Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association | Viet Book Fest
The Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) proudly presents Viet Book Fest, a one-day event celebrating Vietnamese diasporic literature scheduled for June 3rd, 2023 in the Downtown Santa Ana area. The programming will include an author panel and book signing with Barbara Tran, Khoi Luu (Lưu Trường Khôi), the editors of the 25th Anniversary edition of Watermark: Vietnamese American Poetry and Prose, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, co-founder of the Diasporic Vietnamese Artist Network (DVAN), as well as as well as acclaimed author Lan Duong, who will discuss her newly released poetry collection, Nothing Follows. This event will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and hosted at the Santa Ana Public Library. Additionally a Book Market event showcasing several emerging Vietnamese-American authors will take place at Alta Baja Market, followed by Open Mic Night at The Frida Cinema to wrap up the festivities. This event is a collaboration with the Diasporic Vietnamese Artist Network (DVAN) to amplify our community’s literary voices.
Admissions to events will be free and open to the public.
Schedule
10:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Author’s Panel moderated by Viet Thanh Nguyen at Santa Ana Public Library
Special Author’s Panel bringing together Barbara Tran and Khoi Luu (Lưu Trường Khôi), the editors of the 25th Anniversary edition of Watermark: Vietnamese American Poetry and Prose, one of the founders of DVAN, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, as well as, acclaimed poet, Lan Duong. The discussion panel and Q&A will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen (The Sympathizer). Subsequently, there will be a poetry reading by Lan Duong and a book signing event with all authors. There will also be an opportunity drawing for attendees to have the chance to win either book!
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Book Market at Alta Baja Market
There will be several up-and-coming Vietnamese American authors who will discuss their latest works as well as take part in a designated book signing event. Attendees will be able to purchase their works as well as other recent and historical Vietnamese diasporic literature. In partnership with local Latine and women-owned bookstore, LibroMobile
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Opening Mic Night at The Frida Cinema
The festival will conclude with a night filled with local spoken word artists performing at the historic Downtown Santa Ana and Orange County’s only non-profit theater, The Frida Cinema
