- Literature
- NYC
- SF
Celebrating McSweeney’s Magazine Issue 78 – The Make Believers – with Author and Villa Albertine Resident Doan Bui
Talk
Art by Thi Bui for McSweeney's Literary Arts Fund
Asian Art Museum and The Tenderloin Museum
San Francisco
May 1, 2025
Join Villa Albertine San Francisco artist-in-residence and contributing writer Doan Bui at two unique events: a special lecture at The Asian Art Museum and a release party with the Tenderloin Museum.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, McSweeney’s Magazine has released Issue 78, The Make Believers—an extraordinary anthology guest-edited by Thi Bui and Vu Tran. The volume gathers ten writers from the Vietnamese diaspora who explore, in multiple languages and genres, what it means to be Vietnamese today.
Among the contributors is Doan Bui—journalist, author, and current Villa Albertine resident in San Francisco. Writing (and illustrating!) from places of shared loss, joy, and imagination, these artists offer a profoundly eclectic portrait of identity, memory, and belonging.
Contributing writers: Doan Bui, Thi Bui, H’Rina DeTroy, Anna Moï, Hoài Hương Nguyễn, Vaan Nguyen, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, Bao Phi, Paul Tran, Vu Tran.
Celebrating this release, two events in the heart of San Francisco will bring together writers and guests for a day of literature, discussion, and a reflection on collective loss and joy:
Asian Art Museum Members Event: Curators Choice Lecture
Experience an exclusive conversation with contributing author Doan Bui and co-guest editor Vu Tran, moderated by Natasha Reichle, Associate Curator of Southeast Asian Art.
This lecture will delve into the writers’ creative imaginations and their connection to the Vietnamese diaspora.
Thursday, May 1st
3:45 – 6:00 PM
Asian Art Museum, Samsung Hall
Reserve tickets here.
Celebrate the release of McSweeney’s Issue 78, The Make Believers, at a block party in the heart of San Francisco’s Little Saigon.
This special issue carries particular resonance for the Tenderloin, where members of the Vietnamese diaspora created the residential enclave and commercial corridor now known as “Little Saigon”—a vibrant cornerstone of the neighborhood today.
As part of the Tenderloin Museum’s SF First Thursday Art Walks, presented in collaboration with SF Planning, the evening will feature readings by contributors Vu Tran and Doan Bui, plus live music and complimentary refreshments.
Thursday, May 1st
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Myrtle Alley (at 835 Larkin St, between O’Farrell and Geary)
Free and open to all — no registration required.
In partnership with
McSweeny’s
McSweeney’s is an independent nonprofit publishing company based in San Francisco. As well as operating a daily humor website, we also publish McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, The Believer, Illustoria Magazine, and an intrepid list of distinctive books of many genres.
Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum celebrates, preserves, and promotes Asian and Asian American art and cultures for local and global audiences. We provide a dynamic forum for exchanging ideas, inviting collaboration, and fueling imagination to deepen understanding and empathy among people of all backgrounds.
Tenderloin Museum
The Tenderloin Museum’s mission is to promote the history and character of the Tenderloin neighborhood by offering educational, artistic, and charitable activities that support the neighborhood’s current vibrancy, future potential, and enhanced economic development.
