Vietnamese poetry and music hit the airwaves in the US on February 11, with the programme “Lanterns hanging on the wind” broadcast on several university radio stations.

The show features the works of Vietnamese famous poets like Luu Quang Vu and Xuan Quynh.

Stations including Radio Free Charlotte and SUNY Potsdam radio (New York) aired the programme co-produced by Melodically Challenged, a weekly radio show of Georgia State University, and poet Nguyen Phan Que Mai.

The recording featured the works of 18 poets, including Tuyet Nga, Luu Quang Vu, Xuan Quynh, Nguyen Quang Thieu, Bui Hoang Tam, Tran Quang Quy and Giang Nam.

It took Mai two years to choose the poems which feature patriotism, romantic love and love for the Vietnamese language, and contact several authors and translators. 

In the show, many of the Vietnamese originals are read by their composers, and US poet Jennifer Fossenbell reads each translated poem in English. Throughout the show, audiences will have chance to enjoy Vietnamese music. 

The recording will be uploaded on the website Public Radio Exchange. 

Mai is the author of nine books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. She has received grants, fellowships, scholarships and awards from various Vietnamese and international organisations. She writes in Vietnamese as well as in English. -VNA