Beyond the Mekong: Beyond the Representation

What does discovering an author who shares your similar lived experiences mean to you? I sit down with my friend and Khmer American content creator, Sophia Lee based out in the Boston area. She is the founder of the IG account BeyondtheMekong, which highlights books and writings by Khmer diasporic authors and other Asian American/diasporic authors. Sophia shares with me about her love of reading and the joy of finding Cambodian and Asian authors, and what it means to highlight those voices and find connections with fellow Asian bookstagrammers. We discuss some of our favorite readings from Khmer authors and so much more in this episode!

Books & Authors mentioned on this episode:

Ma and Me by Putsata Reang

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So

Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia

Sambath Meas

Vaddey Ratner

First, They Killed My Father by Loung Ung

When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

Human Axe by Han Kang

Lurlene McDaniel

Put it on Record w/ Dr. Sokunthary Svay

Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Remembering Water: A Memoir of Departure and Return by Tuan Phan

Bio:

A second-generation Cambodian-American and the daughter of genocide survivors, Sophia Lee aims to bridge the gap between readers and Cambodian diasporic authors, and to explore the importance of heritage language reclamation for Asian American identity via social media.

Sophia has served the Cambodian-American community for over 10 years. She co-authored the Cambodian Texans chapter in ASIAN TEXANS: OUR HISTORIES AND OUR LIVES, and helped organize the More than a Number exhibit, featuring Cambodian Genocide survivor stories, at the Lynn Museum. Her writing is featured in the Cambodian American Literary Arts Association’s The Still House Zine, and you can find her at BeyondtheMekong on Instagram and Substack.