Souvankham Thammavongsa's "Light" a candidate for Canadian Book of the Year (Poetry)

Lao Canadian poet Souvankham Thammavongsa's book of poetry "Light" is a candidate for Best Book of the 2013 (poetry) in the CBC Bookie Awards. True to Lao form, apparently, she didn't tell us we had the opportunity to vote for it, and voting ends at midnight. If you like her work, consider voting for this collection.

I guess this is going to be a big year for Lao literature!

Souvankham Thammavongsa’s third book of poetry, Light, "examines the word that gives the collection its name. There are poems about a sparkle, about how to say light, about a scarecrow, a dung beetle, a fish without eyes. Known for her precision and elegance, for her small clear voice, for distilling meaning from details, for not wasting words, Thammavongsa confirms her gifts with these new poems. Light is a work that shines with rigour, humour, courage and grit."

A new copy sells for about $17 in the US.