Known for her works entitled Fish in Exile, and Oh, God, Your Babies Are Delicious, Vi-Khi Nao is a writer who incorporates the atmosphere of exhilaration, surrealism, and simple amusement for all to read within her works.

When asked on Dec. 1 at CSUSM’s “Community and World Literary Series” what genre she prefers to write in, Nao went on to say, “I like to write in the sexy genre.”

Nao was born and raised in Vietnam, and went on to receive her MFA in fiction at Brown University. She has self-published her own work, and her novel Fish in Exile, a novel about parent’s grieving the loss of their children, was published by Coffee House Press, a nonprofit press house in Minneapolis Minnesota.

Vi-Khi Nao read a small excerpt from her novel Fish in Exile, and students found themselves intoxicated. Literature & Writing major and The Cougar Chronicle Copy Editor Shaymaa Abusalih stated, “Her work was very honest and intimate. I felt as though I was listening to a friend who had come back from a long trip. It wasn’t like an author presenting their work, it was just a very warm and human experience.”

The way that Vi-Khi Nao presented her work was captivating, students couldn’t help but feel connected to her powerful words, and eloquent sentences she had been reading. She took Cal State students away into another world of fiction.

“Nao was incredibly moving. She challenges the conventions associated with fictional writing, and brings forward a new sense of excitement to aspiring writers,” Literature & Writing student Zhaina Moya stated in regards to Vi-Khi Nao’s works.

This was the final Community and World Literary Series event from the Literature & Writing department however, more will be coming up once again in the spring! Stay tuned to see what fabulous writers will be coming in January to perform their works for CSUSM.