Nong Hak enters final push to raise $30K as Laos' second horror movie in history

The final push is on as Mattie Do enters the last week for her Indiegogo campaign!

She's raised 60% of her production costs to make the second horror film in Laos' history, but she still needs help getting the word out!

She's getting ready to shoot her second feature film, ນ້ອງຮັກ (Nong Hak), or in English, DEAREST SISTER, this fall on location in Vientiane and out in the jungles in the surrounding province.

Hopefully, she’ll get through this film without any dengue fever outbreaks, unlike her last film.

Nong Hak will be ONLY the 13th Lao feature film ever made. How fitting it should be a horror film. Mattie Do anticipates it will be one of the most ambitious films ever produced in Laos. "Nong Hak is the story of a Lao village girl, whose only chance of escaping indentured poverty is to manipulate her wealthy cousin’s illness into dependence. Oh, and it’s got ghosts, too."

Good enough for me! Let's help her do make it happen!

New Lao Minnesotan book: The Wolf and the Moon and other Lao Folktales

Over at the Lao Assistance Center, executive director Sunny Chanthanouvong and cultural anthropologist David Zander worked together on a new book, "The Wolf and the Moon and other Lao Folktales." The layout, design and production by the students of the Design and Graphics Technologies Department of the Dunwoody College of Technology.

The collection was made possible by a story circle grant from the Bush Foundation, the Minnesota Humanities Center and support from the Lao Assistance Center. The suggested donation is $5 and delivery is currently only available in Minnesota.

 It's divided into four sections: Animal tales; Fairy tales, wisdom & magic; Wisdom stories; and Lao Buddhist principles for living. It also includes background notes on the Lao in Minnesota. Of particular note are folktales from Chanida Phaengdara Potter and her mother featured in the booklet.

Upcoming Lao American book: "The Fighting Winds of Destiny"

Our community can look forward to a debut book from Lao Minnesotan author Anita Nina Teso later this year: "The Fighting Winds of Destiny." Called an "Amazing Story about Tough Times and Inspirations. Based On A Real Life Story."

It is being published by Tate Publishing. More details will be forthcoming in the months ahead.

Poetry World Cup: Laos vs. Lebanon

I have officially been confirmed as the winner in my match in the Poetry World Cup, so Laos now goes on to Round 2, facing Iran on the 4th of July. In the quarter-finals, the winner will face either India or Indonesia, which should make for a spirited match.

In the meantime, a humble tip of the hat to the amazing Wadih Sa’adeh, whose first book came out in 1973. Definitely check out more of his work, including his most recent from 2012, Qull lil’Aber An Ya’oud, Nasiya Huna Zillahu (Tell the Passenger to Come Back, He Forgot his Shadow Here).

I really like his use of imagery and symbolism, and he had some fine lines throughout his poem "Hey Allen Ginsberg, I think that the fan is rotating".

A big thanks to The Missing Slate Magazine for organizing a great way to build a wider readership for international literature and I encourage others to submit their work in the future to them.

The Iranian poem has a wonderful backstory and depth to it, and I encourage you to check out the work of Payam Feili as he finds his audience internationally, even at great risk to himself in Iran. http://themissingslate.com/2013/12/24/eleven