The Diasporic Vietnamese Artist Network (DVAN) and the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) presented the Third San Francisco Vietnamese American Poetry & Art Festival, a premiere showcase for Vietnamese American writers and artists. The event was scheduled for Saturday, April 28 at the African American Arts and Culture Complex from 7-9 pm.
Hosted by Andrew Lam (NPR commentator), the festival features nationally recognized writers and artists from around the United States. They include spoken word artists Bao Phi (National Poetry Slam finalist), Fong Tran and Sahra Vang Nguyen; legendary poet Nguyen Do with Paul Hoover, and famed writers Andrew Pham (“Catfish and Mandala”) and Aimee Phan (“We Should Never Meet”). Bao Phi read from his new book of poem Song I Sing and Aimee Phan from her new novel The Reeducation of Cherry Truong. The program concluded with a performance by Cai Luong artist Quang Chanh. A reception followed the reading featuring artworks by Binh Danh, Christine Nguyen, Truong Tran, Mai Trinh and Khoi Nguyen.
The room was packed with an audience of over two hundred (see photos here).