“No-No Boy” is an immersive multimedia work blending original folk songs, storytelling, and projected archival images to illuminate hidden American histories. Taking inspiration from his own family’s history living through the Vietnam War, as well as interviews with World War II Japanese Incarceration camp survivors and other stories of Asian American experience, Nashville-born songwriter Julian Saporiti has transformed years of doctoral research at Brown University into an innovative project bridging a divide between art and scholarship. By turning archival study and fieldwork into a large repertoire of folk songs and visuals, “No-No Boy” has evolved into a project aimed at recovering difficult pasts, making connections across communities, and imagining better futures. Learn more about the project at https://www.nonoboyproject.com/
Some of the songs in this video contain strong language and may not be appropriate for children.
0:0:22 Crystal City
0:12:31 The Best God Damn Band in Wyoming
0:29:57 Boat People
0:43:13 Tell Hanoi I Love Her
1:05:33 Little Saigon
For more No-No Boy songs and accompanying recommendations of books, films, graphic novels, and online exhibits, check out this resource list from the library: https://princetonlibrary.bibliocommons.com/list/share/104627853_princetonpl/1899844679_no-no_boy_multimedia_resource_list
This event was recorded on May 16, 2021.