"This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." - Dorothy Parker

Phuong Thao Le

Pen name : Fragrant-Grass

"I was born and grew up in the center of Viet Nam. I was fond of poetry in my early days.  In my high-school time, I read and memorized several Chinese, French, and almost all Vietnamese famous poems of the 19th and 20th centuries. I might be influenced by the romantic trend of French poetry as many of my classmates at that time. After high school, I moved to Saigon and graduated from the School of Pharmacy in Saigon in 1965. I immigrated to the USA with my husband and four children in 1992 and have been living in California since then. After passing the equivalency of Pharmacy degree, I realized that at my age I couldn't get any good job in this challenging country. I didn't take the license to practice my former career. I decided to stay home to help my children to catch up their goals instead of mine.

I also knew that I could study English to adapt easily the new life and teach my grandchildren about their root in the future. At LBCC, I took classes from the beginning to higher level (from ESL classes to English 1, 3 and so on to go to English 27.) When I learned from Professor Gaspar, I know I found my right choice. I've attended his class semester after semester. I would like to participate in any poetry or novel activity so that I can learn more to shorten the gap between my American friends and me.    That is why here is my contribution for VERDAD.

Thanks for accepting me as a friend."