Bao Phi facts for kids

Bao Phi is a Vietnamese-American writer, spoken word artist, and community activist. He lives in Minnesota. Bao Phi is known for his poetry collections, Sông I Sing (published in 2011) and Thousand Star Hotel (published in 2017). He has also written three children’s books. His first children's book, A Different Pond, won many awards. These include the Caldecott Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature. It also won the Minnesota Book Award for picture books.

Early Life and Education

Bao Phi was born in Saigon, Vietnam. He was the youngest son of a Vietnamese mother and a Chinese-Vietnamese father. He grew up in South Minneapolis, near the Little Earth housing projects.

Phi went to Minneapolis South High School. He started performing poetry there in the early 1990s. He was part of the speech team. Later, he went to Macalester College. His Native American Literature professor, Diane Glancy, encouraged him to write creatively.

Poetry and Activism

Bao Phi won the Minnesota Grand Poetry Slam twice. He was the first Vietnamese-American man to appear on HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. He also performed at the National Poetry Slam Individual Finalists Stage, where he placed 6th out of over 250 poets. Phi has performed at many places, from the Nuyorican Poet's Café to the University of California, Berkeley.

In 2005, Phi released his CD called Refugeography. A famous poet, Billy Collins, chose one of Phi’s poems, "Race," for The Best American Poetry 2006 book. Phi's poems have also been in many literary magazines and books. His poetry is even in high school English textbooks. One of his poems was chosen for the "Poetry in Motion" program in Minneapolis/Saint Paul city buses. He also wrote a small book of poems called Surviving the Translation.

Phi is very involved in his community. He has been a featured artist at many events and rallies. He supported the Justice for Fong Lee committee. He also protested against the musical Miss Saigon because of how it showed Asian people.

His poetry collection, Sông I Sing, came out in 2011. It talks about modern Vietnamese-Asian American life. Each poem is also great for spoken word performances. The New York Times gave the book a good review. In 2017, Phi and illustrator Thi Bui released their children's book, A Different Pond. This book won the respected Caldecott Honor.

Phi has taught writing workshops and performed for young people. He worked with groups like the W.O.C. in Minneapolis and the Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco. He also helped organize a national poetry festival for Asian American writers in New York. In 2015, he was a teacher at Kundiman at Fordham University.

The Loft Literary Center

Phi worked at The Loft Literary Center for over 20 years. This is a non-profit writing organization in Minneapolis. He was the Program Director there. He managed several programs, including Equilibrium. He created Equilibrium, which is a spoken word series. It brings together famous artists of color and Indigenous artists with local Minnesota artists. Equilibrium won an award in 2010 for its anti-racism work. Phi left The Loft in 2022. He then joined the McKnight Foundation to work in their Arts & Culture program.

Awards and Honors

Bao Phi has received many awards. He has won several grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. He was also featured in the documentary film The Listening Project.

Published Works

Poetry Books

• Thousand Star Hotel, (Coffee House Press, 2017)
• Sông I Sing, (Coffee House Press, 2011)

Children's Books

• A Different Pond, (Capstone Press, 2017; illustrated by Thi Bui)
  • Honor, 2018 Caldecott Award
  • Winner, 2018 Charlotte Zolotow Award
  • Winner, 2017-2017 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature for best picture book
  • Winner, 2018 Minnesota Book Award
• My Footprints, (Capstone Press, 2019; illustrated by Basia Tran)
• Hello, Mandarin Duck!, (Capstone Press, 2019; illustrated by Dion MBD)

Personal Life

Bao Phi has a daughter.