LAOMAGINATION: 45 Years in Diaspora

Abstract:
The national touring exhibit LAOMAGINATION is a direct result of work with the students and faculty at UC Merced when Bryan was a 2017 Artist in Residence with the UC Merced Center for the Humanities. Using poetry, popular culture, science fiction, comedy, mythology, history, art and rare archival photos, he tours the US to help refugees and their neighbors understand the complicated journeys of Southeast Asians 45 years after the end of their wars.

Bio:
Born in Laos in 1973, Bryan Thao Worra is a 2009 US National Endowment for the Arts Fellow in Literature and a 2019 Joyce Fellow. He holds over 20 awards for his writing and community leadership over the last two decades. The author of 8+ books, he is the Creative Works Editor for the Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, and president of the International Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. His new book, Before We Remember We Dream, from Sahtu Press, reflects on the Southeast Asian diaspora.