VAALA: Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association

VAALA grieves the killing of eight people in the Atlanta area on March 16, 2021, including six Asian American women. As an organization led primarily by Vietnamese women, we are exhausted and outraged. We stand in solidarity with social justice organizations working to Stop Asian Hate and to address the systemic racism, misogyny and violence in this country. Read on for more info and resources: http://vaala.org/vaala-statement-on-the-atlanta-massacre-a/

Wishing the happiest birthday week to our Executive Director, Ysa Le! Whether in front of or behind the microphone, Ysa's passion for visual arts and literature is evident in her eloquent interviews, charismatic MC appearances, and thoughtful leadership. As one of the most prominent arts activists in Orange County, Ysa has revitalized narratives of Vietnamese American and Vietnamese diasporic experiences like none before. Thank you for your decades of service, Ch Ysa! Though we couldn't celebrate together over the weekend, to work beside you is a true gift.

VAALA is proud to support the larger Southeast Asian/American diaspora beyond Little Saigon by celebrating the histories, stories, and voices of immigrant communities this month and every month! Thi Bui’s illustrated memoir, The Best We Could Do, serves as the focus behind VAALA’s NEA Big Read programs. The Best We Could Do connects to VAALA’s multi-generational audience by diversifying narratives of the Vietnamese diaspora, and revitalizing larger immigrant identities and experiences beyond stereotypes. Read more at bit.ly/VAALANEAbigreadgrant

Our long-time community partner @vietrainbowoc is celebrating Pride in the Park! We support our LGBTQ+ family and friends Check out @vietfilmfest "Under the Same Roof" virtual screening, featuring "Like Mother, Like Daughter" (dir. by Kady Le) about a Vietnamese American transgender woman who sneaks behind her mother’s back to wear her first áo dài in hopes of proving that she is a child no matter what REPOST @vietrainbowoc Celebrate Pride with VROC! Come eat, reconnec...t, and check in with each other! We will be at Freedom Hall at Mile Square Park (near the corner of Euclid and Edinger). This is a family-friendly event. Bring any games or sports equipment if that's your jam! With the changing landscape of COVID19, we will be taking precautions to keep everyone as safe as possible. We will also have PPE, COVID19 resources, and other resources available for anyone who might need it. Facebook event link in bio

Check out this incredible program our friends at The Sng Collective is hosting RSVP NOW at bit.ly/songcollectivevwl2021 ______ When the pandemic shuttered theaters across the planet, we at The Sng Collective took this as a chance to take a pause and reinvest in our community. From the beginning, we’ve been an organization devoted to reclaiming the Vietnamese narrative and giving a platform for emerging artists of color. To that end, we found six playwrights of the Vietn...amese diaspora from all over North America and helped them develop their works for a public performance at the end of June. We began with a series of sharing circles inspired by Free Southern Theater and Junebug Productions, meditating on what it means to be Vietnamese on this Hemisphere, and out of that blossomed six amazing new plays. Join us for digital open studios of works from our inaugural Vit Writers Lab written by Diana Ly, Katie Do, Ngha xuân ái Nguyên, Tom Dang, Jessica Lu, and Nam Nguyen. Presented over Zoom.

Don’t miss your chance to watch Viet Film Fest presents: Under the Same Roof REPOST Viet Film Fest Now extended by popular demand, enjoy our "Under the Same Roof" virtual screening all month long! These short films about family are available until June 30th! RSVP NOW at bit.ly/underthesameroof

VAALA is a proud recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Grant! For the love of literature, we can’t wait to share the joys of a good book with y’all We are excited to dive deep into Caldecott Honor winner Thi Bui's illustrated memoir, "The Best We Could Do." Read all about this special opportunity at bit.ly/VAALANEAbigreadgrant

Have you heard?! We're hiring! If you care about the arts in the Vietnamese Community, we have some positions available for you! Learn more and apply now at http://vaala.org/get-involved/careers/

Thank you so much, Asian Americana, for interviewing us about our Illuminated Recipes Project! Listen in and support Quincy Surasmith's podcast so more episodes like these can be produced!

VAALA's Latest News - Jan 2021 - Join Our Team and Check Out Our Community Partners' Events! https://mailchi.mp/vaala/vaalas-year-in-review-for-2887770

2020 has been rough on us all and especially for nonprofit organizations, given these pandemic times. However, VAALA took the time this year to look inwards and reflect how we can provide programming and access for our community. We've hired a Managing Director to help with our infrastructure planning, planned out our programming for 2021, and we're looking towards transitioning to a hybrid virtual approach to our future programs. VAALA's Board is also being led by the next g...eneration, who are helping us innovate with new ideas and processes. We continue to uplift Vietnamese voices, artists, and stories with our mission in mind: connecting and enriching communities through Vietnamese arts and culture. However, we can't do the work without your support! For this #GivingTuesday, please support our organization however you can: through donations, volunteering, or sharing about us! Thank you for your continued support. See more

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season filled with the arts, books, stories, and love! Thanks for supporting VAALA.

Apply now for our positions! http://vaala.org/get-involved/careers/

With great pleasure, we'd like to announce that the winning bid for VAALA's Holiday Tree is Tam Nguyen, President of Advance Beauty College, Garden Grove! Tam is a long-standing supporter of VAALA for many years. He took on different roles from MC'ing for VAALA's Viet Film Fest to serving on the board (2008-2010). "The reason I bid on VAALA's Holiday Tree was that I believe in the mission 'to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture," Tam said. "Dur...ing the COVID-19 pandemic, the arts and non-profit organizations as well as our nail salon industry and small businesses have been hit disproportionately hard. So, we'd like to show some love and support." VAALA's Holiday Tree has been relocated from South Coast Plaza to Advance Beauty College in Westminster. Thank you for your wonderful continued support for VAALA, Tam! Enjoy the Holiday Tree! We wish you and your family a safe and joyous Holiday Season! See you at VAALA's future events!

Don't miss the 3rd anniversary celebration of #LibroMobile! VAALA & Friends will go on at 4:30pm-5:10pm today! We will feature writer/spoken-word artist T.K. Lê, Trilina Mai's "Push", Jenny Tan's "Growing Home" (from VAALA's Youth in Motion Filmmaking Workshop 2019) and VAALA's newest board member Matthew Diep & Psypher. #VAALACommunity

Tomorrow! VAALA and friends will be on at 4:30pm PST for this wonderful event hosted by our community partner, LibroMobile! The mission of VAALA is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture. Follow us @vaalacommunity! Tomorrow's line up consists of:... ------ I Am by Matthew Diep & Psypher Matt is an artist based in the San Gabriel Valley who uses expressive arts to unpack his mental health journey as he navigates the intersections of his Queer, Vietnamese, and spiritual identities. Having been harmed by institutionalized mental health care in his teenage years, he developed a nonprofit organization called Psypher that uses dance and other art forms to facilitate spaces where youth can authentically speak about their wellness. Follow his journey @psypherla (IG) ------ Bagel by tk le T.K. Lê is a writer and adjunct instructor from Westminster, California. She is an alum of the VONA Voices summer writing workshop and a 2019 PEN America Emerging Voices fellow. Her fiction has been featured in Strange Horizons. Find her at tk-le.com https://www.instagram.com/tk_le_tired/ -------- Growing Home by Jenny Tan As part of VAALA & Viet Film Fest's Youth in Motion workshop for emerging filmmakers --------- Push by Trilina Mai Trilina Mai is an award-winning filmmaker and animator with a BFA degree in Illustration/Animation from California State University Long Beach. For as long as she can recall, drawing has been a huge component in her life. After creating a festival winning animated music video during her senior year of high school, she knew animation would be her career. During her time at CSULB, she directed her award-winning and 2019 Student Academy Finalist thesis film, Push. Professionally, Trilina has collaborated with various artists and contributed as a Crowds/Fix Animator on Onward. She currently works at a startup animation studio and continues to freelance with her team, Loud Bird Productions. Her current breadth of work consists of animated music videos and shorts both personal and client requested. On the off-chance she is not working -- or in quarantine for a global pandemic, Trilina can be found hiking, seeking her next delicious meal, or teaching high schoolers how to spin a baton. IG: @_trilina Twitter @trilinamai https://trilina.wixsite.com/portfolio/

Congratulations to artist Ann Phong on her new exhibition at John Wayne Airport! (No, you don't have to buy an airplane ticket to go see her exhibition! ) "Artist Ann Phong brings her abstract and thought-provoking paintings to life through juxtaposed layers of acrylic paint and found objects. Phong’s artwork depicting the relationship between humans and the environment is on display in the John Wayne Airport Community Focus Space from December 9, 2020 January 14, 2021.... Travelers at John Wayne Airport are sure to be inspired by the work of Ann Phong, who creatively uses her vivid paintings to encourage dialogue about our relationship with the environment, said Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel. The next time you travel through John Wayne Airport, take a moment to view and admire her unique artwork. https://www.ocair.com/newsroom/news/

Deepest gratitude from the board and managing team at VAALA to everyone who has shared or donated to organization for #GivingTuesday last week! Did you know that VAALA and its programs have been run by volunteers since its inception? Our programming exists because of supporters like you who donate and share about our organizations. Also, we can't forget to thank all those who bid on our tree at South Coast Plaza's #pavilionofholidaytrees #southcoastplazaarts. Congratulations to the winner of our tree, who won VAALA's tree for $1000! The proceeds go for the tree go straight to VAALA, so we appreciate the generosity. Thank you so much!

Have you gotten your Viet Book Tickets yet? bit.ly/VietBookFest Space is limited and our events are every Saturday this October! Enjoy an afternoon listening to different books featuring Vietnamese authors or illustrators with your kids! Join a live Q&A session with our authors! Join VAALA for the inaugural Viet Book Fest! Spotlighting Vietnamese voices and stories in children's literature throughout October 2020. About this Event... We are excited to launch the inaugural Viet Book Fest during every Saturday in October 2020 to spotlight Vietnamese voices and stories in literature. We will be hosting a series of virtual events, including pre-recorded video story-times, audience engagement activities related to a selection of books, author and illustrator panels, and a culmination celebration on Halloween. These events will promote literacy focused on the theme of identity, family and community in children’s books to a broad audience of Vietnamese in the global diaspora. About VAALA The Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Orange County, CA. Since 1991, has connected and enriched communities through Vietnamese arts. Some of our signature programs include Viet Film Fest, Youth in Motion, Gallery Beyond Walls and numerous arts exhibits. Our organization has been primarily volunteer driven, with support from many community partners. Event Details All events take place on Saturday in October 2020, from 3-4pm PST on Zoom. The event series schedule is as follows: October 3: Phuoc Minh Thi Tran, Hop Thi Nguyen & Dong Nguyen, "Vietnamese Children's Favorite Stories" October 10: Minh Lê, "The Green Lantern: Legacy" October 17: Bao Phi, "My Footprints" October 24: Viet Thanh Nguyen & Ellison Nguyen with illustrators Thi Bui & Hien Bui-Stafford, "Chicken of the Sea" *October 31: Halloween celebration, featuring authors, artists, a DJ, and much much more! You will receive the Zoom event information and link after you RSVP for the event. We are asking that every household donates at least $5 per event. All proceeds will be used to fund future VAALA events and to support emerging artists in the local community. * The Halloween celebration on October 31st does not have a set donation cost. We ask that attendees donate as they see fit. ** Please note that Eventbrite charges a processing fee on all tickets. Thank you for your interest and support of VAALA and our community!

Have you gotten any gifts for your loved ones for the holiday season? If not, we have amazing library starter bundles from Viet Book Fest! These books will be signed by the authors, and the gifts would be something special for the little ones in your life. Bid here! https://sites.google.com/v/viet-book-fest-2020-auction/home

VAALA Holiday Newsletter - Check out our latest updates here! https://mailchi.mp/vaala/fall-2020-updates-2846630

Our auction is open! Win signed books by Vietnamese-American authors for your library or give them away as gifts for the holidays! Help support VAALA for next year's programming. Rules are outlined on the page and bidding starts now and ends at 3:45PM PST tomorrow! You can sign into our Halloween Party tomorrow via Zoom to learn if you're the winner! http://bit.ly/vbf2020auction

There will be a fun activity with a spooky playlist for your kids at our Halloween party! Please join us and enjoy DJ @shaninaross' live DJ session! DJNina Ross started her musical journey in 2015 when she started collecting records. Her passion evolved into an interest in djingwhich led her to graduate from the Beat Junkie Institute of Sound and joining other femaleDJsthrough Ladies of Sound. Nina finds healing through djing and she hopes to bring joy to others through music. She loves everything from Viet folk to house music.

You know that cute song, "Sing," on the intro video of every VBF event? Giana Nguyen, the songwriter, will be performing it at our Halloween Party! Please join us! Orange County, California, based singer/songwriter Giana Nguyen is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Since 2011, she has released 16 studio recordings of originals and covers, including 2 E.P.'s and 5 singles. Her latest song Magic was released in February 2020, follow...ed by an acoustic version and accompanying music video in May. She has performed on theater stages and musicalvenues throughout Southern California, and has sung the national anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers as well as the Anaheim Ducks. Giana is the owner of Dancing Keys Music Studio in Irvine where she is an advanced Simply Music piano instructor. As a former Board Member with VAALA, she fully understands the heart work and meaning behind VAALA's artistic programming and is overjoyed to play a musical role in the inaugural Viet Book Fest. Her song "Sing" is available for download and streaming on all digital platforms. See more

Did you sign up for our Halloween Party? Get a chance to win prizes, or bid on an amazing auction item like this My Viet Library Bundle! Register bit.ly/VietBookFest! We'll be posting our auction page later today!

Did you think of your costume yet? Win special prizes at our Halloween party, celebrating the end of Viet Book Fest! Event is free for all. Register at bit.ly/VietBookFest!

Last weeks to attend Viet Book Fest 2020! - https://mailchi.mp/vaala/fall-2020-updates-2829834

For more cute moments like this, join us for tomorrow's Viet Book Fest, featuring Viet Thanh Nguyen and Thi Bui of Chicken of the Sea! Thank you to Vinh and his mom, for sharing this short poem with us last week with Bao Phi. bit.ly/VietBookFest

Thúy Võ ng added, In some ways, those folks who are living in areas where they don’t have a high concentration of Vietnamese Americans like we do here, they tend to crave that interaction and that kind of cultural resource even more. Having the ability to do this on Zoom or broadcasted on Facebook live will allow for those folks to introduce some of these ideas. The upcoming event on Oct. 24 will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, who will read Chic...ken of the Sea with his son and co-author Ellison Nguyen along with illustrator Thi Bui and her son Hien Bui-Stafford. The last festival session on Oct. 31 is scheduled as a Halloween celebration with authors and illustrators. The event will include a DJ, scavenger hunt and other activities. VAALA is fundraising with items like autographed books featured in the festival. Proceeds will go toward their future community arts programming.

No plans going out for Trick-or-treating? Join our Virtual Halloween Party instead! There will be music, costumes, prizes, and more! Help support VAALA to continue running programs like Viet Book Fest. Get your tickets or donate at bit.ly/VietBookFest now!

Illustrator, Thi Bui and her son will be joining us this Saturday for Viet Book Fest! Get tickets to learn more about their process and inspiration at bit.ly/VietBookFest Thi Bui is the author of The Best We Could Do. Read more about the book here: https://www.npr.org//cartoonist-thi-bui-weaves-together-pe

VAALA is so excited to be a community spotlight for commongroundoc presents: 10 Year Anniversary Show - Radical Love at their 10 Year Anniversary Show this Friday! We've been a part of their journey since Day 1, as a community organization and as a community center host. See you at the show! Register for free at bit.ly/cg10year to see this amazing lineup of featured artists. Common Ground