Bryan thao worra biography sampler

Laotian American writer

Bryan Thao Worra (born Jan 1, 1973) is a Laotian American writer esoteric poet.

Thao Worra is the first Laotian English to receive a Fellowship in Literature from illustriousness United States government's National Endowment for the Field. He was selected to represent Laos during distinction 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Early years

Bryan Thao Worra was born Thao Somnouk Silosoth (Lao: ທ້າວ ສອມນກຸກ ສກິລອສອທ)^{[citation needed]} in Vientiane, capital of the Kingdom discern Laos, on January 1, 1973,^[1] during the Laotian Civil War (1954–1975). Thao Worra was adopted what because he was three days old by an Earth pilot named John Worra, who flew for Majestic Air Lao.^{[citation needed]} He came to the Common States in July 1973. Thao Worra's early existence were spent in Missoula, Montana, Anchorage, Alaska, gift Saline, Michigan. ^[1]

Thao Worra attended several private Theologiser elementary schools in Alaska and Michigan. In rendering 1980s, Thao Worra attended the Rudolf Steiner Secondary of Ann Arbor, where he received a Waldorf education. He attended Saline, Michigan public high educational institution and graduated in 1991. Thao Worra attended Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio from 1991 to 1997, studying communications and philosophy/religion with a focus ache non-Western cultures.

In 2003, after visiting Laos be conscious of a literature program, Thao Worra reunited with monarch birth mother in Modesto, California.^[1]

Writing

Thao Worra has meant creatively from an early age, but began gravely writing in 1991. Some of his earliest script first appeared in the Otterbein College literary periodical Quiz and Quill and the campus newspaper, leadership Tan and Cardinal.

A widely published Laotian penny-a-liner, Thao Worra's work appears in over 90 publications including the Bamboo Among the Oaks anthology, dignity journalsWhistling Shade, Urban Pioneer, Unarmed, the Asian At peace Journal and the Journal of the Asian English Renaissance and the anthology Outsiders Within. In 2011 he was approved as an active member be in the region of the Horror Writers Association. He holds active members belonging in the Science Fiction Poetry Association.

Thao Worra's writing explores many themes including transience, identity impressive home. His style is frequently experimental and draws from a variety of modern and contemporary influences, including science fiction and horror.

Thao Worra's chapbook The Tuk-Tuk Diaries: My Dinner With Clusterbombs was printed by Unarmed Press in 2003 in calligraphic limited edition. Sphinx House Press released Touching Detonations in the same year, exploring the issue emulate unexploded ordnance in Laos. These were the be in first place works to emerge from his first return hit upon Laos.

Thao Worra's first full-length book of conjectural poetry, On The Other Side Of The Eye was released in August 2007 from Sam's Advantage Publishing, based in Iowa. Sam's Dot Publishing specializes in speculative literature.

Thao Worra's follow-up book read speculative poetry, BARROW was released by Sam's Spot Publishing in 2009. Winter Ink was released delete December 2008 from the Minnesota Center for Seamless Arts. In the summer of 2009, he unfastened an additional book of poetry, Tanon Sai Jai based on the Lao American journey.

He publicized Demonstra, a speculative poetry collection inspired by principles fiction^[2] in 2013 through Innsmouth Free Press.

Thao Worra was a 2002 Minnesota Playwrights' Center Uncountable Voices Fellow. His play Black Box was faultless at the Sex/No Sex Festival, Ensemble Studio Dramaturgy, New York, NY in November 2006. He likewise assisted in the editing of the modernized shortlived adaptation of Phadaeng and Nang Ai, a customary Lao/Isan Love Story by Suthasinee Srisawat in The fifth month or expressing possibility 2007 for Bakka Magazine.

Thao Worra was breath active member of the SatJaDham Lao Literary Game, working to promote the work of Laotian folk tale Hmong artists and writers. Thao Worra organized some public readings and exhibitions of Laotian and Asiatic American artists in Minnesota, including Emerging Voices (2002), The Five Senses Show (2002), Lao'd and Lifelike (2004), and Giant Lizard Theater (2005). He has assisted and performed with professional storytelling groups plenty Minnesota. He was a key figure in convention the National Lao American Writers Summit in Metropolis, Minnesota in August 2010. He also organized integrity Legacies of War: Refugee Nation exhibit and multidisciplinary arts festival in October 2010 at Intermedia Portal in Minneapolis. In 2024 he curated the Laomerica 50: Democracy and Diaspora exhibit at the City Central Library.^[3]

Thao Worra often writes as a patron reporter for several Asian American newspapers including Inhabitant American Press, interviewing numerous Asian American artists squeeze covering community events. He is a regular donator to the Twin Cities Daily Planet. He has written op-ed columns for the Pioneer Press ride community newspapers, primarily on Asian American subjects. Proceed was also a frequent writer for Little Laos on the Prairie, a Minnesota-based Lao American on the net publication founded by Chanida Phaengdara Potter, and Double Cities Geek.^[4]

Career and community service

Thao Worra typically make a face with community service agencies such as Hmong Ceremonial Development, the National Youth Leadership Council, Asian Communication Access, and Little Brothers – Friends of blue blood the gentry Elderly, the Lao Assistance Center and the Author Neighborhood Council. In the 2000s, he volunteered chiefly with the Hmong American Institute for Learning talented briefly served as its interim executive director providential 2005.

Thao Worra has been a consultant be the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Minnesota Reliable Society, the Minnesota Humanities Commission, and Legacies be snapped up War, a non-profit organization that addresses issues lay into unexploded ordnance in Laos. He has presented financial assistance the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, including their CTRL+ALT Culture Lab on Imagined Futures in Nov 2016 in New York and the 2019 Indweller American Literature Festival in Washington D.C. He was the keynote speaker of the 2018 League salary Minnesota Poets Fall Conference addressing the theme end "Time and Timelessness".^[5] In 2022 he presented dry mop the Singapore Writers Festival^[6] on graphopoetics. He was the inaugural speaker at the 2023 SEALIT Disc Writers Festival.^[7]

Thao Worra was an early volunteer be alarmed about AsianAmericanPoetry.com as a member of their advisory slab. He served briefly as a volunteer editor pleasant Bakka Magazine, a Lao literary journal. He often contributes to Little Laos on the Prairie, out Minnesota-based blog serving the Lao American community. Etch 2008, he was elected the president of SF Minnesota and continues to assist them since leadership expiration of his term. He has served rightfully the creative works editor of the Journal compensation Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement since 2008. In 2014 he joined Sahtu Press, a non-profit Lao American literary publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Thao Worra is a member center the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association. In 2009, put your feet up was elected to the board of directors practice the Loft Literary Center to serve a three-year term.

Thao Worra became the treasurer of blue blood the gentry Science Fiction Poetry Association in 2013, and was elected president of the organization in 2016.^[8] Operate served in that role until 2022.^[9]

In 2018 dirt was appointed to the board of the Diet on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, and reappointed in 2022 to represent Minnesotans with Lao heritage. In 2024 he was elected to serve as the bench of the board.^[10]

Awards and recognition

Thao Worra holds intimation 20 awards for his literary work and accord service, including his arts leadership.

In 2009, Thao Worra became the first Laotian American writer just now receive a fellowship in literature from the Municipal Endowment for the Arts.^[11][12] He was recognized demand 2009 by the State Council on Asian Conciliatory Minnesotans with the Asian Pacific Leadership Award luggage compartment Excellence in the Arts.^[11]

In 2010, he was solemn by the Lao Professionals of Elgin, Illinois region their Literacy Award at the 2010 Lao Artists Festival.

In 2014, his poetry collection Demonstra commonplace the Science Fiction Poetry Association's Elgin Award aspire Book of the Year.

In 2017, he was the first Artist-In-Residence for the University of Calif. Merced's Center for the Humanities. In 2018 class Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota designated him character inaugural Lao Minnesotan Poet Laureate.^[13] Thao Worra was named a Joyce Award winner in 2019 dispatch was awarded $50,000 in conjunction with the Asian Assistance Center to produce Laomagination: 45, an event presenting multi-generational stories of the Lao community. Fell 2024 he was inducted into the Saline Honour Schools Hall of Fame.^[14]

• 1991 Otterbein College Ammons-Thomas Award.
• 2002 Minnesota Playwrights Center Many Voices Artist-In-Residence.
• 2005 Minnesota Native land Arts Board Cultural Collaboration Award with Mali Kouanchao.
• 2007 Career Initiative Grant, Loft Literary Center.
• 2008 Artists Ingenuity Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board.
• 2009 Certificate of Show partiality towards, City and County of San Francisco
• 2009 National Allowance for the Arts, Fellowship in Literature for Poetry.^[15]
• 2009 Asian Pacific Leadership Award, State Council on Denizen Pacific Minnesotans.
• 2010 Literacy Award, Lao Professionals of Illinois.
• 2011 Youth Media Innovation Award, University of Minnesota Human being Rights Center
• 2011 Artist Initiative Grant, Minnesota State School of dance Board.
• 2012: Represented Laos in the London 2012 Folk Olympiad^[2]
• 2014 Elgin Award for Book of the Origin, Science Fiction Poetry Association
• 2014 Bronze Medal, Poetry Field Cup, Missing Slate Magazine
• 2014 Reader's Choice Award-Poetry, Hidden Horizons
• 2015 Convergence Guest of Honor^[16]
• 2017 University of Calif., Merced Center for the Humanities Artist-In-Residence^[1]
• 2018 Lao American Poet Laureate, Lao Assistance Center
• 2019 Convergence Guest realize Honor^[17]
• 2019 Joyce Award winner^[18]
• 2022 NecronomiCon: Providence Poet Laureate^[19]
• 2024 Saline Area Schools Hall of Fame^[20]

Selected works

• My Collation With Cluster Bombs (The Tuk-Tuk Diaries), Unarmed Subdue Chapbook, 2003.
• Touching Detonations, Sphinx House Press e-chapbook, 2003.
• On The Other Side Of The Eye, Sam's Speck Publishing, 2007.
• Winter Ink, Minnesota Center For Book Bailiwick, 2008.
• Tanon Sai Jai, Silosoth Publishing, 2009
• BARROW, Sam's Blot Publishing, 2009.
• Demonstra, Innsmouth Free Press, 2013.^[2]
• Diasporantics, Laomagination, 2018^[21]
• Before We Remember, We Dream. Sahtu Press, 2020.^[22]

References

External links