June Sisters come to life

A quick followup on a lovely story.

In 2020, author Jolie Phuong Hoang wrote an essay called June Sisters that was shortlisted for the Storyteller’s Award. The incredibly moving story reflected Jolie’s own experiences escaping Vietnam as a child. While June Sisters did not win the contest that year, Jolie went on to publish a full length work THREE FUNERALS FOR MY FATHER, outlining the harrowing experiences and their echoes for Jolie and her family since fleeing Vietnam. The book has garnered praise across Canada, including being listed as a must-read on CBC’s non-fiction list in 2021. Jolie is also author of a prize-winning novel ANCHORLESS. [joliehoang.com]

The art shown here is by Brian Hoang, a Halifax artist [brianhoangart.com], and depicts Jolie carrying Lan Phuong, as in the story June Sisters. In reality, Jolie and her sister Lan never had a photo taken together, so I know this piece is very special to her.

We love sharing the success stories of our contest entrants, and we wish Jolie Phuong Hoang every success with whatever she turns her pen to next!

~kc