Seng So

Seng So was born in in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1985. His family arrived as refugees in 1989, settling in the Bay Area. Today he spends time between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. He currently works for the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, striving towards environmental justice for immigrant and refugee communities. He received his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is at work launching an arts collective called Cambo! Cambo! To learn more, visit www.cambocambo.com, or follow him on Twitter @seng_so.

JULY/AUGUST NONFICTION: LETTER HOME

Even in the whirlwind you made sure to shelter us. You gave rise to a people that withstood.

Forty-four years ago on April 17, 1975, Khmer Rouge forces entered Cambodia’s capital seeking to implement an agrarian revolution. Families were torn apart and forced into labor camps throughout Cambodia’s countryside. Between 1975 and 1979 under Khmer Rouge rule, over 2 million Cambodians perished from torture, death, starvation and forced labor. The Cambodian Genocide, also known as “The Killing Fields,” has shaped the lives of Cambodians at home and abroad.