Accented Dialogues: Beth Nguyen & Angela Peñaredondo on Writing & Identity

Exploring Identity and Heritage

• 💡 Angela Peñaredondo, a queer Filipinx writer, discusses her Catholic upbringing and how it informs her poetry, exploring themes of religion, prayer, and resistance.
• 📌 Beth Nguyen shares her decision to change her authorial name from Bich Minh to Beth as a social experiment to explore identity and freedom from preconceived notions.
• 🧠 Both writers delve into the complexities of identity for diasporic individuals, shaped by personal histories and cultural backgrounds.

The Influence of Catholicism and Politics

• ⛪ Angela describes her strict Catholic household in the Philippines, characterized by ritual, prayer, and mythology, which later clashed with ideologies in the United States.
• ✊ Her work is deeply political, stemming from a "naturally angry person" and a queer feminist lens, seeing figures like Jesus as radical political individuals.
• 📚 Angela's poetry is influenced by scholars like Neferti Tadiar, exploring concepts such as "surplus life," "radicalized grief," and "divine sorrow" in the context of empire and globalization.

Refugee Experience and Silence

• 💔 Beth's memoir, Owner of a Lonely Heart, addresses the silence and gaps in family histories common among Vietnamese refugees, viewing silence as a form of self-preservation.
• ✈️ She recounts fleeing Saigon as an eight-month-old and her unique experience as an "impostor refugee" with "secondhand trauma," having no direct memories of the war.
• 🤝 Beth draws parallels between the weighty constructs of "refugee" and "mother," both representing hidden identities and demanding a new understanding of self and time.

The Craft of Writing and Vulnerability

• ✍️ Both authors agree that vulnerability is crucial for good writing, allowing them to bring their full selves to the page and explore difficult truths.
• 🎨 Angela connects formal experimentation in poetry with grappling with history and politics, using visual composition to engage with stories.
• 💬 When interviewing family for sensitive topics, Beth suggests informal settings with food and drink, while Angela emphasizes reimagining history and memory to fill gaps left by pain and shame.

Navigating the Publishing World

• 💸 The discussion touches on the perception of "selling out" for writers of color, with Beth arguing that artists deserve to be paid and that the notion of selling out can be a form of silencing.
• 📈 Angela adds that the publishing industry often markets trauma, creating a temptation for writers to exaggerate vulnerability, but emphasizes the importance of authenticity over exploitation.
• 🎭 The panel acknowledges the complexities of the market and the potential for subtle forms of "selling out," while affirming the integrity of their artistic practice.