ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE OF WRITING
The Writers Post
    LITERATURE & LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION
VOLUME 6 - NUMBER 2, JULY 2004

Copyright © The Writers Post 1999-2004.

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                      Current issue: VOLUME 6 -NUMBER 2, JULY 2004

 

           Love story by Ho Huu Thu   

Copyright © The Writers Post 1999-2004. Nothing in this issue may be downloaded, distributed, or reproduced without the permission of the author, translator, artist, The Writers Post, and Wordbridge magazine. Creating links to place The Writers Post or any of its pages within other framesets or in other documents is copyright violation, and is not permitted.

 

Editorial note: Most of the works published in this electronic magazine are simultaneously published in the printed Wordbridge (ISSN: 1540-1723), and vice-versa.

The author’s biographies, the notes on contributors published in THE WRITERS POST and simultaneously in the WORDBRIDGE are written by N. Saomai, the editor-in-chief of the magazines. In The Writers Post, there are three sections in which an author’s biography or a note on the author appears: the issue itself, the author’s bio section, and the list of Vietnamese poets and writers abroad. The author’s bios, and the listings of Vietnamese poets and writers abroad are subject to change where needs be to bring factual information on the authors published in The Writers Post up to date. We thank the writers published in The Writers Post who grant the magazine permission to publish their photographs along with their works or their bios.

 

Featured artist:  HO HUU THU

 

 Ho Huu Thu, born in 1940 in Nghe An, graduated from the National Fine Art College of Saigon in 1963. He is the former professor of the National Fine Art College of Saigon after 1971, and a Member of Vietnam’s Plastic Artists’ Association and of the Fine Arts Association of Ho Chi Minh City. STUDIO: 15B Nguyen Van Thu, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

-----> Cover art Love story (120 x 120cm, lacquer)

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙

 

Associated magazine: 

WORDBRIDGE MAGAZINE  (ISSN: 1540-1723).

WORDBRIDGE, published in the US, is the pioneering magazine of Vietnamese literature in translation in print, and a magazine for literary works of quality originally written in English by established and new writers, edited by the same editor of the Songvan (ISSN: 1089-8123) and The Writers Post (ISSN: 1527-5469). Wordbridge contains selected literary pieces in a variety of genres: fiction (short stories, excerpts from unpublished novel), poetry (rhymed poems, free verse), translations, reviews, literary critiques, and essays on literature and art.

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 N. Saomai, Publisher, Editor-in-chief

WORDBRIDGE & The Writers Post.

letter from the editor

 

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_____________________________________________________

 

VOLUME 6 – ISSUE OF JULY 2004

 

 

Editorial Page & Letter to the editor

The Writers Post welcomes letters to the editor, especially letters which are in response to a critique published in The Writers Post. Letters must include the sender’s address and telephone number for verification, and senders must identify themselves by real name. Anonymous letters will not be read. If you send your letter via e-mail, it must be pasted into the body of the e-mail. Don’t send attachments. If you prefer to send your letter via conventional mail, please find The Writers Post’s conventional mail address in The Writers Post Home Page. The editor forfeits the right to correct typing errors or known factual errors, and your letter will be printed as-is. The writers published in The Writers Post express their readiness to discuss any issues they wrote, and The Writers Post would like to print any response, especially to criticism, for other point of view. However, a letter that is considered potentially libelous, or a response that includes the response of a third person will not be published (Here we have a simple reason, an indirect response is considered personal issue, and a bad-behaved response, if intended to be hidden inside the other person’s feedback is considered of low quality and anonymous). Although The Writers Post doesn’t guarantee their publication, all letters are welcomed. ----            

                                   

   

    Literature in translation

    POETRY - SHORT STORY - ESSAY

       Of modern dance and creativity   Personal essay by Uyen Nicole Duong (click title)

Uyen Nicole Duong, pseudonym of Duong Nhu Nguyen, was born in Hoi An Quang Nam, brought up in Hue and Saigon (former capital of South Vietnam). Uyen Nicole Duong received her B.S. in Journalism / Communication from Southern Illinois University, J.D. from University of Houston (Texas), and LLM from Harvard Law School (Cambridge MA). She is believed to be the first Vietnamese Municipal Judge in the United States (Serving in Texas: Associate Municipal Judge, City of Houston, and Magistrate for State of Texas; honoured by the American Bar Association at “Minority Women in the Judiciary” conference – NYC, 1992). Practicing law but she sees herself primarily as a writer, and writes in two languages: Vietnamese and English. Her pieces in Vietnamese appeared in numerous literary magazines, her English's in SongVan magazine and Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal. Uyen Nicole Duong's first book 'Mui huong que', a collection of short stories, was published by Van Nghe Publisher in 1999. Her short story The young woman who practiced singing originally published in Songvan Magazine under pseudonym NhuNguyen Nicole (January-April issue, 1988) won two awards, one of which was the Stuart Miller Writing Award organised by District of Columbia Bar Association, 1988. Her short story The Ghost of Ha Tay published in the last issue was a finalist selection for the Columbine Award of the Moondance Film Festival 2001. Uyen Nicole Duong also writes articles, critiques. Her article "Gender Issues in Vietnam – The Vietnamese Woman: Warrior and Poet" appeared in the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal, University of Washington, College of Law, March 2001.

“During the 70s, 80s and 90s, Nicole Duong was an amateur dancer/actress who started acting while in college at the School of Communication, Southern Illinois University.  Her first professional theater appearance was in the acclaimed musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, produced in Houston, Texas (1979).  She then quit acting to go to law school in 1980.  She returned to stage work in 1990 via her training in musical theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York City, and Pasadena, California.  While practicing law, she performed periodically before small audiences in professional productions off Broadway, in Texas, Virginia, California, Singapore, and Malaysia. She handled roles such as Lotus Blossom in the controversial remake of Teahouse of the August Moon by The Arlington Players and The Dominion Theater, Virginia; Imelda Marcos in a political satire produced at the Strand Theater by the Galveston Bar Association, Texas; and Estelle, the ingenue, in J.P. Sartre’s No Exit produced off Broadway by a group of lawyer-actors associated with the International Bar Association”.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙  Of modern dance and creativity   Uyen Nicole Duong’s Bio

 

    Face to face   by Hong Khac Kim Mai (Click title for the story)

Hong Khac Kim Mai, born a descendant of Hong Tu Toan --Thai Binh Thien Quoc on 10-15-1945, educated at College Francais de Tourane (Da-Nang), Lycee Marie Curie (Saigon), and Faculty of Letters – University of Saigon (where she joined the student association of which she was later one of the acknowledge leaders), and SU (US), and afterwards became a professor of Vietnamese literature, and a teacher of piano-playing, at various French Colleges in South Vietnam. Hong Khac Kim Mai escaped Vietnam with her children, and resettled in 1977 in the US, where she became a System Analyst (Oregon, Health Department) and a Data Processing Consultant (DASD). After 1999, she abandoned her job to live her secluded life, and devoted most of her time to her literary pursuits. At the age of 15 Hong Khac Kim Mai started composing poetry, in French and Vietnamese, under her real name Hong Khac Kim Mai. Her poems first appeared in the literary magazine Pho Thong which was then under the editorship of the late poet Nguyen Vy. Her poetry collection Mat Mau Nau published in 1965 interested many intellectual readers in Saigon, and brought her into public notice, before came under attacks for being a work of decadent culture, and was banned by the after-1975 government. Mat Mau Nau, the work for which she was best known, was followed by Nhu Phu Van (poetry), Vo Thap (science fiction). Hong Khac Kim Mai writes in Vietnamese language, and recently in English. The short story Face To Face published in this issue is originally written in English, and later in Vietnamese (the Vietnamese version entitled ‘Giap Mat’ appeared in Nguon magazine, issue 3, June 2004). Another short story, Unlimited Prosperity, is also written in English and Vietnamese (the Vietnamese version entitled Sung Man Vo Han Dinh). Hong Khac Kim Mai is a woman of broad cultural interests. She composes music and spends time on painting. Tim Noi Suoi Thuong is her collection of songs. In the US, her poems and short stories appeared in the established literary magazines: The Ky 21, Van Hoc, Van, Song Van, Wordbridge, Tap Chi Tho, and recently the new monthly Nguon published in California. 

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   Face to face  Hong Khac Kim Mai’s Bio

 

    Loss, Softly   by Thanh Nhung (click title)

Thanh Nhung, pseudonym of Cong Huyen Ton Nu Nha Trang, known principally for her poetry published during the period from 1958 to 1965 in the magazine Pho Thong which was under the editorship of poet Nguyen Vy, and for her two poetry collections published in 1959. A descendant of Emperor Minh Mang of the Nguyen dynasty and of his eleventh son the poet prince Tuy Ly Vuong, Thanh Nhung was born, in 1941 in NhaTrang, the eldest daughter of the late writer poet B. D. Ai My and the poet Tam Tan, who is also known by pen names Trinh Nu and Trinh Tien. Educated at Vo Tanh High School (Nhatrang: 1954-60), Quoc Hoc High School (Hue: 60-61), Faculty of Letters, University of Saigon where she studied English, Vietnamese Literature (61-62), she pursued higher education in Japan and the US, obtained a Ph. D. degree in Asian Studies from University of California at Berkeley (1973). As a professor, poet, writer, and translator living and travelling in twenty countries, she taught and delivered lectures at several universities, published her poems and articles in a number of inland and overseas journals, has been an Associate Editor for The Vietnam Forum and the Lac Viet series of books on Viet Nam (both co-published by Yale University, Southeast Asia Studies and the William Joiner Center, U/Mass, Boston), translated into Vietnamese two book-length Guides and into English a novel. Thanh Nhung received her first publication royalty at age twelve for a short story entitled "A Bowl of Rice in Wartime", and began to compose poetry a couple of years before having her first poem published in Pho Thong in 1958. Her two poetry collections, Tieng Tho Mien Trung (poetry anthology, co-authored with Cao Hoanh Nhan and friends. Vietnam: 1959) and Hoa Muoi Phuong (poetry anthology, co-authored with Dinh Giang and friends. Vietnam: 1959), which were published under the pseudonym Thanh Nhung in 1959, followed by Vietnamese Folklore: An Introductory and Annotated Bibliography. [University of California, Berkeley: Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies, 1970], Favourite Stories from Vietnam. [Hongkong: Heinemann Educational Books (Asia) Ltd., 1978 & 1979], More Folk Narratives from Vietnam. [Singapore: Heinemann Educational Books (Asia) Ltd., 1985], Folk Narratives from Vietnam. [Singapore: Heinemann Educational Books (Asia) Ltd., 1985], The Moon of Hňa Běnh [two-volume novel, co-authored with William L. Pensinger. Bangkok: Foundation Autopoy, 1994], and The Green Belt [Translation work, in collaboration with William L. Pensinger, from the Vietnamese novel Vong Dai Xanh (1971) by Ngo The Vinh. (Raleigh, North Carolina: Ivy House Publishing Group, 2004)]. 

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   Loss, Softly  Thanh Nhung’s Bio

 

     Peace will come no sooner  by Ngo The Vinh (click title)

Ngo The Vinh, born in 1941 in Thanh Hoa, doctor, member of the editorial staff and the editor-in-chief of Tinh-Thuong magazine, a monthly published by the School of Medicine (Saigon University), former 81st Airborne Ranger M.D. during the Vietnam War. His novel Vong Dai Xanh (The Green Belt), published in 1970, won the 1971 National Prize for Literature. Vong Dai Xanh 2nd edition was published in 1987 (California: Van Nghe, 1987). This is the fourth book of the author, after Gio Mua published in 1965, Bong Dem 1964, and May Bao 1963. Vong Dai Xanh are followed by his fifth ‘Mat Tran O Saigon’ published by Van Nghe Publisher in 1996 in the US, a collection of 12 short stories, half of which was written before 1975 in Vietnam, the other half written abroad after 1975, and of which the best-known is the short story ‘Mat tran o Saigon’. His most recent books are Cuu Long Can Giong Bien Dong Day Song (also published by Van Nghe Publisher. California: 2000), and The Green Belt, a translation version of Vong Dai Xanh translated by Nha Trang and William L. Pensinger (Raleigh, NC: Ivy House Publishing Group, 2004). His forthcoming collection of stories ‘The Battle of Saigon’, another translation version, will be published by Xlibris, from which two short stories are first published in The Writers Post and the Wordbridge. ‘Peace will come no sooner’ published in this issue is his second appearance in this magazine, after his short story ‘The battle of Saigon’ published in the last issue: Volume 5 Double Issue Winter 2003 & Spring 2004. 

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙     Peace will come no sooner  Ngo The Vinh’s Bio

 

     Without a native land by Nguyen Huu Tri (click title)

Nguyen Huu Tri, short-story writer, professor, translator, interviewer and editor, born in 1936 in NhaTrang (Vietnam), educated at Vo Tanh College (NhaTrang), obtained his Baccalaureate II (1958). Pursuing his higher education, in 1959, he went to the US on the Leadership Training Scholarship (1959-1964), received his BA in English from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio (1962), his M.S in Linguistics from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (1964), and in 1981, his Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. He returned to Vietnam in 1964, and became an Associate Professor of English and Linguistics, taught courses in Practical English, American Literature, and Methodology of Teaching English as a Foreign Language at the universities: University of Saigon (Faculty of Letters, Faculty of Pedagogy, and Medical School), University of Can Tho, and Van Hanh University where he later became, 1966-69, the Director of the Language Center, administered and directed four distinct language programs in English, French, German and Japanese, supervised 14 college teachers of different nationalities. Also, he was an ESL Instructor at the Army Language School of the Vietnamese American Association (under the direction of USIA), and IBM. Saigon. Coming back to and settling in the US in 1969, he worked as a Consultant, IDA, Science and Technology Division (Language and Translation Study) in Washington, D.C. And afterwards, from 1970 to 1971, an Assistant to the Cultural Officer, Embassy of the Republic of Vietnam, Washington, D.C.; from 1971 to 1972, an Instructor of Vietnamese at World Instruction and Translation Inc. (Defense Language Institute contractor), Arlington, Virginia, where he taught Vietnamese to American military personnel; from 1975 to 1976, a Consultant at the National Bilingual Resource Center at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, where he helped many school districts in six Southeastern states set up ESL programs for Indochinese students; and from 1977 to 2002, a Professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Parallelly, from 1972 to present, he was working at VOA as a POV at the Vietnamese Service (1972-1982), and from 1982 onwards, an International Radio Broadcaster (Vietnamese), an interviewer, and an editor. In the field of literature, Nguyen Huu Tri made his name as a writer with the publication of “Thang Ngo” (1992), a collection of Vietnamese language short-stories, which was followed by “An Trua, Nghe Ke Chuyen Tinh”, another collection of stories published by Van (1999). “Without a native land” published in this issue is his first appearance in The Writers Post and the Wordbridge, and is the translation version of the short story “Khong mot chon que” from the collection “An Trua Nghe Ke Chuyen Tinh”, translated by Tran Le Khanh, co-translator (with Thien Nhat Phuong) of “Truong khuc dua Me ve bien dong /Tributes to Mother on her way home via pacific ocean” by poet Du Tu Le published by HT Production in 2002.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙    Without a native land   Nguyen  Huu Tri’s Bio

 

    The hamlet by the wood by Lam Chuong (click title)

Lam Chuong, born in 1942 in Tay Ninh South Vietnam, an officier in the South Vietnam Armed Force. After South Vietnam fell for the Communist in 1975, Lam Chuong was arrested and imprisoned in re-education camps. Released from the camp, he escaped Vietnam in 1987, resettled in Boston, Massachusetts. Before 1975, Lam Chuong contributed to Van, Van hoc, Bach Khoa, Khoi Hanh, Nghe Thuat. Resuming his writing when living abroad he contributed to Lua Viet, Van Hoc, Hop Luu, Song Van, Di Toi, Khoi Hanh, and many more. His work deals principally with both the problems of freedom and life in the re-education camps under the Communist regime in Vietnam, and different from many other expatriate Vietnamese writers’, rarely with the expatriate life in the US Lam Chuong’s short stories about re-education camps, in which he condemned the criminal conduct of the camps and the constant brutality towards prisoners, are based on his own experiences during his being detained of ten years from 1975 to 1985. His first book, a collection of poetry, Loai Cay Nho Gio published in 1971 (Vietnam: Khai Pha, 1971) was followed by Doan Duong Hot Tat Liet (Collection of short stories. California: Van Moi, 1998), Lo Cu (Collection of short stories. California: Van Hoc, 2000), Di Giua Bay Thu Du (Collection of short stories. California: Van Moi, 2002), Truyen va Nhung doan van (Collection of stories and articles. California: Van Moi, 2004).

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙     The hamlet by the wood   Lam Chuong

 

     Night without power in the US by Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh (click title)

Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh -- Her most recent book is Dau An, a novel published by Van Moi Publisher (2004). This is the fifth book of the author, after Tron Vao Giac Mo Em, a collection of poetry published by Thanh Van Publisher (1997), O Doi Song Nay (a collection of short stories) published by Dai Nam Publisher (1989), Giot Le Xe Hai (a novel) published by Van Khoa Publisher, and Cuoi Dem Dai (a collection of short stories) published by An Tiem Publisher (1993). Her poems have recently appeared in numerous magazines, her short story has been anthologized in "Tho van hai ngoai nam 2000" (CA: Van Moi Publisher, 2000). Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh is presently the co-editor of Gio Van (with Han Song Tuong, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Nhung, and Phan Tuyen Tu), a literary magazine founded in 2002 in the US.  

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙    Night without power in the US   Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh

 

      Thank you, my child by Tran Mong Tu (click title)

Tran Mong Tu, born on 19-12-1943 in Ha Dong (North Vietnam), grew up in Ha Noi and Hai Phong, came to Saigon (South Vietnam) in 1954. Tran Mong Tu settled in Washington, USA from 1975. Also, she started her writing in 1975. Her first collection of poetry ‘Tho Tran Mong Tu (Nguoi Viet, 1900) was followed by ‘Cau truyen cua la phong (The Ky, 1994) and ‘De em lam gio’ (Poetry. The Ky, 1996).

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   Thank you, my child   Tran Mong Tu’s Bio

 

     

 

My Life for my Mom laughter by Tran Trung Dao (click title)

Tran Trung Dao, born in Duy Xuyen Quang Nam, educated at Tran Quy Cap College (Hoi An) and University of Van Hanh. He came to the US in 1981, resettled in Boston, Massachusetts. His first book, a collection of poetry, ‘Doi ca thien thu tieng Me cuoi’ published in 1993 (2nd edition in 1996) was followed by another collection of poetry ‘Thao thuc’ published in 1997.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   Tran Trung Dao’s Bio

 

      Suddenly one day by Hoang Xuan Son (click title)

Hoang Xuan Son, or Su Mac (pseudonym), born in Vy Da-Thua Thien (Vietnam) in 1942 (registered as 1947 in his birth certificate), teacher and public servant, was educated at universities from where he graduated: University of Saigon (Bachelor degree of Education -Western philosophy), and University of Dalat (Master of Business Administration). Hoang Xuan Son began writing poetry in 1963. His first poem 'Ngay be lon len' appeared in Van magazine in 1964 (the magazine was then under the editorship of Tran Phong Giao, published by the publisher Nguyen Dinh Vuong), was followed by many others published in Van, Chinh Van, Nghien Cuu Van Hoc, Khoi Hanh, Thoi Tap, Nha Van magazines. In 1981, he left Vietnam for Canada where he settled. ‘Vien Pho’, his first collection of poetry published in 1989 by Viet Chien Publisher was followed by ‘Hue Buon Chi’ published in 1993, and ‘Luc Bat Hoang Xuan Son’ published by Thu An Quan in 2004. Beside these three publications, Hoang Xuan Son's poems have appeared in numerous literary magazines, anthologies, and electronic literary magazines on the World Wide Web published or based in the US and Canada. A new poetry collection Tho Quynh and a CD titled Quynh Huong that presents the songs of ten distinguished songwriters are in preparation.  

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙    Suddenly one day  Hoang Xuan Son’s Bio

 

True The lesson Just a dream

Always keeping cool to see visitor off at gateway Him by Mai Van Phan (click title)

Mai Van Phan, born in 1955 in Ninh Binh, Red River Delta, North Vietnam, member of Vietnam Writer’s Association, winner of some awards for poetry in the provincial and national competition. Mai Van Phan’s Giot Nang (Sun Drop), a collection of poems published by Hoi Van Hoc Nghe Thuat Thanh Pho Hai Phong (The Literature and Arts Association of Hai Phong City) in 1992, was followed by Goi Xanh (Calling Green – poetry collection. Ha Noi, Vietnam: Hoi Nha Van Vietnam /Vietnam Writer’s Association, 1995), Cau Nguyen Ban Mai (Morning Prayer – poetry collection. Hai Phong, Vietnam: Hai Phong Publisher, 1997),  Nghi Le Nhan Ten (Name Giving Ceremony – poetry collection. Hai Phong, Vietnam: Hai Phong Publisher, 1999), Nguoi Cung Thoi (People in the same Era – epic.  Hai Phong, Vietnam: Hai Phong Publisher, 1999), Vach Nuoc (Water wattle - poetry collection. Hai Phong, Vietnam: Hai Phong Publisher, 2003). His poems also appeared in more than 30 anthologies, including FULCRUM 3 published in the US; in many journals published in Vietnam, including the monthly VAN of the Vietnam Writer’s Association of Ho Chi Minh City, which is under the editorship of Anh Duc, editorial address: 81 Tran Quoc Thao – Q.3 – TP. Ho Chi Minh (Anh da roi, Van: Xuan Mau Dan 1998, Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh 12.1997 – 1.1998); and in the magazines and Vietnamese language websites published abroad, including “Thi Luan” Magazine (S. Korean) and TIEN VE, an online centre for literature and the arts, based in Australia, http://www.tienve.org (24 poems were posted on this website). True, The lesson, Just a dream, Always keeping cool to see visitor off at gateway, and Him published in this issue are Mai Van Phan’s most recent poems, written in Vietnamese language, translated into English by translator Xuan Oanh. The Vietnamese versions are posted on Tien-Ve Website. 

About the translator:

Xuan Oanh, pseudonym of Do Xuan Oanh, born in Quang Yen, Quang Ninh Province, North Vietnam on January 4, 1923, into a poor worker family of the coal mine area; self-educated and became a jack-of-all-trades – journalist, painter, writer, social worker, song writer, translator, peace activist etc. Xuan Oanh translated into Vietnamese many American novels, including Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Also, he translated into English the play Truong Ba’s Soul in the Butcher’s Skin to be performed in the US. He retired in 1990 to continue with music and translation works.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   Mai Van Phan’s Bio

      Return to top   

     English literature

     SHORT STORY

     Water charm by Lee Minh McGuire (click title)

Lee Minh McGuire, born in Vung Tau, South Vietnam, graduated from Washington State University. Lee Minh McGuire presently writes, teaches, and studies in Urbana, Illinois. Works appeared in Absinthe Literary Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Powhatan Review, and Wordbridge.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   Lee Minh McGuire’s Bio

 

       The three children of a Vietnamese schoolteacher by Uyen Nicole Duong (click title)

Uyen Nicole Duong, pseudonym of Duong Nhu Nguyen, was born in Hoi An Quang Nam, brought up in Hue and Saigon (former capital of South Vietnam). Uyen Nicole Duong received her B.S. in Journalism / Communication from Southern Illinois University, J.D. from University of Houston (Texas), and LLM from Harvard Law School (Cambridge MA). She is believed to be the first Vietnamese Municipal Judge in the United States (Serving in Texas: Associate Municipal Judge, City of Houston, and Magistrate for State of Texas; honoured by the American Bar Association at “Minority Women in the Judiciary” conference – NYC, 1992). Practicing law but she sees herself primarily as a writer, and writes in two languages: Vietnamese and English. Her pieces in Vietnamese appeared in numerous literary magazines, her English's in SongVan magazine and Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal. Uyen Nicole Duong's first book 'Mui huong que', a collection of short stories, was published by Van Nghe Publisher in 1999. Her short story The young woman who practiced singing originally published in Songvan Magazine under pseudonym Nhu Nguyen Nicole (January-April issue, 1988) won two awards, one of which was the Stuart Miller Writing Award organised by District of Columbia Bar Association, 1988. Her short story The Ghost of Ha Tay published in the last issue was a finalist selection for the Columbine Award of the Moondance Film Festival 2001. Uyen Nicole Duong also writes articles, critiques. Her article "Gender Issues in Vietnam – The Vietnamese Woman: Warrior and Poet" appeared in the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal, University of Washington, College of Law, March 2001.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   The three children…    Uyen Nicole Duong’s Bio

 

     Laud to Pope John Paul II   Girl friend  by Thanh Thanh (click title)

Thanh Thanh, pseudonym of Le Xuan Nhuan, born in Hue City Vietnam, in 1930. He leads the "Xay Dung" literary group and publishing house, which, owing to the numerous books it had published, was recognized as a main branch of the Vietnamese Cultural Tree at the unique pre-1975 National Cultural Festival in Saigon in the '50s. His first poems and short stories appeared in the Hanoi-based magazines ‘Truyen Ba’ and ‘Tieu Thuyet Thu Bay’ as early as in 1943. In the States, he has published "Ve Vung Chien-Tuyen / Back to the Front Line" (memoirs – California: Van Nghe, 1996), "Con Ac-Mong / The Nightmare" (poems – Texas: The-Gioi Moi, 1998), "Canh-Sat-Hoa, Quoc-Sach Yeu-Tu cua Viet-Nam Cong-Hoa” (California: Xay-Dung, 2002). His poems were published by many American Poetry Associations in more than 12 anthologies including ‘Best Poems of the ’90s (Maryland: National Library of Poetry, 1996), ‘Who’s Who in New Poets’ (New York: Who’s Who in New Poets), etc; some poems were selected for the audio anthology ‘Sound of Poetry’ (Maryland: NLP, ’90s. Thanh Thanh is a member PEN International, and a lifetime member of The International Society of Poets.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   Thanh Thanh’s Bio

 

    The road climbs high above the timberline  by Tu Huynh (click title)

Tu Huynh, was born the son of an officer in the Southern military force in 1970 in Vietnam. His father, who participated in the 1966 Central Vietnam uprising, died in 1972 when he was two years old. In 1975, one day before the fall of Saigon on April 30 ending the war of attrition and the corruptible, inefficient systems of military government his father protested, he left a collapsed South Vietnam. A Chinook piloted by his uncle picked up him and his family from the centre of the capital at 4:AM for nowhere but the ocean with no certainty of a safe destination. But ships seemed to be waiting. Afterwards, he came to the US, where he settled. Tu Huynh wrote poems and painted in his early age. Graduated from University of Florida in Fine Art with Honours in 1995, he painted regularly ever since. He first exhibited in 1994 in Focus Gallery, The University of Florida - Gainesville, FL. From 2000 to 2003, he was working as an Assistant Curator and Exhibitions Developer at The African American Museum in Philadelphia, assisted in the design, development, research and installation of several exhibitions at AAMP including: Nurturing Spirits: A Survey of the Art of Albert Chong; Freedom Without Concession; Lest We Forget: Glorious Legacies of Our African Past; Dolls To Remember; Philly Sound; and Affirmations-Objects and Movements. From 2003 to present, as a Program Coordinator at the Office of the City Representative, Arts and Culture–Philadelphia, he coordinated four municipal visual arts programs at Philadelphia’s City Hall: Art In City Hall, The Student Exhibition (in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia), The National Arts Program, and the Special Exhibition; worked with the Art In City Hall Advisory Council and its committees to develop exhibitions, explore long range and financial planning, and organize special events and receptions; and with the Office to implement Public Relations strategies and community outreach initiatives as required for each exhibition. His first poem ‘A painter’s crossing’ appeared in Songvan magazine in 1999. 

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙   The road climbs high…   Tu Huynh’s Bio

 

     Piece of me by Vu Thi An (click title)

Vu Thi An, or GTV, pseudonym of Nguyen Thuy Ai, born in Tra Vinh, South Vietnam, immigrated with her parents, after the fall of Saigon in 1975, when she was in her teens. Settling in the US, she was educated at Mount Union College in Ohio, from where she received her BS in Chemistry, and at Baldwin Wallace College in Ohio, from where she received her MBA. Vu Thi An had published two poetry collections when, in 1997 and in 1999, she wished to raise fund to help, through HOPE Program, the children who are made orphans by the Vietnam war. These are also the poetry collections that made her debut as a poet: Tinh que-Tinh Tho published in 1997, and Cuoi Neo Duong Hanh Phuc published in 1999. Vu Thi An writes in two languages: Vietnamese and English. Her poems in Vietnamese (under her pseudonym Vu Thi An) appeared in the magazines: Van Nghe Tien Phong (Vietnam), Co Thom (Virginia), Hai Ngoai Nhan Van (Massachusetts), and Que Huong Hai Ngoai (Michigan). Some English essays of her (under her pseudonym GTV) appeared in The Writers Post, and Wordbridge.

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙    Piece of me    Vu Thi An’s Bio

     ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS:

 

     Tran Le Khanh translator of short story “Without a native land”

Tran Le Khanh, writer, translator, social worker in the State of Washington, former teacher at Trung Vuong High School (Saigon, South Vietnam). Tran Le Khanh received her B.A. in Education from Saigon University, and her M.A. in Mental Heath Counseling from Pacific Lutheran University in Washington. She taught ESL and Vietnamese, and is a State Social Worker in Washington. As a translator, she translated into English ‘Truong khuc me ve bien Dong’ by Du Tu Le / ‘Tributes To Mother On The Way Home Via Pacific Ocean’ (in collaboration with Thien Nhat Phuong). 

˙ RETURN TO CONTRIBUTORS ˙     Without a native land

 

      Nguyen Ngoc Bich  translator of "Night without power in the US".

Nguyen Ngoc Bich, educator, lecturer, author, translator, born in Hanoi Vietnam, educated in Saigon, the US, Japan and Europe, received his B.A. in Political Science from Princeton University in 1958. He did graduate work in Asia studies at Columbia University (1959-65), Japanese literature at Kyoto University (1962-63) bilingual education and theoretical linguistics at Georgetown University (1980-85). In 1975, he came to the US, settled in Virginia, where he taught adult education, elementary school and high school in Arlington, then Vietnamese Literature and Vietnamese Culture and Civilization at Trinity College, George Mason University, and taught at Georgetown University as a teacher trainer in bilingual and Multicultural Education. He is also one of the founders of National News Service, which provides news of interest to readers of Vietnamese language newspapers worldwide. In 1997, he joined RFA (Radio Free Asia) as the Director of the Vietnamese Service at Free Asia in Washington DC.

Nguyen Ngoc Bich is the author of several books mainly in English, editor of the anthology War and Exile: A Vietnamese Anthology, an anthology of stories and poems, published by Vietnamese PEN Abroad East Coast Center in the US (1989). His first book 'The Poetry of Vietnam' published by Asia Society of New York in 1969 was followed by three others: North Vietnam: Backtracking on Socialism (1971), An Annotated Atlas of the Republic of Vietnam (1972), and A Thousand Years of Vietnamese Poetry (Knopf, 1975). He co-authored with his wife, Dr. Dao Thi Hoi, a bilingual collection of Christmas carols (1975), and had a hand in doing a photography book by Tran Cao Linh, Vietnam, My Country Forever (Aide ŕ l’Enfance du Vietnam, 1988), the catalogue of a traveling exhibition of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American paintings, An Ocean Apart (Smithsonian, 1996), the book Thai Tuan: Selected Paintings and Essays (VAALA, 1996).

In the field of translation, he translated into English Truong Anh Thuy’s Truong Ca Loi Me Ru / A Mother’s Lullaby published (1989), a book on Vietnamese Architecture published (1972), two verse collections by Nguyen Chi Thien: Hoa Dia Nguc / The Flowers of Hell (1995) and Hat Mau Tho / Blood Seeds Become Poetry (1996), and poems by some poets living in the US.