Approaching 1 Year since the Lao American Writers Summit

It's been almost a year since the first national Lao American Writers Summit in Minnesota.  We gathered together Lao American writers and artists from across the country, many meeting for the very first time. We held it on August 13-15th at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis.

There, you could meet almost everyone from Lao rockers to Oscar-nominated directors, actors, playwrights, poets and spoken word artists.

There were so many wonderful parts of the summit. Those moments more than made up for the challenges we had along the way, but I think what I enjoyed deeply was that this wasn't some rigid conference with plenary sessions or an extravagant production on par with an Olympics opening. It wasn't a bunch of people putting on airs or trying to win some competition or present their thesis for a Masters degree or something.

You had 48 hours as artists to talk and be with other artists for as long as you needed to. I think it's vital as artists to have opportunities where you're trusted to do something that allows you to create and take your work to the next level, and hopefully help others in similar positions.

Sometimes, something really creative came out of it. Sometimes not. Some of our guests were inspired just by being in the same room with others who shared their passion.  At the end of it all, those of us who wanted to share something with a larger audience could. Or you could just sit back and just see someone else perform. But in either case it was a performance on our own terms. And that was powerful.

I look at where most of us who participated have gone on since the summit, and I'm impressed with the ground we've covered in just a year. Some have new books and plays out, others have become executive directors and board members for some amazing organizations. Many have traveled widely and performed to great acclaim. 

But in any case, I have to say that it's amazing, validating feeling to see where we've come and I look forward to where we're headed next. And to everyone who was a part of this, thank you!

1 Year of the Convention on Cluster Munitions: August 1st

On August 1st, we mark the one-year anniversary of the Entry into Force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The Convention on Cluster Munitions was the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty in more than a decade; 107 countries signed the treaty and 37 countries ratified it. It went into force on August 1st, 2010.


The Lao PDR, the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in history, and one of the first countries to sign the treaty, hosted the convention's First Meeting of State Parties in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in November 2010. There, they developed an action plan to be used by all states to complete the legal obligations of the treaty, including support for clearance, stockpile destruction and victim assistance.

On average, the U.S. spends $2.7M per year, compared to the $17M per day (today's dollars) it spent during the 9 years of bombing (1964-1973). Groups like Legacies of War called for an increase in U.S. funding to $10M per year over the next 10 years in order to make a significant dent in the current cluster bomb problem in Laos and save thousands of lives in the future.

Last August 1, the "Beat the Drum" campaign featured drumming events in 70 countries to welcome the treaty into force and highlight the treaty's significance in communities affected by cluster bombs. Although the United States has not signed the treaty, events were held around the country to participate in the international campaign. Hopefully throughout this August we will see other celebrations and events to raise awareness of this issue.

Cluster bombs have a devastating effect on civilian communities as many bombs fail to detonate at the time they are dropped. Laos has been hit particularly hard by cluster munitions, which have killed or maimed as many as 50,000 civilians since 1964 (and 20,000 since 1974, after the war ended). Each year, there are 300 new casualties in Laos; 40 percent are children.

Please take time to learn more about the effect of cluster bombs around the world, including Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. For more information you can visit groups such as Legacies of War at www.legaciesofwar.com and the Mines Advisory Group at www.maginternational.org

Haiku Movie Review: Cowboys and Aliens

A genre-buster
There are things to enjoy here,
But not quite "Yee-haw!"

Haiku Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

Coming to an end?
Meandering from Hogwarts,
When will they reboot?