Kao Kalia Yang Bio | Wiki
Kao Kalia Yang is a popular Hmong American writer and author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir from Coffee House Press and The Song Poet from Metropolitan Press. Kalia’s work has appeared in the Paj Ntaub Voice Hmong literary journal, “Waterstone~Review,” as well as other publications.
Kalia also works as a contributing writer to On Being’s Public Theology Reimagined blog. Additionally, Kalia wrote the lyric documentary, The Place Where We Were Born.
Kao Kalia Yang Age
Kalia was born on December 17, 1980, in Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. She is 42 years old. Kalia celebrates her birthday on December 17, every year.
Kao Kalia Yang Height
She is a woman of average stature. Kalia stands at a height of 5 ft 6 in (Approx. 1.65 m).
Kao Kalia Yang Family
She was born in Ban Vinai Refugee Camp and went to Minnesota in the summer of 1987, together with her parents and an older sister named Dawb. Kalia says that the move to America was necessary for her parents. Kalia’s mother suffered six miscarriages following giving birth to her, and with no male heir, her dad named Bee Yang was being pressured to find a second wife. Her father even took his younger daughter on trips with him to visit eligible women in the camp.
For Kalia’s parents, leaving Ban Vinai was not only about finding opportunities for their two daughters, but also about rescuing themselves from family and cultural pressure. She says that while her sister mastered the English language quickly, Kalia struggled for many years, lastly discovering that her gift lay not in the spoken, but in the written word. She also credits her older sister Dawb, with awakening an interest within her. Kalia’s grandmother named Kao Kalia was a resourceful shaman and medicine woman.
Kao Kalia Yang Husband
Kalia is married to her husband Aaron Hokanson. Kalia and her husband Aaron have twin sons named Yuepheng and Thayeng and an older daughter named Shengyeng. During the COVID-19 pandemic intensified last spring, Kalia’s husband, Aaron Hokanson, planted a rose garden. The couple resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Kao Kalia Yang Education
She attended Harding High School. Later on, Kalia attended and graduated from Carleton College in 2003 earning a bachelor’s degree in American Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Cross-cultural Studies. She also received her Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University in New York City. Kalia’s graduate studies were supported by a Dean’s Fellowship from the School of the Arts and The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans.
Kao Kalia Yang Books
– The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir (2008)
– The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father (2016)
– What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Women of Color (coedited with Shannon Gibney, 2019)
– Somewhere in the Unknown World: A Collective Refugee Memoir (2021)
– A Map Into the World (2019), illustrated by Seo Kim
– The Most Beautiful Thing (2020), illustrated by Khoa Le
– The Shared Room (2020), illustrated by Xee Reiter
– Yang Warriors (2021), illustrated by Billy Thao
Kao Kalia Yang Scholarship
She has been a recipient of the Alan Page Scholarship, the Gilman International Award, and the Freeman in Asia Scholarship.
Kao Kalia Yang The Latehomecomer
On April 1, 2008, Kalia published her book titled The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir. This book is her tribute to the remarkable woman whose spirit held them all together. The book is also an eloquent, firsthand account of people who have worked hard to make their voices heard. The book became also a finalist for a PEN USA Literary Center Award and an Asian American Literary Award. It also remains a bestselling title for Coffee House Press and is a National Endowment of the Arts’ Big Read book.
Kao Kalia Yang Children’s Book
– A Map Into the World (2019), illustrated by Seo Kim
– The Most Beautiful Thing (2020), illustrated by Khoa Le
– The Shared Room (2020), illustrated by Xee Reiter
– Yang Warriors (2021), illustrated by Billy Thao
Kao Kalia Yang The Song Poet
On May 9, 2017, Kalia released her book titled The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father. This book became the winner of the 2017 MN Book Award in Creative Nonfiction/Memoir. It became a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Chautauqua Prize. The Song Poet is now a finalist for a PEN USA literary award in nonfiction and the Dayton’s Literary Peace Prize.
Kao Kalia Yang Quotes
– “Patience is the road to wisdom.”
– “Love is the reason why my mother and father stick together in a hard life when they might each have an easier one apart”
– “Emotions are captive to reality”
– “Once we are, we will always be.”
– “I’ve not heard the world the way you do for a long time now.”
– “Lasting change cannot be forced, only inspired”
– “Your trust in me then and now scares and reassures me.”
– “Hmong tradition dictated that only a son could find the guides who would lead the spirits of his mother or father to the land of the ancestors.”
– “Patience is the slow road to success”
– “My father did not live to see his son yearn for a father, or struggle to become one.”
– “I want you to be better than me. Xue looked at our father. Xue said, What if you are the best man I know how to be?”
Kao Kalia Yang Net Worth
She works as a writer and author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir from Coffee House Press and The Song Poet from Metropolitan Press. Therefore, Kalia has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. Kalia’s estimated net worth is $871,648.
Is Kao Kalia Yang Married
Kalia is married to her husband Aaron Hokanson. Kalia and her husband Aaron have twin sons named Yuepheng and Thayeng and an older daughter named Shengyeng.
How Old Is Kao Kalia Yang
Kalia is a 42-year-old who was born on December 17, 1980, in Ban Vinai Refugee Camp.
Who Is Kao Kalia Yang
She works as a writer and author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir from Coffee House Press and The Song Poet from Metropolitan Press. Kalia’s work has appeared in the Paj Ntaub Voice Hmong literary journal, “Waterstone~Review,” as well as other publications.