In this episode, Kao Kalia Yang reads “To the Placenta of Return” by Mai Der Vang and discusses the sacrifices mothers made to protect their families during America’s Secret War in Laos. Over the course of two award-winning memoirs, Yang has charted the physical, political, emotional, and spiritual terrain of the Hmong journey to the United States in the aftermath of that war. Her books include The Latehomecomer and The Song Poet. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5erz1o9olZA3ekw8baxZO2 “To the Placenta of Return” by Mai Der Vang appears in the collection Afterland, published by Graywolf Press. Keep up with Kao Kalia Yang on Facebook, Twitter, and kaokaliayang.com. As always, the Haiku Hotline (612-440-0643) is open for your short poems and poetic musings. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Subscribe on RadioPublic, iTunes, or Stitcher.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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