History

DVAN founders Viet Thanh Nguyen and Isabelle Pelaud
DVAN founders Viet Thanh Nguyen and Isabelle Pelaud

Our co-founders Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen and Professor Isabelle Thuy Pelaud met as students in a San Francisco-based organization called Ink & Blood (active from 1991 to 2000). The mission of Ink & Blood was to promote Vietnamese American writers and poets. After becoming university professors, they decided in 2007 to expand and professionalize the scope of Ink & Blood by including the diaspora at large. They recognized that Vietnamese American literature, compared to other Asian American immigrant texts, were still underrepresented in both academia and popular culture. With DVAN, they aimed to put theories into practice and be relevant to their community by empowering and disseminating Vietnamese voices and visions. Ten years later, DVAN has become a nationally and internationally recognized organization.

DVAN is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your donations are tax-deductible.

Learn more about our Programs

diaCRITICS

DVAN@SFSU

ÁCCENTED

Residencies

Public Events

Publishing