In this episode of Culture, Power, and the Pen, host Andy Liu speaks with award-winning Hmong poet Mai Der Vang about how history, language, and community shape her work. Vang reflects on discovering creative writing in elementary school while she was still learning English and how growing up in Fresno rooted her in a strong Hmong community. She discusses the influence of oral traditions like the art of song poetry and how sound guides her approach to craft. Vang shares how she slowly uncovered her parents’ refugee histories, the silence surrounding the Secret War, and her understanding of the conflict as a proxy war that exploited Hmong boys and men. She discusses writing from her own experience without speaking for others and how readers inside and outside the Hmong community navigate her poems. Along the way, she recalls memories of Hmong New Year celebrations, the comfort of favorite dishes, and the hope she sees in younger Hmong writers. Together, Andy and Vang explore how poetry can carry cultural memory, open difficult conversations, and help future generations think more critically about the histories that shaped them.

In the fourth episode of Culture, Power, and the Pen, host Andy Liu speaks with Hmong American playwright and performer Katie Ka Vang about the role of theater in shaping identity, memory, and community. From childhood afternoons spent absorbing her parents’ stories to navigating questions of belonging in Colorado classrooms, Vang recalls how storytelling became both a source of wonder and resilience. She reflects on the influence of Hmong oral traditions and tonal inflections in her writing, the journey from survival to political consciousness, and the strength she found while creating Final Round during her recovery from cancer. Together, they discuss the gaps in Hmong representation on stage, the joy of family traditions like preparing New Year’s outfits and pickled vegetables, and the power of art to preserve culture, spark connection, and inspire new generations to claim their own stories.

In the third episode of Culture, Power, and the Pen, host Andy Liu speaks with Uyghur poet, linguist, and human rights advocate Abduweli Ayup about the power of language to preserve culture in the face of erasure. From springtime poetry rituals in Kashgar to underground meshrep gatherings to tape-recorded Russian classics, Ayup recalls a childhood steeped in oral tradition and community storytelling. He reflects on the trauma of imprisonment and exile, the devastation of book burnings and banned songs, and the urgency of writing in a time of cultural erasure. Together, they discuss the intergenerational loss caused by China’s policies in Xinjiang, the courage required to keep memory alive, and the comfort found in Dopa Day celebrations, or even in something as simple as a warm bowl of chuchura.