Hmong and Miao Folklore Research

I'll be presenting on Hmong oral traditions and rap at the upcoming American Folklore Society meeting as part of a panel entitled, "Issues in the Translation of Asian Folklore." The panel also includes a presentation on Miao oral traditions by Dr. Mark Bender (the Ohio State University) and will feature a talk by a poet with whom Dr. Bender has been documenting and translating Miao folklore. [A book of these stories is due out this fall.] The panel is from 8:15 to 10am on Thursday, 19 October.

Delicious Venom Videos on YouTube

From a performance on 4/29/06
Tequila Moonrise
30 Year Secret
(Too bad you can't hear the lyrics very well, its a great performance)

“Evil Kwv Txhiaj: Intersecting Oral Traditions in Hmong Rap”

I'm presenting at the upcoming Midwest Society for Ethnomusicology Conference at the Ohio State University, this weekend (schedule). The paper is part of a larger project on relating current Hmong verbal arts to oral traditions I'll hopefully be presenting at the annual American Folklore Society Meeting.