Ka Vang
Encyclopedia
Ka Vang is a Hmong
writer in the United States
. Vang was born in Long Cheng, Laos
, in April, 1975. A playwright
, fiction writer and poet
, she is a recipient of the Archibald Bush
Artist Fellowship and several other artistic and leadership awards. She performs frequently across the country and is actively involved in Asian American
community issues.
and a shaman, Vang grew up in her early years in Thai
refugee camp
s before resettling in the United States
Midwest, with the majority of her formative years spent in the Twin Cities
and the Frogtown quarter of St. Paul, Minnesota. She briefly attended the St. Agnes parochial school in the late 1980s before attending the local public high school.
Vang was the oldest of seven children in her family. At an early age, she was known for her intense curiosity and intelligence and a tendency to challenge established norms of American and Hmong society.
Bi-culturalism
was a significant issue in Vang's experience as she sought ways to succeed in both Hmong and American society, and this experience is frequently reflected in her later writing.
While issues of bi-culturalism are a part of the experiences of many Hmong refugees, Vang's approach is noteworthy for her consistent efforts to cultivate a more informed, global perspective of those issues, particularly through international travel.
degree with an emphasis in English Literature
.
In 1994, Vang attended Xavier University
, in New Orleans, Louisiana
, as part of the University of Minnesota's National Study Scholarship program, where she studied African American history
and literature.
In 1997, Vang studied at King's College London
, England as part of the University of Minnesota's Study Abroad program. There she studied literature and theater, with a focus on the work of William Shakespeare
.
, where she was frequently one of the first Hmong reporters at different newspapers, including the Minnesota Daily
, the Chicago Tribune
, and the Pioneer Press
.
Vang began experimenting with playwriting in the 2000s, starting as a 2001 and 2002 Many Voices Fellow at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.
Her one-act play, DISCONNECT, was performed at the Playwrights' Center and later by Theater Mu
during the 2001 New Eyes Festival. DISCONNECT has continued to be performed across the country including New York City, particularly since its appearance in the Hmong American literary anthology, Bamboo Among The Oaks
in 2002.
Another play, Dead Calling, was performed at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis in 2001. Dead Calling was one of the first Hmong mystery plays. The play was set in St. Paul and was noted by audiences for its frank depiction of interracial marriage in the Hmong community.
Her play, From Shadows to Light was be performed by Theater Mu in the fall of 2004 at the Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis. From Shadows to Light integrated contemporary international women's issues with traditional art forms from Asia, such as Indonesian shadow puppetry.
She is also featured the anthology, Charlie Chan
is Dead 2:At Home In The World, the first Hmong writer to be featured in the series.
Among her most well-known stories is "How Ms. Pac Man Ruined My Gang Life." Vang's work frequently incorporate elements of Magic Realism
from a Southeast Asian American perspective.
In 2008, Vang's writings were published in two bestselling anthologies. The essay titled, Butterfly Cycles, was published in "Riding Shotgun:Women Write about their Mothers," by Borealis Press in April and the short story, Meet Mr. Krenshaw, was published in "Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories" with Lethe Press in May.
"Riding Shotgun," was the bestselling local nonfiction book in Minnesota while "Haunted Hearths," was a bestseller in the United Kingdom.
Vang's poetry has a distinctive style compared to other Hmong writers for its strong imagery and use of metaphor, typically fused with contemporary social concerns as well as pop culture and literary references from both Western and Hmong traditions.
Her poems are written with a strong sense of the oral tradition of poetry, and contemporary influences of spoken word and performance poetry.
Well-known examples of her poetry include the poem 'Extraordinary Hmong,' originally written in response to African American poet Maya Angelou
's 'Phenomenal Woman' and Vang's poem 'Undiscovered Country' that includes references to Star Trek
, Shakespeare's Hamlet and John Cougar Mellencamp.
Vang's work is known for its frank confrontation of sex and sexuality, race, culture and racism, but also for its surprising subtlety and elaborate, yet accessible constructions and dark humor.
As a writer, Vang has worked with many Asian American writers collectives in the Midwest, including the Hmong Writer's Group and Unbound! Asian Women Write! She has also worked collaboratively with writer/activists such as Bao Phi
, Ed Bok Lee
, Juliana Pegues
, and Mai Neng Moua
and others living in Minnesota.
Vang frequently travels abroad to collect folklore and contemporary life stories from Hmong expatriate communities around the world. She is particularly interested in the stories of Hmong women, whose perspective she feels is frequently underrepresented in community discussions.
In 2009, she was featured in the book, "Hmong History Makers," published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Vang's professional career has included work with several non-profit organizations, frequently those committed to issues for refugee women and children, including the Southeast Asian Childcare Initiative, Parents In Community Action, Lao Family Community, Asian Media Access, Planned Parenthood, and brief consultant work for the National Youth Leadership Council.
In recent years, she has worked for Hamline University
and the Office of the Chancellor for MNSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) a statewide coalition of educational institutions.
In addition to her work on diversity in higher education, she is currently a columnist for the Minnesota Women's Press, and her work frequently appears in the Paj Ntaub Voice
, one of the first Hmong literary journals in the world.
She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family.
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
writer in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Vang was born in Long Cheng, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, in April, 1975. A playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, fiction writer and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, she is a recipient of the Archibald Bush
Archibald Bush
Archibald Granville Bush was an American businessman primarily involved with 3M.Bush was born in Granite Falls, Minnesota, and worked on the family farm as a youth, but his hayfever encouraged him to move to Duluth and study business. In 1914, he was hired as sales manager for the then-struggling...
Artist Fellowship and several other artistic and leadership awards. She performs frequently across the country and is actively involved in Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
community issues.
Early years
The daughter of a major in the Royal Lao ArmyRoyal Lao Army
The Royal Lao Army was the armed forces of the Kingdom of Laos. Its predecessor was the National Laotian Army - NLA of the French Union, created in 1947 from 'maquis', or guerrilla units gathered by French commandos. It was created in 1954 after the French granted Laos complete autonomy...
and a shaman, Vang grew up in her early years in Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s before resettling in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Midwest, with the majority of her formative years spent in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
and the Frogtown quarter of St. Paul, Minnesota. She briefly attended the St. Agnes parochial school in the late 1980s before attending the local public high school.
Vang was the oldest of seven children in her family. At an early age, she was known for her intense curiosity and intelligence and a tendency to challenge established norms of American and Hmong society.
Bi-culturalism
Biculturalism
Biculturalism in sociology involves two originally distinct cultures in some form of co-existence.A policy recognizing, fostering or encouraging biculturalism typically emerges in countries that have emerged from a history of national or ethnic conflict in which neither side has gained complete...
was a significant issue in Vang's experience as she sought ways to succeed in both Hmong and American society, and this experience is frequently reflected in her later writing.
While issues of bi-culturalism are a part of the experiences of many Hmong refugees, Vang's approach is noteworthy for her consistent efforts to cultivate a more informed, global perspective of those issues, particularly through international travel.
Education
Vang attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, graduating with a Political SciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
degree with an emphasis in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
.
In 1994, Vang attended Xavier University
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana , located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States, is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college with the distinction of being the only historically black Roman Catholic institution of higher education...
, in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, as part of the University of Minnesota's National Study Scholarship program, where she studied African American history
African American history
African-American history is the portion of American history that specifically discusses the African American or Black American ethnic group in the United States. Most African Americans are the descendants of captive Africans held in the United States from 1619 to 1865...
and literature.
In 1997, Vang studied at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, England as part of the University of Minnesota's Study Abroad program. There she studied literature and theater, with a focus on the work of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
.
Writing
Much of Vang's early writing years are highlighted by her work in journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, where she was frequently one of the first Hmong reporters at different newspapers, including the Minnesota Daily
Minnesota Daily
The Minnesota Daily is the campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, published Monday-Thursday while school is in session, and published weekly on Wednesdays during summer sessions. Published since 1900, the paper is one of the largest student-run and student-written newspapers...
, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, and the Pioneer Press
Pioneer Press
The Pioneer Press publishes 50 local newspapers in the metropolitan Chicago area. It is a division of the Sun-Times Media Group. Pioneer Press' headquarters is in Glenview...
.
Vang began experimenting with playwriting in the 2000s, starting as a 2001 and 2002 Many Voices Fellow at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.
Her one-act play, DISCONNECT, was performed at the Playwrights' Center and later by Theater Mu
Mu Performing Arts
Mu Performing Arts is a Minneapolis based theater group formed in 1992 by Rick Shiomi, Dong-il Lee, Diane Espaldon, and Martha Johnson. It is composed of Theater Mu, which features stage performances and Mu Daiko, a taiko drumming ensemble...
during the 2001 New Eyes Festival. DISCONNECT has continued to be performed across the country including New York City, particularly since its appearance in the Hmong American literary anthology, Bamboo Among The Oaks
Bamboo Among the Oaks
Bamboo Among the Oaks is the first Hmong American anthology of creative writing, published in 2002 by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. Many of the pieces contained in Bamboo Among The Oaks first appeared in the Paj Ntaub Voice Hmoob literary journal.Edited by Mai Neng Moua, Bamboo Among the...
in 2002.
Another play, Dead Calling, was performed at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis in 2001. Dead Calling was one of the first Hmong mystery plays. The play was set in St. Paul and was noted by audiences for its frank depiction of interracial marriage in the Hmong community.
Her play, From Shadows to Light was be performed by Theater Mu in the fall of 2004 at the Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis. From Shadows to Light integrated contemporary international women's issues with traditional art forms from Asia, such as Indonesian shadow puppetry.
She is also featured the anthology, Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
is Dead 2:At Home In The World, the first Hmong writer to be featured in the series.
Among her most well-known stories is "How Ms. Pac Man Ruined My Gang Life." Vang's work frequently incorporate elements of Magic Realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
from a Southeast Asian American perspective.
In 2008, Vang's writings were published in two bestselling anthologies. The essay titled, Butterfly Cycles, was published in "Riding Shotgun:Women Write about their Mothers," by Borealis Press in April and the short story, Meet Mr. Krenshaw, was published in "Haunted Hearths and Sapphic Shades: Lesbian Ghost Stories" with Lethe Press in May.
"Riding Shotgun," was the bestselling local nonfiction book in Minnesota while "Haunted Hearths," was a bestseller in the United Kingdom.
Vang's poetry has a distinctive style compared to other Hmong writers for its strong imagery and use of metaphor, typically fused with contemporary social concerns as well as pop culture and literary references from both Western and Hmong traditions.
Her poems are written with a strong sense of the oral tradition of poetry, and contemporary influences of spoken word and performance poetry.
Well-known examples of her poetry include the poem 'Extraordinary Hmong,' originally written in response to African American poet Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
's 'Phenomenal Woman' and Vang's poem 'Undiscovered Country' that includes references to Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, Shakespeare's Hamlet and John Cougar Mellencamp.
Vang's work is known for its frank confrontation of sex and sexuality, race, culture and racism, but also for its surprising subtlety and elaborate, yet accessible constructions and dark humor.
As a writer, Vang has worked with many Asian American writers collectives in the Midwest, including the Hmong Writer's Group and Unbound! Asian Women Write! She has also worked collaboratively with writer/activists such as Bao Phi
Bao Phi
Bao Phi, a Vietnamese American spoken word artist, writer and community activist living in Minnesota.Bao Phi was born in Sai Gon, Viet Nam, the youngest son to two mixed blood Chinese and Vietnamese parents who raised him in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis.A graduate of Macalester...
, Ed Bok Lee
Ed Bok Lee
Ed Bok Lee is the author of Real Karaoke People, a national best-seller in poetry and winner of a PEN/Open Book Award, an Asian American Literary Award , and a Many Voices Prize. Lee's second book is entitled Whorled .Lee was born in Fargo, North Dakota and raised in South Korea, North Dakota, and...
, Juliana Pegues
Juliana Pegues
Juliana Pegues is an American writer, performer and community activist living in Minnesota.Born in Taiwan and raised in Alaska, Pegues, has been a member of both the women of color theater group Mama Mosaic and Mango Tribe, a national Asian Pacific Islander American women's performance...
, and Mai Neng Moua
Mai Neng Moua
Mai Neng Moua is a Hmong writer and a founder of the Paj Ntaub Voice, a Hmong literary magazine. She is also the editor of the first anthology of Hmong American writers, Bamboo Among the Oaks...
and others living in Minnesota.
Vang frequently travels abroad to collect folklore and contemporary life stories from Hmong expatriate communities around the world. She is particularly interested in the stories of Hmong women, whose perspective she feels is frequently underrepresented in community discussions.
In 2009, she was featured in the book, "Hmong History Makers," published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Community life
Ka Vang has frequently gone on the record as being opposed to legislation such as the Hmong Marriage Bill in Minnesota that she felt did not adequately provide protection for the interests of young Hmong women.Vang's professional career has included work with several non-profit organizations, frequently those committed to issues for refugee women and children, including the Southeast Asian Childcare Initiative, Parents In Community Action, Lao Family Community, Asian Media Access, Planned Parenthood, and brief consultant work for the National Youth Leadership Council.
In recent years, she has worked for Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
and the Office of the Chancellor for MNSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) a statewide coalition of educational institutions.
In addition to her work on diversity in higher education, she is currently a columnist for the Minnesota Women's Press, and her work frequently appears in the Paj Ntaub Voice
Paj Ntaub Voice
The Paj Ntaub Voice is the longest-running literary arts journal focused on Hmong art and culture, containing original literary and visual artwork as well as criticism....
, one of the first Hmong literary journals in the world.
She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family.