Catzie Vilayphonh is the Creative Director at Laos in the House. Catzie is an award-winning writer and spoken word poet. As a founding member of the group Yellow Rage she was one of the first Asian American females to appear on HBO's Def Poetry Jam. Through her work, she provides an awareness not often heard, drawing from personal narrative. Throughout her artistic career Catzie has been a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Award recipient, a 2012 Creative Capital finalist, a 4-time Leeway Foundation honoree and was most recently named a 2016 Woman Non-Profit Leader by Philadelphia City Council. She is a co-founding chair of the Lao American Writer Summit, an active volunteer with the Lao Family Community Organization of Philadelphia, and was recently appointed to the Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs. A child of refugees, Catzie was born in camp, on the way to America, and thus considers herself part of the ".5 Generation". She resides in South Philly with her daughter Aditi.