Poetry reading by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Bunche Hall, Rm 10383
Global bestselling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai returns to Los Angeles for a unique event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Việt Nam War. She will read from her latest poetry collection The Color of Peace. In her conversation with George Dutton, professor in the UCLA Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, Quế Mai will share the moments that defined her as a writer, what compelled her to document the impact of the war, how she found healing via storytelling, and her mission to present Việt Nam as a country with more than 4000 years of history and culture. She will share behind-the-scene stories about her novels The Mountains Sing, Dust Child and will also be answering audience questions.
Jason Nguyen will be playing the single-string đàn bầu to accompany the readings.
Limited number of copies of The Color of Peace will be on sale and for author signing.
Born and raised in Việt Nam, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is the author of thirteen books in Vietnamese and English, most recently the global bestselling novels The Mountains Sing and Dust Child, and the forthcoming poetry book The Color of Peace. Her writing has been translated into more than twenty-five languages and has received Runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, the International Book Award, the BookBrowse Best Debut Award, as well as the Lannan Literary Fellowship in Fiction. She is the translator of eight books and was named by Forbes Việt Nam as one of 20 inspiring women of 2021. She has a Ph.D in Creative Writing.
For more information:
www.nguyenphanquemai.com
Jason R. Nguyen is a celebrated musician of Vietnamese traditional music. He holds a dual doctorate in Ethnomusicology and Communication & Culture from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has collaborated with Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai in many performances to uplift Vietnamese literature. Trained as one of the top virtuosos of the single-string đàn bầu in the world, Jason is committed to using intergenerational dialogue to heal collective trauma. Forging a unique path as an artist and scholar, Jason has adapted all he has learned to contemporary contexts and communities while respecting the deep knowledge and experience of his hereditary, spiritual, and intellectual ancestors.
Sponsor(s): Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Asian American Studies Center, Asian American Studies Department