Welcome! My name is Marianne Manzler, and this is Mumu Stories, a podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of entrepreneurs, artists, and culture bearers of color. Thanks for being here.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
In this podcast episode, Angelina discusses her creative practice, how she writes about trauma and difficult topics in her memoir, and what it takes to keep going. Angelina’s story chronicles her family’s refugee story, weaving together the collective and personal with the history of Vietnam and her experience moving to and raising a family in St. Paul, Minnesota. She finds strength in storytelling, blended traditions, and time with family. She loves connecting with her culture and ancestors through the Lunar New Year and variety shows that nurture the arts and feature songs and theatre.
As I listen to her story, I think of our beloved city that’s been (and continues to be) under siege for the past few months. Angelina reminds us how important it is to hear from communities of color, to hear stories like hers, of immigrant families in search of a safer future and better home for themselves and future generations. For the freedom to move somewhere new and feel the stickiness of snow or to witness the changing color of the leaves for the first time. Minnesotans show us, time and time again, to continue to rise up and protect your neighbor, fight for and protect your home, and stand up for what is right. This podcast has always been a love letter to Minnesota as ya’ll once again show us how to show up for community. Shout out to South Minneapolis, we see you and love you! Thank you.
In Lit Hub’s “Letter from Minnesota” series, hear from brilliant Minnesotan writers like Heid E. Erdrich, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Kaia Preus, Ed Bok Lee, Molly Beth Griffin, Kao Kalia Yang, Kawai Washburn, Marcie R. Rendon, Laurie Hertzel, and Diane Wilson, and many more speaking on the current moment.
Witness, record, document, repeat. My new mantra this year: show up to the page, it’s all we can do.
Now, more than ever, it’s time to share our stories, as we continue to shine light on the ongoing crisis unfolding in Minnesota and throughout the country. If you want to help, go to www.standwithminnesota.com for a directory of local organizations and mutual aid groups accepting donations.
About Angelina
Angelina Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American writer—essayist, blogger, and memoirist—who writes to heal intergenerational trauma and strengthen community. She writes for fellow Vietnamese-American millennials whose families fought in, survived, and fled from war, who inherit trauma and must rebuild well-being for ourselves, our family, our community, and our progeny. She has blogged for seven years and has published poems and essays in magazines and periodicals such as the Saint Paul Almanac, Diacritics, and UnMargin. She’s currently working on a full-length memoir manuscript about intergenerational trauma and resilience.
Coming Up
Writing the Illness Memoir: A Diversifying Writers Class | Starting Mondays, June 15 - August 3, 2026 from 6-8p CT via Zoom/Online. Come write with us over at the Loft!
