLIS, April 8, 2008 – What happens when a little girl is born into a family who just recently escaped a war-torn country, only to land in refugee camps surrounded by unpredictable events, in a time of horrific tragedies including loss of home, land, and family? How does one mother hold her family together – her sons, daughters-in-law, grand children – the few that remain near her and to those whom only imaginations can serve? She has the past to protect, and the future to be weaved and yet engraved.
In her first book debut, author Kao Kalia Yang stitches her family’s tapestry with descriptive anecdotes, filled with illuminating senses answering these questions and more in The Latehomecome: A Hmong Family Memior, a book of powerful convictions, woven with assorted traditional Hmong folk tale which helps readers understand and interpret such incredible and celebrated events. Yang has also recently released The Place Where We Were Born, a film documenting the experiences of Hmong American refugees.
“This is a story that I needed to tell. The privilege of education and the support of support of people who care have enabled its telling. Now, the work before me is to get the book out into the world, to the hands that need to read it. For me, the book tells the story of how young people come to be,” says Ms. Yang
Hmong American Institute for Learning (HAIL) is excited to support and sponsor the Publication Party for Kao Kalia Yang! Her book is proof of the hard work which the Hmong literary community has envisioned and dreamt about for the past 14 years. You do not want to miss this celebration and historical event! Hear Kalia read various passages from her book; her verbal citations will activate your own version of who you are, where you came from, and where you plan to be. This wholesome book will encourage and inspire all readers to script their own familial stories as well.
BACKGROUND
HAIL is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and inspire artistic expressions of Hmong culture. It publishes emerging Hmong writers’ and artists’ work in Paj Ntaub Voice, a literary arts journal. Services are provided to writers and artists so that they will be successful, and the oral arts are documented. HAIL also aims to share cultural knowledge about the Hmong with the broader community. Check out our website for more information on Hmong arts and cultural activities, www.hmongartsconnection.org.
