Andrew Lam
Encyclopedia
Andrew Lam is a Vietnamese American
writer. He was born in South Vietnam
, where he led a privileged life as the son of General Lâm Quang Thi
of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
. He attended Lycée Yersin
in Dalat.
Lam left Vietnam with his family during the fall of Saigon
in April 1975. He attended the University of California, Berkeley
where he majored in biochemistry. He soon abandoned plans for medical school and entered a creative writing program at San Francisco State University
. While still in school he began writing for Pacific News Service
and in 1993 won the Outstanding Young Journalist Award from the Society of Professional Journalists
.
A PBS documentary produced by WETA in 200X that told 3 stories of Americans returning to their ancestral homelands, including of Lam's return to Vietnam.
He is currently the web editor of New America Media. He is also a journalist and short story writer. In 2005, he published a collection of essays, Perfume Dreams, about the problem of identity as a Vietnamese living in the U.S. He is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered.
Though reticent about his sexuality, in 2009 Lam gave an interview for a collection of portraits of homosexual Americans.
Essays
Fiction
Short Stories
"Show and Tell"
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....
writer. He was born in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, where he led a privileged life as the son of General Lâm Quang Thi
Lam Quang Thi
General Lâm Quang Thi was a senior military officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.-Early life and family:...
of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
. He attended Lycée Yersin
Lycée français Alexandre Yersin
The Lycée français Alexandre Yersin is one of two French schools in Vietnam and the only one in Hanoi. The other, École Française Colette, is in Ho Chi Minh City. The school is under the purview of the Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger , which manages all French state schools...
in Dalat.
Lam left Vietnam with his family during the fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
in April 1975. He attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
where he majored in biochemistry. He soon abandoned plans for medical school and entered a creative writing program at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
. While still in school he began writing for Pacific News Service
Pacific News Service
Pacific News Service is a nonprofit media organization founded in 1969 by Franz Schurmann, the historian, and Orville Schell, a noted author, journalist and Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley...
and in 1993 won the Outstanding Young Journalist Award from the Society of Professional Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists
The Society of Professional Journalists , formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is one of the oldest organizations representing journalists in the United States. It was established in April 1909 at DePauw University, and its charter was designed by William Meharry Glenn. The ten founding members of...
.
A PBS documentary produced by WETA in 200X that told 3 stories of Americans returning to their ancestral homelands, including of Lam's return to Vietnam.
He is currently the web editor of New America Media. He is also a journalist and short story writer. In 2005, he published a collection of essays, Perfume Dreams, about the problem of identity as a Vietnamese living in the U.S. He is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's All Things Considered.
Though reticent about his sexuality, in 2009 Lam gave an interview for a collection of portraits of homosexual Americans.
Publications
Books- "Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora", (Heyday Books, 2005)
- "East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres"
Essays
Fiction
- "Slingshot" in ZyzzyvaZyzzyva (magazine)Zyzzyva is a triannual magazine of writers and artists. It places an emphasis on showcasing emerging voices and never before published writers in addition to the already established. Based in San Francisco, it began publishing in 1985. ZYZZYVAs slogan is "The Last Word," referring to "zyzzyva", the...
, winter 1998, available online
Short Stories
"Show and Tell"
External links
- "Andrew Lam's homepage"
- Video Diary of Andrew Lam
- Viet Kieu
- My Father's Army Uniform
- Grandma's Tales, a short story
- Regret To Mis-Inform
- Andrew Lam page on Alternet
- Andrew Lam page on WQED
- "Cõi già trên đất lạ," a translation by Nguyễn Đức Nguyên of Andrew Lam's "Aging in a Foreign Land," printed here with original English version