AAP staff report

Approaching 40 years in the US, there are many Lao Americans who love science fiction, fantasy, horror, myths and legends.

Now several Lao American writers are looking your stories and art for the very first full-length anthology of Lao American speculative art and literature. Their goal is to publish it later this year.

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By Sarah Page

Santa Ana Calif, (Dec. 30) — Officials this week forced Christians in a Lao village to give up their faith in order to bury a family member in the village graveyard, according to advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom.

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U.S. Ambassador to Laos Karen B. Stewart is surrounded by happy children after donating books to a primary school in Vientiane.

Vientiane (Nov. 15, 2011) — U.S. Ambassador to Laos Karen B. Stewart and special guest Anita Botti, Deputy Director of the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, visited Thongkhankham Primary School in Vientiane on November 8 to read stories to Lao children and donate books to the school library.

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Former Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff Robert Vessey with Khao Insixiengmay, Lao Advancement Organization of America and Royal Lao Veterans of America

By J. Lee
The State of Minnesota commemorated Veterans Day “Honoring All Who Served” Defending Liberty and Freedom on what some believe as a “lucky day” because of the numbers “11.11.11”.

Eric Shinseki, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee designated the Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights as a Regional Site for Veterans Day 2011.  Ceremonies opened with Minnesota VFW Commander Ray Trebus and MN Dept. of Veterans Affairs Commissioner-General Larry Shellito who also received Governor Mark Dayton’s Proclamation Honoring Veterans.

All speakers thanked the veterans, service members and families for their service and sacrifices.

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Austin Outhavong

By BRYAN THAO WORRA
AAP staff writer

Austin Outhavong is a Lao-American writer who was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He is the author of 50% Falang: 50 Stories from a Half-Breed Abroad in Southeast Asia, which is his first book. His previous published writings were limited to lines of code in medical software subroutines, footnotes in academic urban planning articles, edits to Wikipedia, and revisions to cable television scripts.

Outhavong holds a B.S. in mathematics from Pepperdine University and an M.S. in urban planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and his wife currently reside in Memphis, Tennessee.

Asian American Press had an opportunity to discuss his first book with him.

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Lao American writer Bryan Thao Worra has issued a new free e-book, ”Between Souls.” The e-book can be downloaded for free at http://bit.ly/betweensouls11 and is part of the writer’s ongoing efforts to broaden and diversify audiences for Lao American poetry.

This was made possible in part by an Artist Initiative grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008. Bryan Thao Worra is the first Lao American to hold a prestigious Fellowship in Literature from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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By BRYAN THAO WORRA
AAP staff writer

Asian American Press recently caught up with author Laura Manivong, an Emmy-winning TV producer and novelist.

Manivong never knew she wanted to write books until she met her husband and learned of his background, but the clues were there all along. Her mother and grandfather were writers. Her college professor told her to keep writing, which made her wonder, write what? And her study at Missouri State University, after some detours, led her to a job as a television writer. But after marrying Troy, it began to click. After eight years, two kids, and countless drafts, Escaping The Tiger was done, its pages based on Troy’s experiences as a Lao refugee hoping for a new home.

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Bryan Thao Worra

By BRYAN THAO WORRA
AAP staff writer

This week on August 1st, we mark the one-year anniversary of the Entry into Force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Those who ratified the treaty agreed to halt the use of these inhumane weapons. This treaty also includes provisions calling for support for clearance, stockpile destruction and victim assistance.

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Bryan Thao Worra

The Common Ground Open Mic series will be celebrating one year of performances at the VAALA Cultural Center on August 4th in Santa Ana, California. Lao American writer Bryan Thao Worra will be performing there alongside Jenny Yang (comedienne), Gingee (b-girl dance punk) and Anna Nguyen (spoken word).

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Barry K. Thongvanh (1950 – 2011)

AAP staff report

Pastor Barry K. Thongvanh, 60, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died June 7, 2011 in Storm Lake. He was a founding member of the Central Asian Pacific Islander Commission and Iowa Commission on Asian Pacific Affairs.

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