World Refugee Day & InkTank

Rain, Rain, Go Away. Refugees Are Gonna Play!

This year, Lao American writer Bryan Thao Worra invited me to share the Folktale stage with him during this year's Twin Cities World Refugee Day. It rained the entire time which brought up this question amongst my circle of friends who were standing under umbrellas:

"Whys it gotta rain? We, as refugees can't even get ONE day for ourselves without this bullsh*t rain."

However, there were also others in my cirlce who remained positive by saying:

"All the bright smiles I'm seeing before me is all the sunshine I need! We can will the clouds to part and the sun to shine, beautiful people."

Here I am trying to smile the rain away!

So, World Refugee Day...what is it about, you ask? According to their website, "under international law, a refugee is someone who is “unable or unwilling to return to and avail himself or herself of the protection of his or her home country or, if stateless, country of last habitual residence because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” Often, a refugee is someone who has been forced from their home country by war, civil conflict, political strife, or gross human rights abuses. Even survivors of natural disasters are not in the same position. However great their needs may be in terms of food, shelter and health care, their governments are usually sympathetic towards them. However, natural disasters occurring in conjunction with civil strife or persecution may exacerbate a refugee situation."

Notice that the ethnic Lao is NOT included in this data.
Oh wait, maybe we're under "Others"?

R-E-F-U-G-E-E,
find out what it means to me
R-E-F-U-G-E-E,
dancing! and po-et-treeee!
ahhhhh!

(to be sung in Aretha Franklin's song, "Respect")

With Linda Chanda and David Zander, a young Russian traditional dancer, a balloon artist, event congestion - not so much.

inkTANK Chapbook Release at The Loft Literary Center


After having spent a great chunk of the afternoon and earlier part of the evening at World Refugee Day, Linda - Bryan - and I decided that we were hungry as heck and that Applebee's was starting to look really good. Actually, Applebee's had looked more than good for the past hour. We were THAT hungry!

I had agreed to help out at The Loft for inkTank's chapbook release party. In case you don't know what inkTank is they're a "council of teenagers supported by the Loft Literary Council. We organize events and activities to facilitate and empower the Twin Cities teen literary community."


Their mission and program "is designed to encourage and empower high school students to use literary tools to express themselves. inkTank exists as a self-sufficient working group of teens who are supported and guided in workshops by Loft staff, writers and community artists."

Dustin, John, moOks, and Ardie: best party set-up team in the world.