Hoa Nguyen Discusses Poetry, Recipes, and a New Project on 1960s Vietnam

Poet Hoa Nguyen, in a conversation with Paul Maziar, explores connections between cooking and poetry, sharing a recipe for phở gà. Nguyen, who taught poetry classes in Austin, released a collection titled Red Juice covering works from 1998-2008 through Wave Books. She draws inspiration from poet Joanne Kyger, citing Kyger's blending of daily life with the sacred, and references Ronald Johnson's cookbook The American Table from 1984. Nguyen is developing a book project on 1960s Vietnam, combining verse meditation and documentary poetry, including a biography of her mother, a stunt motorcyclist in an all-woman Vietnamese circus troupe. The discussion touches on mythological symbols like the ouroboros and the transmission of knowledge through recipes, with Nguyen noting her mother did not cook Vietnamese food due to cultural superstitions. Nguyen invented her Vietnamese recipes through cookbooks and experimentation, and she prepares for a reading in Toronto while writing a grant proposal. The interview includes a simplified phở gà recipe designed for ease during illness, sourced from blog Eat4Fun.