Kao Kalia Yang

Kao Kalia Yang is an award-winning Hmong-American writer known for her poignant explorations of refugee experiences, family narratives, and cultural identity. She is the author of acclaimed memoirs such as "The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir," the first Asian American-centered book selected for the Literature to Life Program and an NEA Big Read title, and "The Song Poet," which was adapted into a youth opera by the Minnesota Opera. Her children's books, including "A Map Into the World," "The Shared Room," and "The Most Beautiful Thing," have received widespread recognition. Yang also co-edited the anthology "What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Indigenous Women and Women of Color" and authored the collective refugee memoir "Somewhere in the Unknown World."

Yang's literary nonfiction blends lyrical storytelling with deeply personal themes, earning her accolades such as the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, and three Minnesota Book Awards. Her children's literature has been honored as an American Library Association Notable Book, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, and a Minnesota Book Award winner in Children's Literature. A graduate of Carleton College and Columbia University, Yang has been recognized as a Soros, McKnight, and Guggenheim fellow. Her contributions extend beyond writing, earning her the International Institute of Minnesota's Olga Zoltai Award for community leadership and the Ordway Center's Sally Award for Social Impact.