Exhibit and upcoming author presentation to highlight Vietnamese in Michigan

Cover for Bich Minh Nguyen's book, Stealing Buddha's Dinner

For much of February the University of Michigan Hatcher Graduate Library will display an exhibit focused on the relocation of Vietnamese refugees after the Vietnam War. The exhibit runs February 1st - 24th 2010. In conjunction with the exhibit, on Wednesday, February 10th at 5:30pm, the UM Author's Forum will present a conversation with authors Bich Minh Nguyen (via live webcast from West Lafayette, Indiana) and Peter Ho Davies. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Author's Forum conversation with Bich Minh Nguyen and Peter Ho Davies will provide discussion about "Stealing Buddha's Dinner" and Ms. Nguyen's personal experiences. Both the exhibit and Wednesday's Author's Forum are located in the Gallery in Room 100, Hatcher Graduate Library on the University of Michigan campus. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Nicola's Books.

The traveling exhibit "Their Journey: Vietnamese in Michigan" includes photos from Vietnam along with political, cultural, and personal perspectives of the journey of Vietnamese immigrants to Michigan following the Vietnam War.

"Stealing Buddha's Dinner" was published by Viking Penguin in 2007. It received the PEN/Jerard Award from the PEN American Center and was named a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2007, a Kiriyama Prize Notable Book, an Asian American Literature Award finalist, and a BookSense pick; it is also the Great Michigan Read, the Michigan Humanities Council's statewide reading program, selection for 2009-2010.

Bich Minh Nguyen currently teaches creative nonfiction, fiction, and Asian American Literature at Purdue University. Peter Ho Davies is on the faculty of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan.