Class

8-Week: Southeast Asian Diasporic Voices–The King Retired to His Summer Residence

"The King retired to his summer residence" is the euphemism used to keep up the appearance of a bloodless transition from a right-wing Kingdom of Laos to left-wing communist country. That euphemism captures the silence that has wrapped around that history, where no sides can officially speak the truth of what really happened, which sundered the people of Laos.

This class seeks to look beyond the euphemisms. It looks at previous poetry/art to open the creative writing doors to recover the histories lost to trauma and political games. We will seek the healing power of poetry to speak what could not be spoken, bear witness to families' and communities' histories, and hopefully find our own voices as peacemakers after complex war or internal civil unrest experiences.

This class is offered as a commemorative space to generate and workshop poetry that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, its parallel CIA Secret War in Laos, and the beginning of the Indochinese diaspora. However, it should be of value to all interested to write about Southeast Asian poetry and diaspora, other communities with similar experiences, and others interested in writing about social conflict including the upcoming U.S. political divisions, war survival, and healing from conflict.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at [email protected] or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.