The Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre

Recently in Minnesota I had a chance to meet with the founder of TAEC, The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre,  while they were visiting different organizations across the US.

Founded in 2006, The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre is "a museum in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. It is the only independent non-profit museum and resource centre in Laos dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the traditional arts and lifestyles of the country’s many and diverse ethnic groups."

While the time spent with them was relatively short, I walked away with a sense that they will play an important role in the future. Their work could help us all to build a diverse sense of Lao history, as seen through the eyes of nearly 160 different ethnic groups present in Laos. Only time will tell, of course, but you can see more of their work at: http://www.taeclaos.org.

OTOSOTE: 5 Years Later

Most of On The Other Side Of The Eye was written and revised at this coffee shop formerly known as the J&S Bean Factory. Today, it's called Groundswell Coffee and is found on 1342 Thomas Ave Saint Paul, MN. I stopped in for a quick cup of joe recently for old time's sake. I wonder what other books will be written here in the future.

The editing process was one filled with many questions. How do you create a unified text, but one where each poem could be read independently? Do you kitchen sink it, or keep a tight focus? Should you include a glossary and footnotes? How much original material should you include? These all nagged at me at different points, but that's part of the writer's journey.

Bamboo Among the Oaks: 10 Years!

This October 1st, the landmark Hmong anthology, Bamboo Among the Oaks will be celebrating 10 years since its first publication by the Minnesota Historical Society's press.

As a side note, in addition to my poems and short horror story, "The True Tale of Yer," featured in this collection, I also provided the cover photograph, which had been taken in Washington DC in 1997 during the dedication of the Hmong Veterans Memorial in Arlington Cemetery. 

Hopefully, we'll see some celebrations from the community in October to mark the occasion.

[Poem] No Regrets, Thai Translation

"No Regrets," from my 2009 book, Tanon Sai Jai has recently been translated by Joy Panigabutra-Roberts:

ไม่เสียใจ

สักวันหนึ่ง
หน้านี้จะมีคนอ่าน
เพลงนี้จะมีคนฟัง
เส้นสายนี้จะมีคนเขียน
คำอธิบายนานัปการ

สักวันหนึ่ง
กวีกับศิลปิน วิจิตรและงดงามเหมือนทุ่งข้าวใหม่
จะได้รับความเป็นธรรม

ครอบครัวหนึ่งจะได้เริ่มชีวิตร่วมกัน

เด็กน้อยคนหนึ่งจะได้รู้ชื่อของคนแปลกหน้าที่เชื่อมั่นในตัวเขา
ก่อนที่จะได้พบกัน

สักวันหนึ่ง
หัวใจดวงหนึ่งจะได้รำลึกถึงพี่ชาย พี่สาว อาชญากรรม เสี้ยวเวลาหนึ่งของความรัก
พงศาวดารเมือง ไฮกุจากญี่ปุ่น
คุณครู
เพื่อนคู่หู

ตราบจะถึงวันนั้น มีอะไรที่แน่นอน?
กลางคืนมาเยือน เลื่อนเป็นกลางวัน พระจันทร์ พระอาทิตย์ สายฝน เส้นคลื่น
และอื่นๆ บางสิ่งอาจจะถูกจารึกไว้
หรือไม่… ก็ได้

No Regrets

Maybe one day,
A page will be found,
A song will be heard,
A stroke will be drawn
Filled with explanations.

Maybe one day,
The nuckawi and silapin, beautiful as a field of khao mai
Will be vindicated.

A family will start.

A child will learn the names of a stranger who believed in them
Before they even met.

Maybe one day,
A heart will remember a brother, a sister, a crime, a moment of love,
A chronicle of a city, a haiku from Japan.
A teacher.
A friend on the other side of your eye.

Until then, what is certain?
Night arrives, then day.
The moon, the sun, the rain and waves.
A few other things, maybe something someone will write down.
Maybe not.