Press-Telegram Los Angeles
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
04/14/2008
LONG BEACH - It was another typically busy day in the Wilson High library.
Librarian Lia Ladas was watching students meander through a school visual arts display, which was concluding its weeklong run at the school, on Thursday.
She was also eagerly looking forward to today's visit by a local writer for Author's Day.
Ladas, who has been at Wilson for four years, said this was the first time she had the funding to present an Author's Day program.
After a sellout response, she hopes to make it an annual occasion.
Today, Oni Vitandham, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, will talk to students about tales from her autobiography "On the Wings of a White Horse." She will also sign copies of her book for sale.
Vitandham says she has spoken more than 15 times locally in recent years. She will talk to students about her battle to survive in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, under which about 1.7 million Cambodians died, and her subsequent tribulations as a refugee in the United States.
"I try to provide inspiration to kids," says Vitandham, who understands firsthand the despair, fear and poverty many teens live with in Long Beach.
Ladas said she was finally able to put on an Author's Day program when she received $250 in funding. She says that since announcing the presentation she has been inundated with interest and will have a standing-room-only crowd of 250 for each of the two sessions.
Vitandham will speak in one-hour blocks at 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. and will also be available at a lunch at 11 a.m.
The Wilson talk is the first in a busy slate for Vitandham, who is traveling to Goodyear, Ariz., near Phoenix, for three days of talks.
Ladas, despite the seating challenges, is happy with the Author's Day experiment. The librarian also provided study packets for teachers who will be bringing their classes to the talk.
"It's brought a whole new dimension to the job (of) dealing with the authors," Ladas said. "I'm enjoying it."
She also hopes Vitandham's book and story will highlight the need for more multicultural literature in schools.
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
04/14/2008
LONG BEACH - It was another typically busy day in the Wilson High library.
Librarian Lia Ladas was watching students meander through a school visual arts display, which was concluding its weeklong run at the school, on Thursday.
She was also eagerly looking forward to today's visit by a local writer for Author's Day.
Ladas, who has been at Wilson for four years, said this was the first time she had the funding to present an Author's Day program.
After a sellout response, she hopes to make it an annual occasion.
Today, Oni Vitandham, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, will talk to students about tales from her autobiography "On the Wings of a White Horse." She will also sign copies of her book for sale.
Vitandham says she has spoken more than 15 times locally in recent years. She will talk to students about her battle to survive in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, under which about 1.7 million Cambodians died, and her subsequent tribulations as a refugee in the United States.
"I try to provide inspiration to kids," says Vitandham, who understands firsthand the despair, fear and poverty many teens live with in Long Beach.
Ladas said she was finally able to put on an Author's Day program when she received $250 in funding. She says that since announcing the presentation she has been inundated with interest and will have a standing-room-only crowd of 250 for each of the two sessions.
Vitandham will speak in one-hour blocks at 9:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. and will also be available at a lunch at 11 a.m.
The Wilson talk is the first in a busy slate for Vitandham, who is traveling to Goodyear, Ariz., near Phoenix, for three days of talks.
Ladas, despite the seating challenges, is happy with the Author's Day experiment. The librarian also provided study packets for teachers who will be bringing their classes to the talk.
"It's brought a whole new dimension to the job (of) dealing with the authors," Ladas said. "I'm enjoying it."
She also hopes Vitandham's book and story will highlight the need for more multicultural literature in schools.
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