Originally published 9/01/2010 New York, NY. To some, Mei Rong Song might seem like an unlikely hero. She’s owns a flower shop in Chinatown’s East Broadway Mall. She’s a mother of three in her late 30s, who doesn’t let her limited English prevent her from being outgoing and talkative. But…

(Published originally on Spoonwiz.com — a literary food blog that has unfortunately shuttered.) Aug 2, 2013 Editor: Elizabeth McKenzie My sister gingerly sprinkled tiny globs on her plate of rice, ground chicken and vegetables. She was careful not to look too close. I dropped a larger spoonful of hăng hơdŏm…

Many moons ago, I lived with a local Vietnamese family and taught English in Ho Chi Minh City. For my first celebration of Tết, I learned a few customs for attracting luck — sweep your room, adorn family altars with fresh fruit, and wear red. Less clear, however, was what…

I attended 2017 AWP conference in February, and checked out the panel, In Praise of Junot Diaz and Claudia Rankine: Furthering the MFA vs. POC and AWP 2016 Keynote Conversations. The speakers were Allen Gee, David Mura, Faith Adele, Christine Hyung-Oak Lee and Marcus Burke. …