Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's Blog
June 30, 2022
MY SECOND NOVEL, DUST CHILD!
Dear Readers,
I am thrilled that my second novel, DUST CHILD, has been published.
The seed of this novel was planted many years ago, when I grew up in Southern Việt Nam, where during the late seventies and in the eighties I got a glimpse of the discrimination faced by Amerasians born from the wartime unions between American men and Vietnamese women. Over the years, I kept thinking about those Amerasians and hoping that life had treated them more kindly.
In April 2014, I read a story which moved me deeply. Jerry Quinn, an American veteran, traveled back to Hồ Chí Minh City with an album of old photos, looking for his girlfriend and their son. They had been separated in 1973, forty-one year earlier. Mr. Quinn’s story made me realize the urgency to find their lost children that some American veterans, now in their sixties and seventies, were feeling.
Via an organization that helped unite Amerasians with their parents, I got in touch with American veterans who had been searching for their Amerasian children. I interviewed them and wrote about them for a national newspaper in Việt Nam. I got involved in real-life searches for family members. While I could help several people unite with those they were looking for, after more than forty years, I realized the complexity and the trauma involved. I also learned about the incredible challenges that Amerasians and their family members have had to face.
This novel, Dust Child, took seven years to write and is a result of my PhD research with Lancaster University. It fictionalized my real-life interviews, journalistic experiences, readings, and academic research. While characters are fictional, their life stories are inspired by real-life events such as the implementation of the Amerasian Homecoming Act as well as the buying and selling of Amerasians.
Dust Child also aims to demonstrate the effects of wars and armed conflicts beyond the resultant deaths and injuries.
Dust Child is my love letter to those who have been discriminated against, mistreated, misunderstood. It is my attempt to decolonise literature in English about Việt Nam.
It is my call for empathy, compassion and for humans to love humans more. It is my explorations of pathways to healing via hope, kindness, food, music, conversation, literature.
Thank you for picking up this book, for reading, and for sharing. It means the world to me.
THANK YOU!
If you are on social media, please connect with me.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nguyenphanquemai_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nguyen_p_quemai
Facebook: www.facebook.com/quemai.nguyenphan/
Author newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/nguyenphanquemai
With heartfelt thanks and warmest wishes,
Quế Mai
--
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Website: nguyenphanquemai.com
I am thrilled that my second novel, DUST CHILD, has been published.
The seed of this novel was planted many years ago, when I grew up in Southern Việt Nam, where during the late seventies and in the eighties I got a glimpse of the discrimination faced by Amerasians born from the wartime unions between American men and Vietnamese women. Over the years, I kept thinking about those Amerasians and hoping that life had treated them more kindly.
In April 2014, I read a story which moved me deeply. Jerry Quinn, an American veteran, traveled back to Hồ Chí Minh City with an album of old photos, looking for his girlfriend and their son. They had been separated in 1973, forty-one year earlier. Mr. Quinn’s story made me realize the urgency to find their lost children that some American veterans, now in their sixties and seventies, were feeling.
Via an organization that helped unite Amerasians with their parents, I got in touch with American veterans who had been searching for their Amerasian children. I interviewed them and wrote about them for a national newspaper in Việt Nam. I got involved in real-life searches for family members. While I could help several people unite with those they were looking for, after more than forty years, I realized the complexity and the trauma involved. I also learned about the incredible challenges that Amerasians and their family members have had to face.
This novel, Dust Child, took seven years to write and is a result of my PhD research with Lancaster University. It fictionalized my real-life interviews, journalistic experiences, readings, and academic research. While characters are fictional, their life stories are inspired by real-life events such as the implementation of the Amerasian Homecoming Act as well as the buying and selling of Amerasians.
Dust Child also aims to demonstrate the effects of wars and armed conflicts beyond the resultant deaths and injuries.
Dust Child is my love letter to those who have been discriminated against, mistreated, misunderstood. It is my attempt to decolonise literature in English about Việt Nam.
It is my call for empathy, compassion and for humans to love humans more. It is my explorations of pathways to healing via hope, kindness, food, music, conversation, literature.
Thank you for picking up this book, for reading, and for sharing. It means the world to me.
THANK YOU!
If you are on social media, please connect with me.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nguyenphanquemai_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nguyen_p_quemai
Facebook: www.facebook.com/quemai.nguyenphan/
Author newsletter: http://tinyletter.com/nguyenphanquemai
With heartfelt thanks and warmest wishes,
Quế Mai
--
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Website: nguyenphanquemai.com
February 26, 2020
BOOK TOUR EVENTS
Update: I am devastated to announce that due to the coronavirus situation, the book tour has been cancelled. My publisher and I will try our best to reschedule the tour as soon as the situation allows.
Thank you very much for your kind support. Please stay safe.
Dear Readers,
From March 26, till April 14, 2020, I will be having events in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Maryland, Philadelphia and Toronto as part of my book tour.
I would be thrilled and honored to see you in person. My events are below:
Los Angeles, CA: March 26th @ 7:30 PM, Skylight Books: In conversation with the Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist VIET THANH NGUYEN, Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Ave.
Seattle, WA: March 31st @ 7pm, Seattle Public Central Library: In conversation with KARL MARLANTES, Vietnam War veteran and bestselling author of Matterhorn and Deep River, Microsoft Auditorium, Seattle Public Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue.
Portland, OR: April 1 @7pm, Powell's Books: Powell's Books, 1005 W. Burnside St.
San Francisco, CA: April 2 @ 12:30pm, Book Passage: Book Passage, Ferry Building One, #42.
San Francisco, CA: April 2 @ 7pm, City Lights Booksellers: in conversation with Professor ISABELLE THUY PELAUD, literary critic and author of This Is All I Choose to Tell: History and Hybridity in Vietnamese American Literature, in partnership with the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, City Light Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco.
Oakland, CA: April 3 @ 6-8 pm, Oakland Asian Cultural Center: In conversation with THI BUI, American Book Award-winning author of The Best We Could Do, in partnership with the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St, Oakland.
Brooklyn, NY: April 6 @ 7:30pm, Greenlight Bookstore: In conversation with Professor MADELEINE THIEN, winner of the Governor General's Award, author of Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton St
Brookline, MA: April 7 @ 7pm, Brookline Booksmith: The Transnational Literature Series, with the William Joiner Institute, 279 Harvard St
Washington, DC: April 8 @ 6pm, Busboys and Poets: in conversation with Dr. ETHELBERT MILLER, TV and radio host, author of Fathering Words: The Making of An African American Writer, winner of the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Distinguished Honor, 450 K St, Washington D.C..
St. Mary's City, MD – April 10 @ 7:30pm: College of Southern Maryland: in conversation with Professor WAYNE KARLIN, Vietnam War veteran and author of award-winning books about Vietnam, Leonardtown Campus, A Building Auditorium.
Philadelphia, PA - April 13: Free Library of Philadelphia.
Toronto, ON: 14 April @ 7pm, Ryerson University: The English Department of Ryerson University, in partnership with Reel Asian Film Festival, Asian Canadian Women’s Alliance (ACWA), and Thomas Allen & Son, 14th floor of Jorgenson Hall, 350 Victoria Street
For more information, please visit: http://nguyenphanquemai.com/page/appe...
Warmest wishes,
Quế Mai
Thank you very much for your kind support. Please stay safe.
Dear Readers,
From March 26, till April 14, 2020, I will be having events in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Maryland, Philadelphia and Toronto as part of my book tour.
I would be thrilled and honored to see you in person. My events are below:
Los Angeles, CA: March 26th @ 7:30 PM, Skylight Books: In conversation with the Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist VIET THANH NGUYEN, Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Ave.
Seattle, WA: March 31st @ 7pm, Seattle Public Central Library: In conversation with KARL MARLANTES, Vietnam War veteran and bestselling author of Matterhorn and Deep River, Microsoft Auditorium, Seattle Public Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue.
Portland, OR: April 1 @7pm, Powell's Books: Powell's Books, 1005 W. Burnside St.
San Francisco, CA: April 2 @ 12:30pm, Book Passage: Book Passage, Ferry Building One, #42.
San Francisco, CA: April 2 @ 7pm, City Lights Booksellers: in conversation with Professor ISABELLE THUY PELAUD, literary critic and author of This Is All I Choose to Tell: History and Hybridity in Vietnamese American Literature, in partnership with the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, City Light Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco.
Oakland, CA: April 3 @ 6-8 pm, Oakland Asian Cultural Center: In conversation with THI BUI, American Book Award-winning author of The Best We Could Do, in partnership with the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St, Oakland.
Brooklyn, NY: April 6 @ 7:30pm, Greenlight Bookstore: In conversation with Professor MADELEINE THIEN, winner of the Governor General's Award, author of Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton St
Brookline, MA: April 7 @ 7pm, Brookline Booksmith: The Transnational Literature Series, with the William Joiner Institute, 279 Harvard St
Washington, DC: April 8 @ 6pm, Busboys and Poets: in conversation with Dr. ETHELBERT MILLER, TV and radio host, author of Fathering Words: The Making of An African American Writer, winner of the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Distinguished Honor, 450 K St, Washington D.C..
St. Mary's City, MD – April 10 @ 7:30pm: College of Southern Maryland: in conversation with Professor WAYNE KARLIN, Vietnam War veteran and author of award-winning books about Vietnam, Leonardtown Campus, A Building Auditorium.
Philadelphia, PA - April 13: Free Library of Philadelphia.
Toronto, ON: 14 April @ 7pm, Ryerson University: The English Department of Ryerson University, in partnership with Reel Asian Film Festival, Asian Canadian Women’s Alliance (ACWA), and Thomas Allen & Son, 14th floor of Jorgenson Hall, 350 Victoria Street
For more information, please visit: http://nguyenphanquemai.com/page/appe...
Warmest wishes,
Quế Mai
Letter to the Reader
Dear Readers,
It took me seven years, hundreds of revisions, many sleepless nights, tears... and finally THE MOUNTAINS SING is here. I am so thankful to you - my precious Readers - for the gift of your time: time that you have spent or will spend with the Trần family in my novel.
Grandma Diệu Lan in THE MOUNTAINS SING is the grandmother I always wished for. Both my grandmothers had died before my birth and I wanted to have a grandma who would sing me lullabies, tell me the legends and tales of my village, as well as teach me what I needed to know about my family's history. Now, holding THE MOUNTAINS SING in my hands, I feel that I truly have a grandma. Thank you for sharing this joy with me!
Hương embodies my own experiences growing up in Vietnam and witnessing the war's devastating effect. But more than that, she represents a generation of Vietnamese who have no choice but inherit the trauma of war brought home by returning soldiers.
While this novel embraces some of my family's stories, I interviewed hundreds of people and fictionalised their stories into THE MOUNTAINS SING. I read hundreds of fiction and non-fiction books about Vietnam which helped me gain a deep understanding of our turbulent history.
While I have published eight books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction in Vietnamese language, I consider THE MOUNTAINS SING my most comprehensive work to-date. It is my desperate call for peace and for humans to love other human beings more. I echo my call in the form of this novel, because as in the words of Hương: “Somehow I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.”
I hope that the diacritical marks that accompany the Vietnamese names and words in THE MOUNTAINS SING don't interfere with your reading experiences. Those marks might look strange at first but they are as important as the roof of a home. The word “ma,” for example, can be written as ma, má, mà, mả, mạ, mã; each meaning very different things: ghost, mother, but, grave, young rice plant, horse. The word “bo” can become bó, bỏ, bọ, bơ, bở, bờ, bô, bố, bồ, bổ (bunch, abandon, insect, butter, mushy, shore, chamberpot, father, mistress, nutritious.) By reading THE MOUNTAINS SING, you already show your acceptance and appreciation of my mother tongue's beauty and complexity. Thank you!
I only had a chance to learn English at 8th grade so penning this epic account of Vietnam’s 20th century history in English felt like climbing a tall mountain bare foot. But I climbed with my pen in one hand and my Vietnamese-English dictionary in another. I climbed while reading English novels voraciously, learning new words every day so that these words would enter the realm of my unconsciousness.
In addition to language, I had to overcome many obstacles to be able to write this story, including fear of censorship. I am thankful to you, my Readers, for being there with me on this challenging journey as a writer.
I can't wait to hear your feedback. Please connect with me via Instagram and Twitter:
www.instagram.com/nguyenphanquemai_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nguyen_p_quemai
With heartfelt thanks and warmest wishes,
Quế Mai
--
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Website: nguyenphanquemai.com
It took me seven years, hundreds of revisions, many sleepless nights, tears... and finally THE MOUNTAINS SING is here. I am so thankful to you - my precious Readers - for the gift of your time: time that you have spent or will spend with the Trần family in my novel.
Grandma Diệu Lan in THE MOUNTAINS SING is the grandmother I always wished for. Both my grandmothers had died before my birth and I wanted to have a grandma who would sing me lullabies, tell me the legends and tales of my village, as well as teach me what I needed to know about my family's history. Now, holding THE MOUNTAINS SING in my hands, I feel that I truly have a grandma. Thank you for sharing this joy with me!
Hương embodies my own experiences growing up in Vietnam and witnessing the war's devastating effect. But more than that, she represents a generation of Vietnamese who have no choice but inherit the trauma of war brought home by returning soldiers.
While this novel embraces some of my family's stories, I interviewed hundreds of people and fictionalised their stories into THE MOUNTAINS SING. I read hundreds of fiction and non-fiction books about Vietnam which helped me gain a deep understanding of our turbulent history.
While I have published eight books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction in Vietnamese language, I consider THE MOUNTAINS SING my most comprehensive work to-date. It is my desperate call for peace and for humans to love other human beings more. I echo my call in the form of this novel, because as in the words of Hương: “Somehow I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.”
I hope that the diacritical marks that accompany the Vietnamese names and words in THE MOUNTAINS SING don't interfere with your reading experiences. Those marks might look strange at first but they are as important as the roof of a home. The word “ma,” for example, can be written as ma, má, mà, mả, mạ, mã; each meaning very different things: ghost, mother, but, grave, young rice plant, horse. The word “bo” can become bó, bỏ, bọ, bơ, bở, bờ, bô, bố, bồ, bổ (bunch, abandon, insect, butter, mushy, shore, chamberpot, father, mistress, nutritious.) By reading THE MOUNTAINS SING, you already show your acceptance and appreciation of my mother tongue's beauty and complexity. Thank you!
I only had a chance to learn English at 8th grade so penning this epic account of Vietnam’s 20th century history in English felt like climbing a tall mountain bare foot. But I climbed with my pen in one hand and my Vietnamese-English dictionary in another. I climbed while reading English novels voraciously, learning new words every day so that these words would enter the realm of my unconsciousness.
In addition to language, I had to overcome many obstacles to be able to write this story, including fear of censorship. I am thankful to you, my Readers, for being there with me on this challenging journey as a writer.
I can't wait to hear your feedback. Please connect with me via Instagram and Twitter:
www.instagram.com/nguyenphanquemai_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nguyen_p_quemai
With heartfelt thanks and warmest wishes,
Quế Mai
--
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Website: nguyenphanquemai.com
