Kao Kalia Yang at Flagler Writers-in-Residence

Historic City News was notified by Liz Daube, Flagler College Media Specialist, that Hmong-American writer Kao Kalia Yang will be the next speaker at Flagler College’s Writers-in-Residence program on March 2nd at 5:00 p.m. in the Gamache-Koger Theater.

Yang is the first Hmong-American to share her people’s story through literature. Her memoir, “The Latehomecomer,” a Midwest Booksellers Association Midwest Connection Pick, is as notable for its lyrical style as it is politically and historically newsworthy.

“The Latehomecomer” tells the story of Yang’s family in Laos, the refugee camps of Thailand and their new life in Minnesota. Publishers Weekly wrote, “readers will delight at how intimately they have become a part of this formerly strange culture.”

Although 300,000 Hmong found refuge in the United States after being displaced during America’s “secret war” in Laos, their stories have remained largely untold.

Yang has been working with English-as-a-second-language students for many years and has given workshops in schools and at conferences all over the country.

Other events for the 2008-2009 series include:

* Nance Van Winckel: March 5th at 7:00 p.m.; March 6th at 5:00 p.m.
* A Critical Lens: Literary Analysis of Coen Brothers Films: March 10th through 12th
* Benjamin Grossberg: April 15th at 7:00 p.m.

The Gamache-Koger Theater is located inside the Ringhaver Student Center, 50 Sevilla St. These events are free and open to the public, but seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit www.flagler.edu/writers.