The World is Right Here in this Room
There was palpable excitement among first semester students who gathered in QPAC to hear Vietnamese American author, poet, and performance artist, lê thị diễm thúy speak on the Welcome Read Text ll: While the Earth Sleeps, We Travel: Stories, Poetry, and Art from Young Refugees Around the World, as part of the kick-off lecture series. This event took place on October 1, in QPAC.
Monserrat, computer science major, said she was ‘psyched to learn more about her story as a refugee and modern art interpretation.’ Ariya, psychology major, read the artist’s poem sans papier, based on MOMA’s poetry project. Levi, music production major, said the book is a ‘great read,’ and Cameron, nursing major, said, ‘hearing her work in real time is a great opportunity.’
Beth Counihan, Professor, English launched the Welcome Read in fall 2021. Ilse Schrynemakers, Deputy Chairperson and Associate Professor, English, said, “This year’s theme is the refugee crisis. The mission of Queensborough, the culture of care, the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion—this book encapsulates all these concepts and goals. This is an opportunity for students-- --for everyone--to come together in a shared conversation about this global crisis and learn from these stories of those who have gone through so much."
As the lights went down in the audience, the spotlight came up and there, standing on an empty stage, wearing a flowing blue dress, lê thị diễm thúy shared her life experiences growing up in Vietnam, and spoke of the ‘internal world that people carry inside them.’
During a lively Q&A session, a physics major took the microphone and said, “Your Storytelling is delightfully shocking and your poetry and performance art inspiring-- I could listen to you all day.” “However,” he laughed, “I still plan to be a scientist.”
lê thị diễm thúy is the author of the novel, The Gangster We Are All Looking For (Alfred A. Knopf, 2003), the solo performance works, Mua He Do Lua/Red Fiery Summer, the bodies between us, and Carte Postale, and the installation sông song / river song.
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