Catzie Vilayphonh at Temple Contemporary

Lao American writer, spoken word poet, and performance artist Catzie Vilayphonh (ACG '14, LTA '10, ACG '10, WOO '02) will perform poetry about her experience as a child of refugees. A member of a community marked by trauma and war, she examines ways in which memories exist within first- and second-generations, and how those generations can connect with a country they cannot return to. Wednesday, October 22 at 6:30pm at Temple Contemporary (2001 N. 13th Street). 

Vilayphonh uses her work to inspire other Asian Americans, particularly Lao Americans, to embrace the arts and find new ways of preserving and documenting cultural heritage. As a member of a community marked by trauma and war, she is especially interested in examining how one begins a process of remembering what another tries to forget and how first- and second-generations can connect with a country to which they can no longer return.