The DEMONSTRA and A Sticky Mess book release!

I know, it's been a few weeks since we had the book release party in Minneapolis for DEMONSTRA (Innsmouth Free Press, 2013) and Nor Sanavongsay's A Sticky Mess (Sahtu Press, 2013) on December 30th. 

We got some great coverage but hampered by inclement weather that hit as low as -17 degrees on a dark night. But we're really grateful to everyone who came to join us for the reading that night at the Lao American Cultural Center, which is also the home to the Lao Advancement Organization of America in North Minneapolis.

Here, we have Nor Sanavongsay signing copies for his readers.

Mali Kouanchao got a great shot of Nor addressing the audience about the inspiration for A Sticky Mess. We had approximately 45 to 50 people who joined us throughout the evening, and we're grateful to Dr. Khamchanh Phanthavong for the warm welcome to everyone. Saymoukda Vongsay shared two great stories, including her favorite Xieng Mieng story, and a story from a scary children's book project she's working on. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we see that one come out.

Here we have the table where our books were being sold, and visitors also got free posters! It was a great chance for Nor to meet many of his new fans and to get a chance to talk with the community about what else they hope to see from Lao publishers in the future.

You can get DEMONSTRA from Innsmouth Free Press and A Sticky Mess from Sahtu Press. Hopefully, we'll all also get a chance to return back to Minnesota in the Summer to meet even more readers!