Dr Que´ Mai Nguye˜n Phan’s best-selling novel The Mountains Sing is a lyrical multigenerational tale, lauded for its richly nuanced depiction of the perspective of Viêt Nam’s people during the events of the 20th century. Recipient of a PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award and finalist for the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Dr Nguye˜n Phan sees her latest novel Dust Child as breaking stereotypes perpetuated in Hollywood movies about Vietnamese women, presenting her homeland as a country with more than 4,000 years of history and culture. The novel highlights the struggles of Amerasians – children born from relationships between American soldiers and Vietnamese women who suffered discrimination and other illtreatment. The author of 12 books of poetry, short fiction and non-fiction in Vietnamese and English, she discusses writing in two languages, the importance of decolonising literature in English about Viêt Nam and the need to acknowledge untold stories and silenced trauma with Paula Morris.

Supported by Asia New Zealand Foundation / Te Whītau Tūhono.

SUN, 21 MAY 2023, 10AM-11AM, KIRI TE KANAWA THEATRE, AOTEA CENTRE.