Renowned Vietnamese-American children’s author and poet Bao Phi will be the featured speaker at the Montgomery County Public Libraries’ (MCPL) “Contemporary Conversations” series celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The free event, titled “Footprints on Different Ponds: An Evening with Bao Phi,” will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 20, at the Gaithersburg Library.
The Gaithersburg Library is located at 18330 Montgomery Village Ave. in Gaithersburg. Advanced registration is required to attend. For more information, visit https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/10486675.
“Each May, we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—a time to honor the significant cultural and historical contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that have enriched our County, State and nation,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “As we embrace the vibrant cultures and rich heritage, we must also confront the history of anti-Asian bias, racism and harassment. To build a better future, we must understand and acknowledge our past—its positives and negatives. I commend our Public Libraries for organizing this important ‘Community Conversation’ featuring noted author and poet Bao Phi, and I encourage residents to attend.”
Bao Phi is the author of the award-winning books A Different Pond, Song I Sing, Thousand Star Hotel, Hello Mandarin Duck! and My Footprints. Awards for his work include the prestigious Caldecott Award, Charlotte Zolotow Award, Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature and a Minnesota Book Award from the Friends of the Saint Paul Library. Phi’s work has been featured in two collections from Coffee House Press—Asian American Literary Review and the Anthology, The Spoken Word Revolution. His fiction and essays have also appeared in Octavia’s Brood: Stories from Social Justice Movements and A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. Phi was the first Vietnamese-American performer featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and created the Loft Literary Center’s Equilibrium Writers series, which won an award from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. He was a visiting critic in the English Department of Cornell University during the 2021-22 school year.
“Since 2017, the ‘Contemporary Conversations’ series has given many esteemed authors and journalists a venue to discuss cultural and current issues with our community members,” said MCPL Director Anita Vassallo. “We are delighted to welcome a children’s author and poet of the caliber of Bao Phi to the series to continue these meaningful conversations.”
Mr. Phi’s presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a book signing reception featuring complimentary light fare. Books will be available for purchase at the event from the Friends of the Library Montgomery County (FOLMC) or by visiting https://bookshop.org/shop/folmc.
The “Contemporary Conversations” series is sponsored by FOLMC and Classroom 2 Community (C2C).
For more information about previous speakers, visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library/programs/contemporary-conversations.html