Khmer Girl
Born in Cambodia, Peuo Tuy, at the age of twelve began journaling about being a young Khmer girl growing up in Lowell, Massachusetts. A closet writer during her adolescent years, she has amassed a collection of poetry about her struggle, as a dark-skinned Asian woman now living in America. Peuo embraces her Khmer culture and heritage as she shares her refugee experience surviving “The Killing Fields” of the Pol Pot / Khmer Rouge genocide through her heartfelt, vivid poetry. Her writing also portrays political and social activism and upon reading “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, she was inspired to write further about the dynamics of social inequality in America which connected her with other people from different ethnic backgrounds who are going through similar struggles. Through her activism she birthed her first performance piece, I’m Not Your Asian Exotic, on stage at Hunter College, where she was the Events Coordinator for the Student Liberation Action Movement! (SLAM!)
Though seemingly small in stature, her presence on stage commands that of a giant as she virtually lifts you onto her shoulders giving you a bird’s eye view of her travels through her life of love, pain, passion, courage and poetry while leaving nothing for the trip back.
Peuo uses her poetry as a vehicle to expose and educate all audiences blazing stages from West Coast’s Japan Town, Thai Town, UCLA to East Coast’s Jake’s, Nuyorican Poets Café, Nubian Heritage, amongst others. Graduating from Hunter College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana/Puerto Rican/Latino Studies, she is aspiring to return to school to pursue her Master’s Degree in Asian American Studies.