In American Librarians Magazine

This month my work featured at the Poetry Parnassus in London during the Olympics was highlighted in the American Librarians Magazine in the article "APALA Member Represents at the London Olympics—through Poetry" by Anchalee (Joy) Panigabutra-Roberts and Jade Alburo.

I became involved with the Asian Pacific American Librarian Association around 2006, just shortly after I had finished my duties as the Interim Executive Director of the Hmong American Institute for Learning, where I had been assisting Hmong refugees in innovating a new literary tradition for their community.

I was deeply impressed by the work of APALA, and had worked with many of their members and other librarians across the country in building an understanding of the role libraries have in Southeast Asian refugee resettlement. Would the resources be there for the community to discover and preserve their stories, or would they languish in obscure corners of campus libraries far beyond the realistic reach of those who need their histories most? As the technology changes and evolves, I always hoped APALA would continue to bring together our diverse interests and ensure that our communities needs are reflected in larger discussions ahead.

As mentioned before, "No Regrets" was informed both by the work Asian Pacific American Librarians and the work of Lao Minnesotan writer Saymoukda Vongsay's debut chapbook of the same title. Hopefully, she'll reissue an expanded edition of it in the future. Thanks for your support everyone!