All posts tagged: Laotian

Pixels and Patience: An Interview with Peter Chanthanakone

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 Peter Chanthanakone is a Canadian-born Lao American, and an award-winning animation director specializing in the 3D animated short film format. Many of our readers had a chance to meet him in Minnesota this year during the National Lao American Symposium and Writers Summit. Currently living in Iowa City, Iowa, he’s the founder of Pixade, as well as an associate professor at the University of Iowa. His newest animated film, Parking Gods (2015) is an official selection of the Hamilton International Film Festival. He’s traveled widely, including Iceland, South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia and across the US. We caught up with him recently to discuss his journey and what keeps him inspired. Can you tell us a little about yourself, and your family? Where do you consider your roots in Laos, and  what’s a story of your family’s journey to the US that sticks with you? My parents were sponsored by Mennonites in Canada and worked on the farms and then in food processing and kitchen production companies. They were all bunched together with other Laotians so it’s interesting …

Your Statistic, My Loved One: Child Leukemia In Our Community

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This is the latest op-ed submitted by Soudary Kittivong-Greenbaum.  About every three minutes, one person in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Meaning, last year, roughly 156,420 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. According to the American Cancer Society, leukemia is the most common cancers in kids and teens, but child leukemia is considered rare. To me, it’s one child too prevalent. Last month, Immanuel, my younger cousin’s child, was diagnosed with leukemia. He is seven. Immanuel lives in my hometown in Alaska. He loves his little sister, and his mom and dad. Loves playing with play doh, and anything related to cars. He moved to a new school this year. It’s hard to think of what’s ahead and not feel a weight for him. I first met Immanuel when he was just six months, on a visit back to Anchorage. This was a few years before I had my own child. My cousin Jenny held him up under each of his arms, handing him to me, his arms …