To Live Here is a triumph: a pure and graceful portrait of the poet from Sky Mountain and the Dragon River, as a young man in the United States Army, and as a parent and poet in Fresno. Part emotional cartography and pure mastery of the craft, this vital glimpse into the Hmong American experience is a heart, a history, and a gift of hard-earned wisdom. Each poem is an artifact, a piece of art, and an important addition to American literature. This is poetry built to last. You will not forget it.
--Lee Herrick, Fresno Poet Laureate Through verses with stunning emotional impact, Soul Vang relates a unique tale of heartbreak, courage, and growth. This is the authentic story of a transplanted culture, told in language of breathtaking beauty and depth. --Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor Winner & author of Enchanted Air |
Seventeen Hmong come-of-age writers meet you head-on with their hearts on fire, their eyes electric, their voices thundering: bullet-riddled histories, miraculous border-breakouts, adopted fractured citizenships, landscapes in spirit flight, language in between languages, and impossible healings of community, and perhaps one of the finest collections of creative writing in decades. A monumental tour de force.
—Juan Felipe Herrera, United States Poet Laureate The confident clear Americano speech tells frankly of the anxieties and questions around being Hmong, new Americans, and artists, with diverse and ever-shifting resolutions. We are witnessing creation. —Gary Snyder, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, author of Mountains and Rivers without End |