May 25, 2023 (Santa Ana, California) – 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 Khoi Luu (Lưu Trường Khôi), an editor for 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 a Performance Showcase featuring local artists and performers 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. Admission to all events is free and open to the public.
Special Event Programming Schedule includes:
Author’s Panel moderated by Viet Thanh Nguyen, at the Santa Ana Public Library
- 10:00 am to 10:40 am – Breakfast/Coffee and Welcoming Remarks
- 10:40 am to 11:40 am – Discussion Panel with Khoi Luu (Lưu Trường Khôi), an editor for the 25th Anniversary edition of Watermark: Vietnamese American Poetry and Prose, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, co-founder of DVAN, and poet Lan Duong (Nothing Follows).
- 11:40 am to 12:00 pm – Audience Q&A
- 12:00 pm to 12:30pm – Break and book signing will editors of Watermark
- 12:30pm to 1:30pm – Lan Duong’s poetry reading of Nothing Follows and book signing.
Book Market at Alta Baja Market
- 3pm to 5pm –There will be several up-and-coming and established Vietnamese American authors coming from all over North America to speak on their work! The wide variety of books ranges from children’s books to adult nonfiction and fiction to a young adult novel! These authors will include Van Hoang, Line Papin, Cathy Linh Che and Tina A. Huynh, who will also take part in a designated book signing event. Attendees will be able to purchase their works, done in partnership with local Latine and women-owned bookstore, LibroMobile
Performance Showcase at The Frida Cinema.
- 7pm to 9pm – The festival will conclude with a night filled with local musicians and spoken word artists performing at the historic Downtown Santa Ana and Orange County’s only non-profit theater, The Frida Cinema. Co-presented by common ground oc, featured performers include Singer-Songwriter, Ashley Nguyen DeWitt, Latinx Alternative band, Robaflor and poetry and readings by writers Khoi Luu, Taylor Ngo and Jenni Trang Le. DJ January will be spinning beats throughout the night. Bonus event: Sông Cái Distillery will host a gin tasting from 7pm-7:30pm.
More information and event registration at
https://bit.ly/VietBookFest2023
Don’t miss out on the incredible selection of books, such as Nothing Follows by Lan Duong, that will be showcased at the festival! You can purchase them by clicking on the link below, and even have the chance to get your copy signed by the talented authors in attendance!
https://bookshop.org/shop/libromobile
For media inquiries or more information, please contact Corey, VAALA’s Communication Specialist, at coreylinh@vaala.org
About VAALA
Founded in 1991 by Vietnamese American journalists, artists and community members to fill a void and provide a space for artists to express themselves as a newly resettled immigrant community, the mission of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese arts and culture. Celebrating its 30th year of service, VAALA collaborates with diverse community partners to organize community-centered artistic cultural events, including art exhibitions, book signings, music recitals, plays and its annual Viet Film Fest and Gallery Beyond Walls programming. More information about VAALA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
About DVAN
The Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network (DVAN) celebrates and fosters diasporic Vietnamese literary voices. DVAN promotes nonfiction, fiction, and poetry to empower Vietnamese artists in the diaspora to inspire understanding and dialogue within our community, and with others. Our complex and diverse stories must be championed and passed on to current and future generations. We are refugees, immigrants, survivors, and descendants, and our stories must be heard. More information about DVAN on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About LibroMobile
LibroMobile Arts Cooperative (LMAC) is a small sized, hybrid nonprofit organization established in 2016 by local author Sarah Rafael García in Santa Ana, California. It was initiated through support from its fiscal agent Red Salmon Arts, a partner hybrid nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, and a five thousand dollar Investing in the Arts Grant by the City of Santa Ana. Although started with a minimal amount of funding, the hybrid nonprofit organization serves as the only literary arts cultural center for approximately 300K+ residents in the City of Santa Ana of which 80% are Latina/o/x as part of Orange County that is 60% people of color.