carolyn au ai ho
san francisco BASED
LOS ANGELES ROOTED
Vietnamese AMERICAN
VISUAL artist
writer
poet
CAROLYN AU AI HO is a Vietnamese American poet, artist, and mom. She’s a Kundiman fellow, recipient of the SF Foundation’s Phelan Award, Nomadic Press Award, and an SF Arts Commission grant recipient, among other mentionables. She’s folded 100K+ cranes but the crane as a symbol is irrelevant and a byproduct of coping with the horrors of child-rearing, elderly-care, divorce, and poor life choices. Years ago SF Weekly coined her as one of several “Best Writers Without a Book” which still haunts her to this day. Carolyn has an MFA and MA from SF State.
→ More about Carolyn…
half past eight
HALF PAST EIGHT is a poetry collective named for the time its members gather—Monday nights at 8:30 pm, both online and in person. In December 2024, the group published its first chapbook, Half Past Eight: A Sleep-Optional Poetry Collection, and held a public reading to mark its release. The chapbook features work by seven Bay Area poets exploring themes of family, memory, caregiving, and connection, and a guest reader completed the reading for an even eight poets.
The project was made possible with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission and a 2023-2024 Individual Artists Grant.
Books are available for purchase at Green Apple Books on the Park (Inner Sunset) and Black Bird Bookstore (Outer Sunset), both in San Francisco. For inquiries about the collective or future readings, please reach out to curator, Carolyn Ho.
