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Viet Thanh Nguyen — To Save and to Destroy: On Writing as an Other

Viet Thanh Nguyen

In conversation with Charmaine Craig.

April 8, 2025

Celebrate the book release of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen’s new collection of moving essays, To Save and to Destroy: On Writing as an Other, in conversation with bestselling author, essayist, and UC Riverside professor Charmaine Craig.

Through an unflinchingly personal meditation on the literary forms of otherness, Nguyen explores the idea of being an outsider through lenses that are literary, historical, political, and familial. These essays—originally delivered as the prestigious Norton Lectures—offer a new answer to a classic literary question: What does the outsider mean to literary writing?

Stacy-Lieberman_headshot_President-and-CEO_LFLA

Stacy Lieberman

As President and CEO of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA), Stacy Lieberman is an innovative and inclusive leader whose career dwells at the intersection of arts and culture, lifelong learning, storytelling, and equitable access. Stacy guides the Foundation’s philanthropic and public-facing priorities to serve the Los Angeles Public Library, embracing the notion that libraries are beacons of democracy where everyone is welcome. She works intentionally with community leaders, donors, and internal and external strategic partners to raise awareness and resources for the Library and its life-changing initiatives.

With more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive, Stacy has left an indelible mark on iconic L.A. arts, non-profit, and educational institutions such as The Broad, the Autry Museum of the American West, and the Skirball Cultural Center. Building on an early career in book publishing, she has dedicated her professional life to sharing stories and broadening the reach of public institutions to welcome visitors and students of all ages and backgrounds to experience educational, arts, and cultural opportunities.