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OUR ‘HUMAN STORIES’: Lor & Bidania On The Hmong American Experience
Chippewa Valley Book Festival presents author sessions on diaspora, resettlement and ‘authentic representation’
“My premise has always been (that) this is a story about humanity, it’s a story about all of us,” Pao Lor, Wisconsin educator and author, said of his latest memoir, Bamboo Son.
Returning this week, the Chippewa Valley Book Festival (CVBF) welcomes readers with a curated lineup featuring author presentations, literary readings, culinary experiences and vibrant community gatherings.
With many voices and lived experiences converging in Eau Claire from Oct. 19-24, two new sessions draw attention to the narratives and cultural heritage of the local Hmong community.
Celebrated Midwest writers Lor and V.T. Bidania will offer independent – yet equally poignant – windows into the nuances of those who have a Hmong American identity.
In the case of Lor, the CVBF maintains a collaborative partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society Press; its committee members routinely receive previews for upcoming literary releases.
Upon reading the subtitle alone for Lor’s 2026 release, Bamboo Son: A Hmong Refugee’s Search for Identity and the American Dream, the festival’s nonfiction team requested an advance digital copy for review, according to Amy Alpine, co-chair for the author and events committee.
'A History Stretching Across Oceans and Generations' with V.T. Bidania
Few know the full story of how the Hmong became refugees. V.T. Bidania will give a brief overview of the history of the Hmong and their resettlement in the US, and discuss her new middle grade verse novel, A Year Without Home. This novel tells the journey of her family’s escape from Laos after the Vietnam War and their year living in refugee camps before arriving in the US. She will share her inspiration for her chapter books Extraordinary Eliana and Astrid & Apollo and talk about her process of writing a fictionalized memoir.
Where: L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, Riverview Room (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire)
*At the time of publishing, this event has ended
'Sharing a Hmong American Experience' with Pao Lor
What is it like to live thousands and hundreds of years of human civilization in five decades? This is Pao's story and the Hmong American experience. In the context of his lived experience, Dr. Pao Lor shares insights about how the Hmong went from an intricate, sophisticated, and vulnerable tribal culture in isolated regions of Laos in the 1960s and ‘70s to becoming a part of the American and global landscape.
Where: L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, Riverview Room (400 Eau Claire St., Eau Claire)
Learn more about both authors and their respective speaker sessions, via the Chippewa Valley Book Festival website.
“We chose to add it to the festival because it provides a fascinating window into Lor’s life in Wisconsin,” Alpine said, “and his transformation from an insecure but determined high school student to a husband, father and university department chair.”
Having engaged audiences through various programs with the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Lor considers his literary contributions and storytelling efforts as extending far beyond the recounting of personal history.
“One of my goals was, as people are reading through it, that the pace of the story, the tone of the story, captures the Hmong American experience,” Lor said. “There are things that I wanted to share – but I also want readers to discover on their own.”
Building upon the narrative framework introduced in his 2021 memoir, Modern Jungles: A Hmong Refugee's Childhood Story of Survival, Lor’s subsequent work, Bamboo Son, mirrors its predecessor’s structural format and stylistic tone.
In this second volume, also published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Lor felt driven to continue his own journey with a more expansive call-to-action on the broader diaspora.
“You have to look at (both) the quality of the literary work you put out there,” Lor mused. “Not just (being) someone who can write well but as someone who can also understand the experience over the last 50 years and before (resettlement) as well.”
“My goal has always been connecting the information to (audiences) as well as beginning the conversation that (connects) the book to their own personal experiences or things that will impact them personally,” he continued.
“Hmong people are so much more than their refugee background. I hope my books will present not the usual war or refugee stories so often written about us, but human stories.”
V.T. Bidania
author of A Year Without Home, Extraordinary Eliana and Astrid & Apollo
Shifting focus toward youth literature, Bidania similarly acknowledged a growing expanse of Hmong perspectives woven into contemporary publishing.
Even with considerable progress, gaps remain in the selection of fiction and nonfiction works that capture the authentic Hmong experience beyond resettlement.
“I want young readers especially to learn and understand our history,” Bidania said, “but at the same time, it’s important for them to see Hmong children in positive, happy books and be the heroes of their own stories.”
Bidania previously connected with Chippewa Valley students through the local book festival’s Authors in the Schools program. Jenna Gilles, youth chair in the CVBF authors and events committee, said Bidania left a deep impression on local educators and youth alike.
It was only a matter of time before the CVBF pitched to elevate her presence to the “main stage.”
“Committee members (and their kids!) also have a deep affection for her two series, Extraordinary Eliana and Astrid & Apollo,” Gilles added. “They are the first children's book series to feature Hmong-American characters.
“There is always something extra special about connecting the community with local and Midwest authors,” Gilles continued.
Though their literary mediums differ distinctly, both Lor and Bidania echo a shared purpose this week in Eau Claire: arrive with open minds and explore lesser-known chapters of the Hmong diaspora.
Both speaker sessions will inevitably touch on deeply moving topics, but each author hopes to balance grave historical truths with compassion. They invite audiences to share in moments of reflection and even a touch of humor, too.
“While my main characters are usually Hmong or Hmong American, I want their stories to represent their individual, unique journeys and experiences,” Bidania said. “Hmong people are so much more than their refugee background.
“I hope my books will present not the usual war or refugee stories so often written about us, but human stories,” she said.
Learn more about the 2026 Chippewa Valley Book Festival, slated for Oct. 19-24, online at cvbookfest.org. Registration for speaker events (all free to attend) is also available through the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library calendar.
