A modern Gift of the Magi tale of a poor Hmong family celebrating Christmas and the love, sacrifice, and generosity that holds them close.Six days a week, Momma wakes up before dawn to head to the factory. She leaves three simple bowls of rice and egg on the table for her children and always returns home before their bellies start to rumble. Sister knows their family does not have much. She loves walking home and being greeted by the glowing Santa on the corner and...

In the beginners mind, the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki once wrote, there are many possibilities. In the experts mind, there are only a few. The implication for Suzuki was that all that is new originates from a mind free of preconceptions. Here, in this brief eBook, former Harvard Business School professor and movie producer John Kao tells you how to achieve your own beginner's mind and unleash your creativity.

One story that isn't often told in the social studies curriculum is that history is replete with powerful women. Other than a passing reference to Joan of Arc and the intellectual wisdom of Elizabeth I during wartime, history tends to ignore its powerful women. Recent archeological digs have revealed that the mythological Amazons may have been calvaries of pant-wearing, spear-throwing Scythian warriors, and they were not alone. From Boudicca the Celtic royal who led a rebellion against the...

One Hmong family’s harrowing escape from war in Laos to the uncertainty of a new home as refugees in Minnesota.Yang’s award-winning memoir of her family’s harrowing escape from war in Laos is a love letter to her grandmother, a troubling portrait of the consequences of US intervention in Southeast Asia, and a glimpse into the little-seen exodus of the Hmong people, first to refugee camps in Thailand and then, for many, to new homes in Minnesota.

Cultures Colliding, Vol. 2: Searching for a Way OutWest Sacramento, the early 1990s. Kao Saeteurn is three years out of a refugee camp on the Thai border when a black Firebird pulls up outside his mother's house and empties a magazine at him. He survives it with a jammed pistol, a friend's.44, and a bullet lodged under the skin of his foot. He refuses the hospital and cuts it out himself, because a hospital means police, and police mean his mother finds ou...

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in the Picture Book Category"Father, is all of the world a refugee camp?"Young Kalia has never known life beyond the fences of the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. The Thai camp holds many thousands of Hmong families who fled in the aftermath of the little-known Secret War in Laos that was waged during America's Vietnam War. For Kalia and her cousins, life isn't always easy, but they still fi...

A collection of true stories of refugees who have found new lives in Minnesota's Twin Cities, told by the award-winning author of The Latehomecomer .All over this country, there are refugees. But beyond the headlines, few know who they are, how they live, or what they have lost. Although Minnesota is not known for its diversity, the state has welcomed more refugees per capita than any other, from Syria to Bosnia, Thailand...

In this vibrant and affirming comics anthology, 29 trans & nonbinary comic artists share their personal journeys of self-discovery and acceptance.Featuring the work of Sage Coffey, Kyla Aiko, and Coco Ouwerkerk, The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics includes 29 creators' tales of self-love and affirmation and detailing their experiences with gender and identity. Originally published as a successful Kickstarter campaign, this expanded edition includes comi...

This powerful memoir about a Hmong family’s epic journey to safety is a profound “testament to the miraculous strength of women and the indomitable resolve of the human spirit” (Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans).Born in 1961 in war-torn Laos, Tswb’s childhood was marked by the violence of America’s Secret War and the CIA recruitment of the Hmong and other ethnic minorities into the lost cause. By the time Tswb was a teenager, the...

Beautifully written speculative fiction from Metaphorosis magazine.All the stories from the month, plus author biographies, interviews, and story origins.Table of ContentsHalfsies – Eric Del CarloA Nightingale’s Map of the City – Suzanne WillisThe Naked Me – N. Immanuel VelezChambers of the Heart – B. Morris AllenCover art by Kaos Nest.

Beautifully written speculative fiction from Metaphorosis magazine.All the stories from the month, plus author biographies, interviews, and story origins.Table of ContentsLight Winds With a Chance of Velociraptors – Michelle Ann KingTrucks in Reverse – Christopher CervelloniThe Illuminator Leaves – Molly EttaOne Divided by Eternity – Filip WiltgrenThe Abjection Engine – Y. X. Acs...

A mesmerizing true story of a young Hmong girl in Minnesota that celebrates the immigrant experience.At fourteen years old, Kalia feels like two different girls. At home, she is the reliable daughter who makes dinner and takes care of her younger siblings, while her older sister is in class and her parents work long hours. But at school, she is silent, shy—waiting for the day her life will really begin.Kalia and her family are Hmong refugees who have immigr...