http://www.vonacommunity.org
VONAAccomplishments
OneofthebestthingsaboutbeingtheeditoroftheVONAnewsletterisbeingabletocompilethislistof
allofourwins!Andwearealwayswinning!Reviewingandwritingaboutournewbooks,ourreadings,
ourfellowships,ourtenderessaysandfireworkpoetry,ourperformancesandinterviewsallowsmeto
documentourextraordinary.Itjuicesmyprideinbeingpartofthistribeandfeedsmyown
determinationtokeepdoingthework.Thankyouallfordoingthework.
GailM.Dottin
Editor
Acouplebitsbeforewegetstarted:
WemusttakeamomenttoapplaudthegraceandgenerosityofVONApoetryinstructor,Danez
SmithandVONAalum,JoanOsata.Togethertheypledgedtoreimbursethefeesfor20
female/gender-nonconformingVONAapplicants.Thankyouforstrengtheningourcommunity.
Also,theMacDowellColonyhasspecificallyreachedouttousinsearchofmoreapplicants.This
isanextraordinaryopportunityasaMacDowellfellowshipallowsartiststheirownNew
Hampshirestudioretreattoworkinforuptoeightweeks,withhomemademealsdaily.They’ll
evenbringyourlunch--inapicnicbasket!--toyourworkspace.Interested?Applyforfall
residenciesaredueApril15th.
NewBooksbyVONAAuthors
TheKindleeditionofWaliShaaker’sTheRiverVillageisavailableonAmazon.
MgRoberts’newbookAnemalUterMeckwasreleasedbyBlackRadishbooksandwasselected
forSmallPressDistribution’slistofrecommendedtitles.
NightboatBooksjustreleasedDurielHarris’newpoetrycollection,NoDictionaryofaLiving
Tongue.
DeviS.Laskar’snewpoetrycollection,Gas&Food,NoLodging,wasjustreleasedbyFinishing
LinePress.BesuretocheckoutthebackfortheravefromVONACo-director,ElmazAbinader!
DevialsoreadatLunadaLiteraryLounge,hostedbyfellowVONAalum,SandraGarciaRivera.
ImeeCusion’snewchildren’sbookaboutherodysseywithherdaughter’scongenitalheart
defect,BabyYlvie’sSpecialHeart,isavailableonAmazon.
KayaPress,justreleasedHariAlluri’snewpoetrycollection,FlayedCity.
PublishedPoems,ProseandPrettyWords
DahlmaLlanos-Figueroa’spiece“HairInspection”wasselectedbyProjectZuaspartoftheir
celebrationofWomen’sHistoryMonth.
MediumislovingonVONAwriters!JewelBush’s“GetOutYourFeelings:AMessagetotheHaters,”
anunambiguouscommentaryonthefilmsGetOutandMoonlight,wasonthesiteMarch6th.Justa
weeklater,BaniAmor’sessay,“GettingRealAboutDecolonizingTravelCulture”waspublished
onMediumaweeklater.FollowedthenextdaybyH’RinaDeTroy’s,“AFewThoughtson
WritingAboutYourWhiteness“!ThepiecereflectsonanAWPpanelfeaturingVONAfaculty
FaithAdiele,DavidMuraandalumChristineHyung-OakLee.ThencappedtheVONAruntheday
afterthatMediumwithyetanotherofJewel’skeenanalyses,““ThisIsUs”isGoodTV”
BaniwasalsointerviewedabouttravelandpeopleofcoloronpodcastRacistSandwichand
RewirepublishedJewel’sessayaboutthet.v.series,Underground.
Wearetellingourimmigrationstoriesaswemust!CatapultpublishedGracePrasad’sessay
“FeathersFromHomeandOtherFamilyHeirlooms”,aboutwhatimmigrantfamiliesbringand
leavebehind.While“AnOpenLettertoMyMuslimImmigrantFather,”SarahMinaOsman’s
heartfeltpiecewaspublishedonHelloGiggles.
SarahO’NealhasthreepoemsonExpound.com
TwoofKenjiC.Liu’s“Frankenpos”ashecallshismishmashpoeticform,werepublishedin
DiscoverNikkei.TwomoreofthesewordconcoctionswereselectedforApogee’spoetrypage.
Awards&Celebrations
AgathaRoawasacceptedinUNCWilmington’sMFAprogramforcreativenonfiction!
J.P.HowardwasselectedasafinalistforSplitThisRock’s2017FreedomPlowAwardforPoetry
&Activismforherlong-standingWomenWritersinBloomPoetrySalon.Theawardwillbe
presentedinD.C.onApril21st.ShealsodidareadingandwasinterviewedonColumbia
University’sWKCR-FM.
SalaamGreen’s“WhatILearnedWhenmyBestFriendWonthe4thGradeBeautyContest”was
aneditor’spickinElephant.
Readings
Becausewemustbeheard.
Xochitl-JulisaBermejoreadattheAsianAmericanWritersWorkshopaspartoftheMouthto
Mouthserieshostedbyfellowalum,SoniaGuiñansaca.
AmyPaulandJaiDulanirecentlyreadinNewYorkatQueensWritersResist.
LisaD.GraywillreadattheMissionCulturalCenterinSanFranciscoaspartoftheHazel
ReadingSeries.
ElizabethZertuchereadinCharlotte,NCaspartofCuentosParaGabo,acelebrationofthework
ofGabrielGarciaMarquez.
DuerteGeraldinoreadatNY’sSundaySalon.
VONAplaywrightsaregracingstagesintheMidwestandontheeastcoast!ScenesfromTanuja
Jagernauth’splay,Makers,werefeaturedintheChicago’sTheFutureisFemaleFest.Whilein
NewYorktherewasastagedreadingofAmandaTira’splay,Crocodile(TheLastEscape).
SpecialMiscellany
Zeitgeist-defining,independentfeministenterprise,BitchMedia,hadthedamngoodsenseto
nameoneofourown--LisaFactora-Borchers--astheirbrandnewEditorialDirector!She’s
lookingtopromotemoreworkbypeopleofcolorandisactivelyseekingourwritingandinfo
[email protected].
AlexisPaulineGumbshasbeengrinding.Herpoem,”SoYouKnow/SpellforYourRageFilled
Presence”wasselectedforBlackSpacesseries,PastPresentFuture;shewasinterviewedabout
herrecentpoetrybookSpill:ScenesofBlackFeministFugitivityinSocialText;waspartofa
roundtablediscussionofAbolitionandVisionaryFictionin“TheNewInquiry”magazinealong
withLeahLakshmi,Pipenza-SamarsinhaandAdrieneMareeBrownandwasalsotheguesthost
ofwebseriesLeftofBlack.
StephanieHong’sbook,SwimminginHongKing,wasreviewedinSiriusDustReviewandshe
wasinterviewedbyVONAalumReneeSimsortheSeattleReviewofBooks.
GingerMcKnight-Chaverswasinterviewedabouthernovel,IntheHeartofTexas,for
iamleroyjonenesjr.com.AndonL.A.’sSunsetStrip,independentbookstoreBookSouphosted
herreading.
MichaelWarr’sbook,OfPoetry&Protest:FromEmmettTilltoTrayvonMartinwasreviewedon
WritingWithoutPaper.
FacultyPhenoms
Readcarefully!MattJohnsonisthejudgeforSFWPs2040AwardsProgram.Programisonly
opentofictionandcreativenonfictionwritersofcolor!Winnerreceives$1000andabook
contract.Multipleentriesareaccepted.DeadlineisJuly7th.So,you’reapplying,right?
Oh,andhistweetsarehilariousasalways!
MattwasalsoamonganumberofVONAfacultyandalums--andatleastonealumwhose
becomefaculty--shiningonBuzzfeed’slistof“22ContemporaryAuthorsYouAbsolutelyShould
BeReading”:NatalieBaszile,TayariJones,ZZPackerandColsonWhitehead.
Tayari’sSilverSparrowisgettingsomegoodlove!Scenesfromthebookwereperformedat
ChattanoogaStateCommunityCollege,in"SoMuchDrama:TheatricalInterpretationsofSilver
Sparrow."ItwasalsoselectedfortheNEA’sBigRead,aprogramencouragingcommunitiesto
readasinglebooktoexplorearangeofvoices.HerownreflectionsonthenecessityofNEA
wereincludedElectricLit’s“14AuthorsontheLife-ChangingImpactoftheNEA”.
She’stheeditorofAtlantaNoir(AkashicBooks),anewcollectionofshortstoriesaboutthat
southerncity,whichfeaturesherownworkandthatofourspeculativefictioninstructor,
TannariveDue.ThebookisavailableforpreordernowandwillbereleasedthisAugust.
UngrandeVONAcongratulations!Felicidades!Gōngxǐ!Hambalyo!toourcofounderandgeneral
badass,JunotDíazashewasamong14authorsvotedintotheAmericanAcademyofArts&
Letters!Plus,hewashustlingasalways:areadingattheuniversityofManoainHawaiianda
lectureentitled“IWillBuildaGreatWall:NotesonBorders,ImmigrantsandtheFutureinthe
AgeofTrump”.
BothDanezSmithandPatriciaSmithwereincludedinHuffingtonPost’s“34PoetsofColor
Summarize2017inVerse”.
Patriciacanalsobefoundwithourfierceco-director,ElmazAbinaderandalumHeddySabbagh
HabrainTruthToPower:WritersRespondtoTheRhetoricofHateAndFear.Hedy’sUnderBrush
StrokeswasreviewedonLifeandLegends.”She’salsooneofthewritersincludedinthenewly
releasedGeosiInterviewsFiftyWritersWorldwide,LamarPress.
DanezwasalsofeaturedonAWPpanel“AReadingandConversationwithAracelisGirmay,Tim
SeibelesandDanezSmith”.
FaithAdielewasapanelistforadiscussionon“NavigatingSpaceforWomenThroughPoetry,
Literature”andArtatSanFrancisco’sMuseumoftheAfricanDiaspora.HerbookMeetingFaith
madeBookRiot’s“100MustReadAdventureBooks”alongwithCatfishandMandalabyVONA
memoirinstructor,AndrewPham.
Faith,ElmazandJunotareamongabattalionofwriterswhosefiercewordsareincludedinthe
upcominganthology,RadicalHope:LettersofLoveandDissentinDangerousTimes.The
collection—tobereleasedMay2ndbyVintagePress—isintendedtobearesourceofstrengthin
theseKafkaesquedays,alsofeatureswisdomfromVONAfacultyAchyObejas,Cherríe
Moraga,CristinaGarcíaandReynaGrandeaswellasalum,AyadeLeón.TheChicagoTribune
publishedapieceonthecollectionthiswinter.
ThespringissueofOxfordAmericanfeatures,“I’mTalkingAboutRevolution,”KieseLaymon’s
piecereflectingonthepoem“AnElegiacValedictory”byMargaretWalker.
Memoirfaculty,StaceyannChinnhasbeenslayingaudienceseverywhere!InNewYork,she
blessedtheApollostagetwicethiswintersharingherpoems“Islamaphobia”and“Racist”at
theirMLKcelebration.ThenreturnedforAfropunk’sUnapologeticallyBlackinwhichshewas
amongdazzlingline-upofartistshonoringthemusicofBlackprotest.Shealsoperformedaspart
ofThePeopleSpeak,basedontheworkofHowardZinn,attheBrooklynAcademyofMusic.In
WashingtonSquarePark,shewaspartofArtisticUprising,oneoftheongoingactions
supportingOneBillionWomenRising’seffortstocreatesolidarityagainsttheexploitationof
women.OtherperformanceswereatDC’sBusboyandPoets,UniversityofUtahandfor
Toronto’sMonomythSeries.
Edina,Minnesota’sCommunityCenterhostedDavidMuraandothersforadiscussiononracein
thatstate.Thetalkwasinconnectionwiththe2016anthologyAGoodTimeForTheTruth:Race
InMinnesota(Minnesota Historical Society Press). His essay, “A Surrealist History of
One Asian American in Minnesota” is included.Evertheactivist,healsospokeaboutAsian
Americanmentalhealthonat“OpenInanEmergency”,apanelproducedbyUniversityof
Minnesota’sAsianAmericanStudiesdepartment.
JapanTimesinterviewedMarjorieLiuforafeaturearticleaboutherworkcreatingathe
majesticaward-winningcomicfantasy,Monstress.Plus,shechattedwithhostsTatianaKingJonesandDJBenhameenongeekculturepodcast,Fanbros.
BichMinhNguyenwasoneofthereturningauthorsfeaturedinthe15thanniversarycelebration
ofSiliconValleyreads,aprogramthatchoosesbooksrelatedtoathemeforacommunitygroup
read.Bich’s2015memoir,StealingBuddha'sDinner,waspreviouslyfeaturedandshewas
chosentotakepartinadiscussionon“ThePowerofBooks.AtMichigan’sGrandValleyState
University,shewasalsothefeaturedspeakeratseveralevents,discussingherrelationshipto
thatcity,theplaceherfamilysettledafterfleeingSouthVietnam.