It’s a very small world. It seems that where ever I go,  Marin seems to turn up sooner or later.

I first met him during a brief stint grant-writing at United Cambodian Community in Long Beach. Years later, after I moved to Cambodia, we both ended up working in Siem Reap.     For several years he was based in Phnom Penh, doing his best to reconnect to a country he left as a child, under very difficult circumstances.

All during this time, he was writing.

Marin would sometimes talk of his attempts to recapture his fleeting memory, having grown up as an orphan.  Memory of wartime is a tricky territory to explore, but he started chronicling what he could remember, which grew and grew.  Over time what was a brief manuscript blossomed into a book.  Returning to the USA to continue his higher education, he doubled down on his writing — and the tale began to take its final shape.

Marin has many more stories to tell, and I’m excited to see him release his very first book.

================================
Book Launch: April 12, La Lune, Long Beach.

When: Friday, April 12, 2013
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: La Lune Restaurants
2801 E. Spring St.
Long Beach, CA. 90806

*$25 including drinks, 2 appetizers, and 3 courses meal buffet style.
* Raffle tickets.

RSVP Marin
Email:marinlastone@yahoo.com
http://www.facebook.com/events/152519131577892/

Monies raised will benefit:
Friends Without A Border http://www.fwab.org / http://www.facebook.com/fwabny
Build Your Future Today Center http://www.center-bft.org / http://www.facebook.com/BFTCenter.Cambodia
===============================
Postscript: More links:
The writing of the book: http://evenhigherlearning.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/meeting-and-working-with-marin-yann-on-his-memoir-the-last-one/
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Last-One/416513748434473
GoodReads Reviews: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17658537-the-last-one

Press: http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/commentary/transpacific-routes/from-refugee-to-role-model-a-cambodia-town-story.html

Returnees often find themselves discriminated against by USA citizens, expatriates, and Cambodian nationals. Many don’t have a working knowledge of Khmer, finding themselves trapped between two cultures – and unemployable. I don’t think deportation is a particular gift to Cambodia. Nor is it a workable solution for crime prevention/reduction. I believe the USA’s process for selecting and deporting Cambodians is quite hit-and miss, warranting review and revision.

Kosal has viewed his deportation as a second chance. He’s been a featured speaker at TEDxPhnomPenh and numerous local events.

Earlier this year he made an appearance highlighting returnee issues in a video submitted to The White House’s ‘My Asian Americana’ competition.

The film won the popular vote but not the prize, and the creators held a sort of Salon des Refusés in response. http://studio-revolt.com/?p=764

Invited to represent Cambodia in London’s ‘Poetry Parnassus‘, he left for the UK this last weekend after a highly-promoted gig at Pontoon Club.

At the airport, the same country that had invited Kosal stopped him and detained him. (Stages of this were documented by filmmaker Masahiro Sugano.) Kosal ended up being held at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre – one of the very facilities he was originally scheduled to perform at.

Artistic partners Studio Revolt, Kosal’s friends, and road manager Linda Kwon pulled out all the stops to a) find out what was going on and b) keep the issue in the public eye. http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/vitti/spokenword_artist_kosal_khiev_is_detained_at_an/
Colnbrook was inundated with phone calls and queries.

News stories followed in today’s Cambodia Daily and Phnom Penh Post.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012062557005/National-news/artist-detained-before-olympic-poetry.html

A day later, he is out, though his passport has not yet been returned. (‘Thank you’ video below).

It’s a pretty prestigious gig to perform at a cultural offshoot of the Olympics.
I’m guessing Kosal had his act buttoned down, this is not an opportunity he’d want to mess up.

What I’m wondering: A: Did the UK organizers have their act together in clearing his entry?
Or B: (Less likely) did Kosal knowingly or unwittingly break the law entering the country?

One thing’s for sure: he’ll get a story out of it. I’ll leave it to readers to make up their own minds.

More on Returnees:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/sentencedhome/
http://www.risccambodia.org/about/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_Cambodian_Americans

Kosal Khiev:
http://spokenkosal.com
http://twitter.com/KosalKhiev

Today’s Cambodia Daily noted that municipality of Phnom Penh AND the Ministry of Information has ordered a spate of apocalyptic Christian billboards (put up by ‘Cambo Advertising’ company) in Phnom Penh to be removed. (They were originally to be taken down on Saturday, prior to rapture.)

The one featured here on the Tonle Bassac building says ‘Pray Strongly To God’ and notes ’21 May 2011′. Personally? I’m just waiting for the Monday morning interviews.

More pictures from Cambodia: http://staging.ebiblefellowship.com/gallery/v/cambodia_billboards/

News:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/article1073686.ece/Cambodian-government-orders-removal-of-Judgement-Day-adverts

http://inthearena.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/17/harold-camping-prepares-for-judgment-day-may-21-2011/

Bloggery: Some context from LTO Cambodia. http://ltocambodia.blogspot.com/2011/05/judgment-day.html

Some of the biggest sculptures from Sopheap that I’ve ever seen.
From ‘Fragile’ at Centre Culturel Francais.

From conception:

To actualization. Below is the actual sculpture with the flash on -

and off.

Some more details to come, for now, enjoy the pictures!

Chariya, Sopheap and friend.

Here is the text of the exhibition announcement at Centre Culturel Francais.

Diplômé en peinture à l’Université de Massachusetts et à l’Institut des arts de Chicago, Sopheap Pich est revenu au Cambodge en 2002.
Après avoir exposé dans de nombreux lieux ses peintures, il décide, en 2005, de se consacrer uniquement à la réalisation de ses sculptures en rotin, celles-ci lui permettant d’investir un espace, explorer de nouvelles significations la relation entre l’intérieur et l’extérieur, la fragilité, la légèreté…
Il a, ces dernières années, créé des nouvelles pièces pour deux expositions, en Australie (Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art) et aux États-Unis (Tyler Rollins Fine Art ).
Il présentera un panorama depuis ses débuts jusqu’à aujourd’hui ainsi que son dernier projet en cours, une réflexion sur l’alphabet khmer, source de débats et de discussions. http://ccf-cambodge.org/index.php?q=fr/node/352

Tags: cambodian,visual art,khmer,exhibition

Together
We can help Vann Nath the famous Cambodian painter

Solidarity night & exhibition
Bophana Center
Friday, May 07 at 6 pm

Limited printings series of Vann Nath’s painting will be available to purchase.
All proceeds from the sale will go to Vann Nath’s family to alleviate his medical expenses.

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center
64 street 200 (Okhnia Men), Phnom Penh
Tel: 023 992 174 / 092 605 127
www.bophana.org
info@bophana.org

Solidarity night and exhibition: Together we can help Mr. Vann Nath, the famous Cambodian painter next Friday, 07th May at 6pm at Bophana Center.

The Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center is very pleased
to invite you to the solidarity night and the exhibition opening:
Together we can help Mr.VANN NATH,
the famous Cambodian painter!

Friday, May 07 at 6 pm
Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center
#64, St 200, Okhnia Men, Phnom Penh
With the presence of Vann Nath’s children
Limited printings series of Vann Nath’s painting will be available to purchase. All proceeds from the sale will go to Vann Nath’s family to alleviate his medical expenses.

Vendredi 07 mai, 18h
Centre de ressources audiovisuelles Bophana
#64, rue 200, Okhnia Men, Phnom Penh
En présence des enfants de Vann Nath
Des reproductions photographiques de qualité seront mises en vente et tous les fonds récoltés seront reversés à la famille de Vann Nath et qui serviront à financer les frais médicaux.

Vann Nath’s Site: http://www.vannnath.com

Tags: cambodia,khmer,news,tribunal