Echoes of a Proxy War: A Conversation with Mai Der Vang

In this episode of Culture, Power, and the Pen, host Andy Liu speaks with award-winning Hmong poet Mai Der Vang about how history, language, and community shape her work. Vang reflects on discovering creative writing in elementary school while she was still learning English and how growing up in Fresno rooted her in a strong Hmong community. She discusses the influence of oral traditions like the art of song poetry and how sound guides her approach to craft. Vang shares how she slowly uncovered her parents’ refugee histories, the silence surrounding the Secret War, and her understanding of the conflict as a proxy war that exploited Hmong boys and men. She discusses writing from her own experience without speaking for others and how readers inside and outside the Hmong community navigate her poems. Along the way, she recalls memories of Hmong New Year celebrations, the comfort of favorite dishes, and the hope she sees in younger Hmong writers. Together, Andy and Vang explore how poetry can carry cultural memory, open difficult conversations, and help future generations think more critically about the histories that shaped them.