American Hyphen (Memoir), Austin, TX
American Hyphen is an intimate journey across the rocky terrain of racism, as a first-generation Vietnamese Nigerian American navigates the fissures and faultlines between Black America and Asian America.
“American Hyphen comes at a crossroads as America grapples with racial injustice, anti-Black brutality, and anti-Asian attacks. Through untangling the Gordian knot of Asian assimilation and Black belonging, this book answers Toni Morrison’s call to challenge the “master narrative” that portrays communities of color in conflict. Black and Asian communities are commonly pitted against each other. But there’s a long, forgotten history of solidarity too.”
As the proud daughter of refugees, Leslie V. Nguyen-Okwu explores the liminal spaces between borders and belonging. As an award-winning journalist and seasoned speechwriter, Leslie’s bylines include The New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, The Economist, and Harper’s Bazaar, alongside creative collaborations with Google, Airbnb, and HTC. She holds a Bachelor’s in International Relations from Stanford University, and her career as a foreign correspondent covering displacement, statelessness, and contested homelands shapes her storytelling. These experiences have earned her residencies, fellowships, and scholarships from Harvard University, American Mandarin Society, Asian American Journalist Association, Tin House, Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation, Disquiet International Literary Program, and Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Most recently, she served as a writer-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada. Previously, she worked as a technology reporter in Silicon Valley and a foreign correspondent in Asia.
Visit Leslie’s website: leslienguyenokwu.weebly.com
Twitter: @lnguyenokwu