Yia Gets Unexpectedly Vulnerable With a Hmong Author (feat. Kao Kalia Yang)

Today we have one of the greatest, contemporary Hmong authors with us: Kao Kalia Yang.Kalia was born in December 1980 in Thailand’s Ban Vinai refugee camp, which is the same camp where Yia was born. Her family came to Minnesota in 1987.In 2003, she graduated from Carleton College and then received her Master's in Creative Nonfiction from Colombia University soon after that.Kalia has published numerous nonfiction works and children’s books since 2008, and it was in that year that she released one of her greatest works: The Latehomecomer, which is a memoir that tells of her family’s harrowing escape from the war in Laos. She’s also known for The Song Poet, which follows the life of her father, through his most tragic and most joyous moments.Before we get started today, there’s one quick note I want to share about today’s episode.Somehow or another, Kalia really got Yia to open up his emotions and much of this podcast is him in a very vulnerable state: speaking about his hopes, his fears, and of course, his family.As a result, Yia speaks much more than Kalia and near the end, it begins to feel like she’s the host, interviewing him.There is so much that we didn’t cover with Kalia and we hope to have her on again soon. Until then, please appreciate this vulnerable moment of two people opening up to each other.-If you enjoy the show, let us know by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Be sure to check out the show on Instagram and Facebook.Oh, and our YouTube channel is finally here!-Produced by Gleam Tower MediaAll music courtesy of Artlist