this is for mẹ

THIS IS FOR MẸ: Measuring the Present Past

Anna Nguyen generously shares a recipe for đồ chua, straight from her mother's mouth, then lovingly prepared by her hands, before the flavours and...

THIS IS FOR MẸ: Dear Mom

But there was a story there—one I didn’t know, and one that others didn’t want to talk about. 

A letter to my sons

Will you ever hear tiếng Việt and feel like it welcomes you in a soft embrace, a home entering your heart through your ears?

Goodbye is Never the Last Word

Mothering, especially in multiple tongues, is a slow process requiring patience and flexibility; a realization that came to me only after years of raising children.

Technically, Not Tenderly

Just as the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean come together and become undistinguishable at some point, I am equally immersed in both Vietnamese and English. 

THIS IS FOR MẸ: Revisionist History

In this searing reflection, Jennifer Ly reflects on the simultaneous release and reconnection with her grandmother, her bà ngoại. As they scatter her ngoại's ashes...