A/PIA High School Conference at University of Michigan

This Saturday at the University of Michigan! The only APIA High School Conference! Resonate! And I'll be the keynote!

Asian/ Pacific Islander American (A/PIA) High School Conference has had a long history as the only Asian American high school student-oriented conference held at the University of Michigan. The first conference was held in 1997 to modest beginnings. Since then, High School Conference has grown into a conference that attracts over 200 high school students to Ann Arbor from all over the Midwest, in places as far as Chicago. This year, the 2013 High School Conference Core Committee aims to continue the tradition of educating high school students about Asian American issues while providing a fun and entertaining experience for all involved. This year's theme is Resonate. This is a free, daylong event with free food, workshops, and performances. Get involved by registering for the conference today!  Website: http://umichhsc.wix.com/2013Registration: http://bit.ly/APIAHSC2013 Invite your friends! :D

A/PIA High School Conference

JOE BALAZ & GARY PAK: DIALOGUE, POETRY PERFORMANCE & READINGS

Here's info for both events (with photos!):

(1) JOE BALAZ & GARY PAK: DIALOGUE, POETRY PERFORMANCE & READINGS

Gary Pak: In Search of Asia/Pacific America: Writing the Korean/American Novel in Hawaiʻi, Thursday, March 28, 2013

Gary Pak
In Search of Asia/Pacific America: Writing the Korean/American Novel in Hawaiʻi

Thursday, March 28, 2013
UMMA Helmut Stern Auditorium
5:00-6:30 pm

GARY PAK the author of two novels, A Ricepaper Airplane and Children of a Fireland; and two booklength collections of short stories, The Watcher of Waipuna and Other Stories and Language of the Geckos and Other Stories. He has also published a children’s play, Beyond the Falls. A novel on the Korean War, Brothers Under the Same Sky, is forthcoming from the University of Hawaiʻi Press.

The Poetry of Joe Balaz, Wed., March 27

Revisiting the Pathway:
The Poetry of Joe Balaz

Wednesday, March 27, 2013
UMMA Helmut Stern Auditorium
5:00 pm—7:00 pm

Joe Balaz is a writer and artist who grew up in Hawai'i. He creates works in Hawaiian islands pidgin and in AmericanEnglish. He has also created works in visual concrete poetry and music-poetry. His work has been reprinted in a variety of collections and anthologies. He moved to northeast Ohio in
2005 and presently lives in the Greater Cleveland area.

Information session on Affordable Care Act April 26

Information session on Affordable Care Act on Friday, April 26, 7:30pm, at Northside School in Ann Arbor. Sponsored by Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan (密西根安娜堡中文學校) Healthy Asian Americans Project (HAAP), Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, The Michigan Korean Weekly

"Writing with Style, Finding your Voice" BEYOND THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Teaching today at Washtenaw Community College: "Writing with Style, Finding your Voice."

If you couldn't make it this session, catch my next two classes, "Jumpstarting your Memoir," May 18-June 8 10:00-12:30, and "Writing with Style, Finding your Voice," June 1-8, 1:00-4:00.

Update: I love teaching, but now that class has ended, I WISH I could be at the  BEYOND THE BAD AND THE UGLY FIRST-EVER ASIAN AMERICAN SUMMIT ON STEREOTYPES happening right now at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. :( Following y'all virtually on Twitter!

BEYOND THE BAD AND THE UGLY

"Preparing our Children for Racism"

Excited! I was just contacted by a producer for Your Call, a live public affairs call-in show on KALW 91.7 fm public radio in San Francisco and asked to talk about my article, "Preparing our Children for Racism," in Adoption Parenting Toolbox, (EMK press) this Wednesday, March 27th, 10-11am Pacific Time. Cool! More details as I get them! Here's the article.

www.emkpress.com/pdffiles/racism.pdf

Update: Radio show may be on Wed., April 3, instead.

MAASU Spring Conference 2013

Send your young people to attend the MAASU Spring Conference 2013 at University of Michigan April 5-6! I'll be giving three DIFFERENT workshops (omg, how...just can't say no to cute Meera Desa): on Hawaiian Sovereignty, Vincent Chin and Danny Chen and current state of hate crimes, and Becoming Badass!

MAASU Spring Conference 2013

APIA High School Conference 2013 | Wix.com

I'll be the keynote speaker at the University of Michigan's APIA High School Conference next weekend, March 30, 2013, and leading two workshops on "Becoming Badass."

APIA High School Conference 2013 | Wix.com

Youth Leadership - Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote - Michigan

Send your young people to check out what APIAVote-Michigan is up to! (See y'all at the High School Conference!) "Check out details for our March 30th teamwork & leadership workshop at UM APIA High School Conference, paid summer internships (application deadline Apr. 14th), May 11th Youth Civic Engagement Training, and info on our Youth Leadership Corps making its comeback this summer!"

Youth Leadership - Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote  - Michigan

PUT BEYOND THE BAD & THE UGLY ONLINE!

So sad I can't go to this event next weekend in Los Angeles at the Japanese American National Museum! So please help support this Indigogo campaign to put the first-ever summit on Asian American stereotypes online, live & archived @SIUniverse http://ow.ly/j7x4k

Kiss Me I'm Irish. Kiss Me I'm Italian! Kiss Me I'm Chinese? - NAM EthnoBlog

Just remembered this St. Patrick's Day article I wrote in 2010!

Kiss Me I'm Irish. Kiss Me I'm Italian! Kiss Me I'm Chinese? - NAM EthnoBlog

Experience Required: The End of Love (Letters) | Bloom

love Love LOVE this. esp the sari in the typewriter. from Swati Khurana. what's the best love letter you ever received? and how did you receive it? 

Experience Required: The End of Love (Letters) | Bloom

Teaching Writing with Style Finding your Voice today at WCC

Looking forward to teaching Writing with Style Finding your Voice today at WCC. I have a big project I need to write. Wish you could join us! :)

LifeLong Learning @ WCC › Search for Classes

"What Female Founders Really Encounter When They Fundraise?" | Women 2.0

Fascinating data-heavy article on Silicon Valley startup fundraising difficulties for women, especially Asian women. "What Female Founders Really Encounter When They Fundraise?"

Read more at http://www.women2.com/what-female-founders-really-encounter-when-they-fundraise/#0b1koVMpvePHu5Uj.99

Women 2.0

18MillionRising | Congratulate Gavin McInnes!

Awesomeness. Love 18 Million Rising's sparkling "Hipster Racism Award" for Gavin McInnes and his idiotic "satirical" piece on "Asian Privilege".

18MillionRising | Congratulate Gavin McInnes!

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop | May-lee Chai's Blog

So cool to be "tagged" by acclaimed author May-lee Chai in the writing community’s “blog hop.”
The Next Big Thing Blog Hop | May-lee Chai's Blog

No, where are you actually from? - The Race Card Project

Asian Americans represent! a classic. we know that one. So how do you answer this one? "Where are you actually from?" or what you know they actually want to know? shout out to the U-M Understanding RACE Project and Michele Norris

No, where are you actually from? - The Race Card Project

Six Words: Ask Who I Am, Not What : NPR

The wonderful and charming Charley Sullivan ♥ on the Race Card Project for NPR for U-M Understanding RACE Project "Where are you from? No answers."

Six Words: Ask Who I Am, Not What : NPR

La'Ron Williams to address race and growing up in 'Elm Park, 1955'

The incomparable La'Ron Williams at The Michigan TheaterTuesday night as part of the U-M Understanding RACE Project

La'Ron Williams to address race and growing up in 'Elm Park, 1955'

Ohara Language Institute on wins Michigan Japanese Quiz Bowl (AGAIN!) | AnnArbor.com

Congratulations Ohara Language Institute on winning Michigan Japanese Quiz Bowl (AGAIN!)

Ann Arbor News, Blogs, Events & Discussion - AnnArbor.com

Poetry Monday: Tanzila Ahmed | Love, InshAllah

Love this. from the amazing Tanzila Ahmed. love poem to start the week online at loveinshallah.com.

Poetry Monday: Tanzila Ahmed | Love, InshAllah

PUT BEYOND THE BAD & THE UGLY ONLINE! | Indiegogo

BEYOND THE BAD AND THE UGLY is going to be an incredible summit in Los Angeles on March 23rd on Asian American stereotypes. The first ever. So sad that I have a previous engagement this day. So let's help get it broadcast live and archived online so we can all go virtually!

PUT BEYOND THE BAD & THE UGLY ONLINE! | Indiegogo

ADVENTURES IN MULTICULTURAL LIVING: Remembering the dolls of Girls' Day, facing forward from Japan's tsunami - NAM EthnoBlog

Happy Girls' Day! Remember the dolls of Girls' Day in this New America Media article from 2011.

ADVENTURES IN MULTICULTURAL LIVING: Remembering the dolls of Girls' Day, facing forward from Japan's tsunami - NAM EthnoBlog

Owl Prowl at LSNC - Ann Arbor Observer

"I'm not cute!" my latest article in the Ann Arbor Observer re Leslie Science and Nature Center - LSNC Owl Prowl

Owl Prowl at LSNC - Ann Arbor Observer

Michigan Asian Americans work to address barriers | Michigan Radio

check out these great infographics from APIAVote!

Michigan Asian Americans work to address barriers | Michigan Radio

Survey highlights challenges for Metro Detroit's Asian-Americans | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

Go APIAVote-Michigan! "Metro Detroit's Asian-American community faces bullying in schools, barriers to career advancement and high unemployment, according to an assessment that will be delivered to state lawmakers Thursday." 

Survey highlights challenges for Metro Detroit's Asian-Americans | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

Top 5 Shanghai food streets: Shanghaiist

sigh. someday. shanghai.

Top 5 Shanghai food streets: Shanghaiist

Little Tokyo LA Restaurants: The 10 Best Places To Eat (PHOTOS)

Cool article spotted by the Japanese American National Museum, JANM:

Little Tokyo LA Restaurants: The 10 Best Places To Eat (PHOTOS)

manuscript! mailed! finally!

manuscript! mailed! finally!

and editor was happy to receive it!

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang | NailPolishLife

Found my name on a blog called NailPolishLife? Ah! It's one of the kids from the University of Michigan Yuri Kochiyama APIA High School Leadership Program! So relieved to find I wasn't as scattered as I thought. And cute nails! Thanks Rosa.

Today  has been a pretty good day.

This morning, I woke up pretty late and then went to a meeting for a program that I’m in, the Yuri Kochiyama High School Leadership Program. There was a guest speaker today, a lady named Frances Kai-Hwa Wang, who talked about Asian-Americans and stepping outside Asian stereotypes and becoming “Badass.” hehe

Her blog is http://www.franceskaihwawang.blogspot.com, it’s all pretty fascinating. And being Asian-American myself, I could really relate to stuff she said. Example: She mentioned how Asians take off their shoes when inside and others don’t.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang | NailPolishLife

Speaking today at the University of Michigan Yuri Kochiyama APIA High School Leadership Program

Speaking today at the University of Michigan Yuri Kochiyama APIA High School Leadership Program. I love those kids!

Fred Korematsu Day in Michigan – Rafu Shimpo

hey, Fred Korematsu Day in Michigan is in Rafu Shimpo! how did i miss this? Great photos.

Fred Korematsu Day in Michigan – Rafu Shimpo

Adoption Parenting Toolbox

The Adoption Parenting Toolbox, to which I contributed two chapters, has a new Facebook page! Read my two chapters, "Preparing your child for racism" and "The Scarlet Letter Experiment."

Over 100 contributors came together to create Adoption Parenting. This top of the nightstand resource is a reference tool for pre and post adoptive families. It's "What to Expect" for adoptive parents.

Adoption Parenting Toolbox

Understanding Race | Michigan Today

"As we we venture into the global arena, we see differences, issues, and challenges associated with race cropping up all over the world," says Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs and professor of music (ethnomusicology). "We need to provide our students with the social skills to navigate within this multiracial, diverse society. Race is still an issue in our society and it will be until we continue to have the kinds of conversations that I know will grow out of these theme semesters and dialogues, especially among young people. I think we are moving in the direction that will get us there."

Understanding Race | Michigan Today

Op-ed: New CEOs know diversity means profits | Opinion | The Seattle Times

Fascinating article from Edward Iwata:

For U.S. companies, this has nothing to do with political correctness or window-dressing, and everything to do with business survival.

A growing body of recent research shows that global business diversity clearly pays. A McKinsey & Company study of 180 companies from 2008 to 2010 found that businesses with more women and foreign executives boasted a 53 percent higher return on equity than rivals.

Op-ed: New CEOs know diversity means profits | Opinion | The Seattle Times

Whole Foods Market Celebrates Chinese New Year with AACCOM

From Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan aaccom.org: On 2/16/2013, please join AACCOM and Whole Foods Market to celebrate the Lunar New Year! Students from the Center will perform a lion’s dance, traditional Chinese music, Chinese yo-yo, and a ribbon dance. Customers will have an opportunity to try their hand at Chinese calligraphy, traditional paper cutting, and other learning materials.  Please see the event calendar - http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/events?store=6519 Date：February 16, 2013, Saturday Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Location： Whole Foods Market - Cranbrook 990 W. Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor,  Michigan 48103

Cover: Where the Lava Meets the Sea--Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawai‘i

Thanks to my ebook team (M) for this cover image! Now available at Blacklava.net!

The binding is hand-sewn...all by myself...in the dark...during a blackout...in the middle of a snowstorm...while watching the Lord of Rings trilogy for the first time...and while listing to MLK Day lectures...The book design is full of antique fonts and dingbats and really cool old-fashioned printing techniques. Thanks to Laura Beyer of Wax Wing Press!

Where the Lava Meets the Sea--Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawai‘i
A Collection of Essays, Prose Poems, and Short Short Stories

by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

First Printing, January 2013

“Where the Lava Meets the Sea—Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawai‘i makes me so homesick! I long to partake in the fusion of Asian and Pacific Islander ceremonies, cultures and customs that Frances Kai-Hwa Wang describes so eloquently. Her book of lean yet rich prose reveals her truekama‘aina spirit. Sweet like sugar cane, poignant like the tales of her immigrant characters, and sacred like the ancestors of Kanaka Maoli who lived in Hawai‘i first, Wang’s essays will move you.”
—Yayoi Lena Winfrey, writer/director Watermelon Sushi

“I’ve never been to Hawai‘i, but now thanks to Frances Kai-Hwa Wang’s lovely collection, I feel I’ve made the journey. Through her beautiful descriptions, I too have traveled to the Monkey King’s waterfall, visited the teahouse made of longing, prayed the Golden Chain of Love, trod on the black sands of Kalapana and the white sands of Maui, and sat with the Uncles playing ukulele and singing songs of love.”
—May-lee Chai, author of Hapa Girl and The Girl from Purple Mountain.

“Where the Lava Meets the Sea—Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawai‘i, in the vein of Maxine Hong Kingston’s essays in Hawai‘i One Summer, enters into the complexity of Asian America’s romance with the mythical racial “promised land” of Hawai‘i. The pain and longing of life on the continent meets the wondrous, dynamic world of Hawaii’s Puna Coast.”
—Dr. Susan Najita, Associate Professor in the Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program in the Department of American Culture and the Department of English, University of Michigan

Far from where the tourists go and passing for local, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang and her children go to Hawai‘i every summer to visit grandparents and explore the Big Island’s natural wonders, many cultures, and interesting characters. Where the Lava Meets the Sea—Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawai‘i is a collection of essays, prose poems, and short short stories through which they search for home in Hawai‘i, and they discover an Asian Pacific American sense of belonging, one that does not simply allow them to belong, but one that presumes they belong.

Designed by Laura Beyer, Wax Wing Press

Available at Blacklava.net

Second Chapbook is done! "Where the Lava Meets the Sea--Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawaii"

Much love to my Virtual BFFs and my IRL BFFs too! Second Chapbook is done! "Where the Lava Meets the Sea--Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawaii"--essays, prose poems, short short stories, and you!

Far from where the tourists go and passing for local, Frances Kai-Hwa Wang and her children go to Hawai‘i every summer to visit grandparents and explore the Big Island’s natural wonders, many cultures, and interesting characters. Where the Lava Meets the Sea—Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawai‘i is a collection of essays, prose poems, and short short stories through which they search for home in Hawai‘i, and they discover an Asian Pacific American sense of belonging, one that does not simply allow them to belong, but one that presumes they belong.

The binding is hand-sewn...all by myself...in the dark...during a blackout...in the middle of a snowstorm...while watching the Lord of Rings trilogy for the first time...and while listing to MLK Day lectures...

Available soon at Blacklava.net.

Lion Dance / 舞獅 - YouTube

Check out my awesome lion dancers! with surprise ending! (pay no attention to my delirious half chinese half english introduction)

Lion Dance / 舞獅 - YouTube

“Elm Park 1955,” performance by La’Ron Williams | Michigan Theater

Check out my friend La'Ron Williams at Michigan Theater, Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 7:00-8:30 pm, as part of the University of Michigan Understanding Race Project:

Tuesday, March 12 at 7 PM. This event is for an adult audience.

In Elm Park, 1955, Ann Arbor based storytellerLa’Ron Williams combines an adult’s analysis and wisdom with the fully believable wonderment, confusion, and fear he felt as a child growing up on the south side of Flint, Michigan in the midst of social upheaval.  Listeners of every color and background are drawn into his story precisely because it is suffused with a child’s sincerity and genuine bafflement that the reality he lived didn’t match the stories he was taught about his country – or himself – on TV, at school, and in the society at large.

This story offers a powerful, non-threatening means to approach the examination of structural racism and unconscious bias. With his storyteller’s sensibility, Williams is able to enliven and personalize complex issues, and to encourage his listeners to think deeply about their own socialization process.

La’Ron Williams is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning storyteller who has toured extensively presenting performances and workshops. His highly participatory, music-spiced programs present a dynamic blend of original and traditional tales crafted to help promote peaceful conflict resolution, foster cooperation, reveal invisible bias, encourage community, build self-esteem, and deepen our historical understanding of the ideal of American democratic inclusion.

La’Ron is a member of the National Storytelling Network, the Detroit Association of Black Storytellers, and the National Association of Black Storytellers. He is a past recipient of a countywide “Annie Award” for Artistic excellence, and has been recognized by the Ann Arbor African-American community as one of their “Kwanzaa Flames”.

Offered as part of the Understanding Race Project, this event is co-sponsored by the U-M Understanding Race Theme Semester, Michigan Theater, and U-M Museum of Natural History.

For more information, contact Amy Harris at aharris@umich.edu or (734) 763-4191 or Amanda Bynum at abynum@michtheater.org. Offered as part of the Understanding Race Project.

Advance tickets available at ticketweb.com.

“Elm Park 1955,” performance by La’Ron Williams | Michigan Theater

more info at UnderstandingRaceProject.org
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/themesemester/events/elmpark1955performancebylaronwilliamstue12mar2013_ci

In us we trust: The Shahbagh protest and its utility | Opinion

Wearing my editor hat today. From my friend Jyoti Omi Chowdhury on the Shahbagh Protests going on in Bangladesh right now, in bdnews24.com.

In us we trust: The Shahbagh protest and its utility | Opinion

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year's Day!

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year's Day! Did you survive the Nian? Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan’s Chinese New Year’s Celebration 2013

The Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan’s Chinese New Year’s Celebration will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2013, 1:00-9:00 pm, at Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor.

There will be children’s games and crafts (1:00-3:00 pm), and children’s performances by students (3:00-6:00 pm) including a colorful lion dance; traditional Chinese instruments; dangerous kung fu (martial arts); graceful Taiwan ribbon dancers; spectacular Chinese Yo-Yo stunts; and Chinese New Year’s stories, songs, rhymes, skits, videos. Special guest performances by the Ann Arbor Traditional Chinese Music Ensemble and The Chinese Choir of Michigan. Raffle. A Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner will be served 6:00-9:00 pm, featuring New Year’s specialties from area restaurants. 

Tickets for performances and dinner will be available in advance and at the door: $12 Adult (14 and up), $10 Children ages 5-14, children under 5 free. Additional tokens (25 for $5) may be purchased and exchanged for games and snacks.

For more information check out www.aaccom.org or contact principal@aaccom.org.

Chinese New Year’s Day falls on February 10 of this year. It signifies the beginning of spring and is celebrated by ethnic Chinese in many countries around the world. It is also celebrated by ethnic Taiwanese, Koreans (Sol), Vietnamese (Tet), Tibetans (Losar), and others; and it has become woven into the fabric of American culture, after being celebrated in America for over 160 years. Every year is represented by one of twelve animal zodiac signs, and this will be the Year of the Snake.

The Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to provide an opportunity for any interested persons to learn about Chinese culture and language regardless of one’s race or cultural background, and to promote cultural diversity. Chinese classes are held once a week on Friday nights and are open to the public. For more information check out www.aaccom.org.

more at http://www.annarbor.com/community/community_wall/ann_arbor_chinese_center_of_michigans_chinese_new_years_celebration_2013/

and 

aaccom.org

Tonight!

Tonight! 487 children, 28 performances, 29 countries and cultures, all on and off stage in an hour and a half! oh, and 1000 people for dinner, and educational activities, too. We are so awesome! Thanks everyone for being a part! This is going to be fun!

Sneak Peek

Found this last night in the art room for International Night! Thanks Ms. Wayne!

AACCOM Chinese New Year's Celebration this Saturday

The Ann Arbor Chinese Center of Michigan Chinese New Year's Celebration will be this Saturday, February 9, 2013, at Washtenaw Community College. Children's games 1-3, student performances 3-6, Chinese New Year's Eve dinner featuring specialties of area restaurants 6-9. You don't want to miss this year's lion dance, we have something special planned! Hope to see you there! 

Ann Arbor News, Blogs, Events & Discussion - AnnArbor.com

Chinese New Year serves as a good reminder to celebrate diversity

Hey, that's my lion dance team! who posted that picture? Article by Tom Watkins.

Chinese New Year serves as a good reminder to celebrate diversity


More photos from last year:

Images from the Chinese New Year celebration at WCC

L.A. now has oodles of noodles - latimes.com

It's not a trip to LA Little Tokyo without ramens! Daikokuya is still the classic, but Shin-Sen-Gumi is great for style.
L.A. now has oodles of noodles - latimes.com

Speaking at University of Michigan Yuri Kochiyama APIA High School Leadership Program

Excited! I was just invited to speak at the University of Michigan Yuri Kochiyama APIA High School Leadership Program on February 23, 2013. I love those kids!

The Supreme Court . Law, Power & Personality . Famous Dissents . Korematsu v. United States (1944) | PBS

from PBS on Korematsu case

The Supreme Court . Law, Power & Personality . Famous Dissents . Korematsu v. United States (1944) | PBS

Honoring Fred Korematsu’s Legacy | Not in Our Town

short video about Fred Korematsu case here at Not in Our Town:

"In the long history of our country's constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls. Plessy, Brown, Parks ... to that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu."- President Bill Clinton, in his remarks before bestowing Korematsu with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998

Honoring Fred Korematsu’s Legacy | Not in Our Town

State of Michigan Certificate of Recognition of Fred Korematsu

Just saw the State of Michigan Certificate of Recognition of Fred Korematsu as a National Civil Rights Hero, but can't get the image to load. More later. Michigan's inaugural Fred Korematsu Day commemoration today at Troy High School along with Roland Hwang, Ling Woo Liu, Ron Aramaki, Henry Tanaka, Mary Kamidoi, John Golaxzewski, MDCR Director Daniel Krichbaum. Glad to be a part!

TROY
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Location: Troy High School, 4777 Northfield Parkway, Troy, MI 48098
Time: 12:08pm-1:10pm
Please note: Program commemorating the Governor of Michigan’s certificate recognizing Fred Korematsu. This is a closed event open only to social studies classes at Troy High, invited guests and members of the media.
Sponsored by: Michigan Asian Pacific Affairs Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Troy High School
Contact: Roland Hwang hwangr@aol.com, Jen Hilzinger jenhilzinger@mac.com

ANN ARBOR
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Location: University of Michigan Law School Hutchins Hall Room 120
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Program: Screening of documentary “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: the Fred Korematsu Story,” talk by Korematsu Institute director Ling Woo Liu
Sponsored by: University of Michigan Law Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
Contact: Mimi Yang, mmyang@umich.edu, Matthew Muma, muma@umich.edu

and check out these educational resources I just found at Michigan Government TV!
Defining Moments | MGTV

Fred Korematsu Day 2013 season events

Speaking at Fred Korematsu Day 2013 season events in Michigan

Excited! I was just invited to speak at Michigan's inaugural Fred Korematsu Day commemoration tomorrow at Troy High School along with Roland Hwang, Ling Woo Liu, Ron Aramaki, Henry Tanaka, Mary Kamidoi, John Golaxzewski, MDCR Director Daniel Krichbaum. Glad to be a part!

TROY
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Location: Troy High School, 4777 Northfield Parkway, Troy, MI 48098
Time: 12:08pm-1:10pm
Please note: Program commemorating the Governor of Michigan’s certificate recognizing Fred Korematsu. This is a closed event open only to social studies classes at Troy High, invited guests and members of the media.
Sponsored by: Michigan Asian Pacific Affairs Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Troy High School
Contact: Roland Hwang hwangr@aol.com, Jen Hilzinger jenhilzinger@mac.com

ANN ARBOR
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Location: University of Michigan Law School Hutchins Hall Room 120
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Program: Screening of documentary “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: the Fred Korematsu Story,” talk by Korematsu Institute director Ling Woo Liu
Sponsored by: University of Michigan Law Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
Contact: Mimi Yang, mmyang@umich.edu, Matthew Muma, muma@umich.edu

and check out these educational resources I just found at Michigan Government TV!
Defining Moments | MGTV

Fred Korematsu Day 2013 season events

Defining Moments | MGTV

Check out these resources from Michigan Government TV for teaching about the Internment and Fred Korematsu.

DEFINING MOMENTS
Frank Murphy, Fred Korematsu, and the Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II
Lessons from the past for a post-9/11 world: Internment of Japanese Americans

Michigan Government Television presents a package of curriculum materials dealing with the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. The program covers the U.S. Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. U.S. Government with the issenting opinion in that case by Michigan’s 35th governor, Frank Murphy, who was a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The materials target standards and benchmarks in the Michigan Curriculum Framework in government, history, and technology. The program was launched in 2003 and updates to standards and benchmarks were added in 2007.

Defining Moments | MGTV

ECAASU 2013 at Columbia February 22-24

ECAASU 2013, the annual conference of the oldest and largest Asian American student organization in the country, will be at Columbia University February 22 to February 24.

Regular registration ends February 1. Late registration ends on February 14.

More info at www.ecaasu2013.org

Believing in the election of President Obama and hope lost and found

An old article from 2010 about what President Obama's election (and reelection) meant to me as a child of immigrants. (I have been loving all the photos of my friends' fabulous dresses at the inaugural ball!)

Believing in the election of President Obama and hope lost and found

The University of Michigan's 25th Annual MLK Symposium

Amazing talks today at the University of Michigan MLK Day Symposium. Highlights: Morris Dees, Steve Robbins, Angela Davis, Cory Booker. How to make it to all of them?

The University of Michigan's 25th Annual MLK Symposium

Chapbook Production

Just picked up the second printing of my chapbook, "Imaginary Affairs--Postcards from an Imagined Life," from Laura Beyer and Wax Wing Press, and I am now binding my second chapbook, "Where the Lava Meets the Sea--Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawai'i." Folding, punching holes, sewing. So exciting!

Project: MLK Children & Youth Program: Home

Love the University of Michigan MLK Day Children and Youth Program! Always a good time.

Project: MLK Children & Youth Program: Home

10 Best Handmade Chinese Noodle Restaurants in Los Angeles - Los Angeles - Restaurants and Dining - Squid Ink

omg more for next trip to LA. and remember this article? last time I was stranded in LA, I could not find this article. Logging it here for future reference. :)

10 Best Handmade Chinese Noodle Restaurants in Los Angeles - Los Angeles - Restaurants and Dining - Squid Ink

The Best Chinese Dumplings in Los Angeles | Discover Los Angeles

omg next trip to LA
The Best Chinese Dumplings in Los Angeles | Discover Los Angeles

Fred Korematsu Day 2013 season events in Michigan

Just heard! Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education Ling Woo Liu will be speaking at University of Michigan Law School January 30, 6:30-8:30! Also screening documentary “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: the Fred Korematsu Story.” Plus Troy High School event at noon.

TROY
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Location: Troy High School, 4777 Northfield Parkway, Troy, MI 48098
Time: 12:08pm-1:10pm
Please note: Program commemorating the Governor of Michigan’s certificate recognizing Fred Korematsu. This is a closed event open only to social studies classes at Troy High, invited guests and members of the media.
Sponsored by: Michigan Asian Pacific Affairs Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Troy High School
Contact: Roland Hwang hwangr@aol.com, Jen Hilzinger jenhilzinger@mac.com

ANN ARBOR
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Location: University of Michigan Law School Hutchins Hall Room 120
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Program: Screening of documentary “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights: the Fred Korematsu Story,” talk by Korematsu Institute director Ling Woo Liu
Sponsored by: University of Michigan Law Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
Contact: Mimi Yang, mmyang@umich.edu, Matthew Muma, muma@umich.edu

Fred Korematsu Day 2013 season events

whitewashme: POWERFUL AND COMEDIC DELETED SCENE... | No more Texas governors for president

check out this amazing deleted scene from Lilo and Stitch. I will definitely show this clip at my Hawaiian sovereignty talk at MAASU Spring Conference 2013!

via Eugenia Beh: POWERFUL AND COMEDIC DELETED SCENE FROM LILO & STITCH TACKLES TOURISTS, EXOTICISM, AND RACE

whitewashme: POWERFUL AND COMEDIC DELETED SCENE... | No more Texas governors for president

Mochitsuki: Taking the (rice) cake |Today at Umich!

Mochitsuki today!

My article about UM's Mochitsuki in Discover Nikkei:

Mochitsuki: Taking the (rice) cake | Articles | Discover Nikkei

This year on Saturday, January 12, 2013, 1-4pm, East Hall Math & Psychology Atriums, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043 with Mochi-making demonstrations / live music by Miyabi and Raion Taiko / Kakizome (calligraphy) / Kamishibai (storytelling) / Manga-drawing / Origami / Japanese games / Japanese snacks & refreshments / and more!/

Info at Center for Japanese Studies http://www.ii.umich.edu/cjs/

UM Understanding Race and Ann Arbor/Ypsi Reads workshops on leading difficult discussions around race and racism | Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads

This weekend: Two U-M Understanding RACE Project and Ann Arbor/Ypsi Reads trainings re leading difficult discussions around race and racism at Ypsi Library Saturday 2-4 and Ann Arbor District Library Mallets Creek Library Sunday 2-4 led by Zarinah El-Amin Naeem and La'Ron Williams.

Reading "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

About the Reads | Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads

Race-focused project aims to facilitate open dialogue - The Michigan Daily

U-M Understanding RACE Project officially launches today. More info at:

Race-focused project aims to facilitate open dialogue - The Michigan Daily

Winter 2013 LSA theme semester will focus on race - The Michigan Daily

Theme Semester | University of Michigan

Check out the new website (and the beautiful photographs by Mohammed Langston!) for the University of Michigan Understanding Race Project Theme Semester.

Theme Semester | University of Michigan

Coming Next: "Where the Lava Meets the Sea--Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawaii"

and coming up next, "Where the Lava Meets the Sea--Asian Pacific American Postcards from Hawaii" a collection of essays, prose poems, and short short stories...they're all printed, just need to be bound (if anyone wants to drop by to help in the next few weeks, hint hint lol). Thanks  Laura Beyer of Wax Wing Press, Ryan Suda of Blacklava, Yayoi Lena Winfrey, May-lee Chai, Susan Najita.

Book Binding Party

Book Binding Party for "Imaginary Affairs--Postcards from an Imgined Life" Second printing! Thanks to all the friends who dropped by tonight to help! Esp. Laura Beyer of Wax Wing Press!

Mochitsuki: Taking the (rice) cake | Articles | Discover Nikkei

My article about UM's Mochitsuki in Discover Nikkei: This year on Saturday, January 12, 2013, 1-4pm, East Hall Math & Psychology Atriums, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043 with Mochi-making demonstrations / live music by Miyabi and Raion Taiko / Kakizome (calligraphy) / Kamishibai (storytelling) / Manga-drawing / Origami / Japanese games / Japanese snacks & refreshments / and more!/ info at Center for Japanese Studies http://www.ii.umich.edu/cjs/

Mochitsuki: Taking the (rice) cake | Articles | Discover Nikkei

First lion dance of the season.

First lion dance of the season. Here we go. 

(Gu zheng, er hu, and yoyo, too, of course...in Novi) 

Oh! Oshogatsu! Missing Japanese New Year’s Day–Adventures in Multicultural Living | Articles | Discover Nikkei

Only a true friend express mails you a fifteen pound of bag of rice for oshogatsu. And Koda Farms' Kokuho Rose at that! Thanks so much for remembering me every year! I ♥ Rf Koda! More memories at http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journal/2012/1/10/oh-oshogatsu/


Oh! Oshogatsu! Missing Japanese New Year’s Day–Adventures in Multicultural Living | Articles | Discover Nikkei

angry asian man: this year's angriest posts

Stay Angry! Year-end roundup from my good friend Angry Asian Man Phil Yu:

angry asian man: this year's angriest posts

Book Discussions: 2013 | Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads

This looks cool: Two trainings regarding leading difficult discussions around race and racism will be offered January 12 and 13th 4:00 pm at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Book Discussions: 2013 | Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads

Can Instilling Racial Pride In Black Teens Lead To Better Educational Outcomes?

Medical News Today asks Can Instilling Racial Pride In Black Teens Lead To Better Educational Outcomes?

African American adolescents tend to have more success in school if their parents instill in them a sense of racial pride, reducing their vulnerability to the effects of racial discrimination from teachers and peers. 

This is the conclusion of a University of Pittsburgh study published this fall in the journal Child Development. Titled "Parental Racial Socialization as a Moderator of the Effects of Racial Discrimination on Educational Success Among African American Adolescents," the research article shows that when African American parents use racial socialization - talking to their children or engaging in activities that promote feelings of racial knowledge, pride, and connection - it offsets racial discrimination's potentially negative impact on students' academic development. 

Preparing the adolescents for possible bias was also a protective factor, though a combination of this preparation and racial socialization was found to be ideal in moderating the possible damaging effects of racial discrimination by teachers or fellow students. The Pitt study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 

"Our findings challenge the notion that 'race blindness' is a universally ideal parenting approach, especially since previous research has shown that racially conscious parenting strategies at either extreme - either 'race blindness' or promoting mistrust of other races - are associated with negative outcomes for African American youth," said lead author Ming-Te Wang, Pitt assistant professor of psychology in education, who coauthored the study with Harvard's James P. Huguley. 

"When African American parents instill a proud, informed, and sober perspective of race in their sons and daughters, these children are more likely to experience increased academic success," said Wang. 

Yes! obviously! And not just African American teens, but all children of color. So pleased to see that studies prove what I've been saying forever. Invite me to come speak for your parents', school, or community group on Raising our Children with Culture(s) and Pride--Practical Strategies, Preparing our Children for Racism, APA Girl Power! Let's start the new year proactively! http://www.multiculturaltoolbox.com/Speaking/foradults.html

University of Michigan project explores race in the U.S.

About University of Michigan's Understanding Race Project in AnnArbor.com.

University of Michigan project explores race in the U.S.

University of Michigan News Service | U-M's Understanding Race Project examines issues at heart of the human experience, advances national conversation on race

Took kids to check out the preliminary UM Understanding Race exhibits at the UM Exhibit Museum Sunday. Can't wait for the rest to arrive!

University of Michigan News Service | U-M's Understanding Race Project examines issues at heart of the human experience, advances national conversation on race

Miso for Life Received! A Melting Pot of Thoughts | 13 Minutes Books

So pleased to receive my copy of Miso for Life first thing in this morning's mail! Here with the star of my love story in "The Musician's Granddaughter," chapter 3. Shout out to fellow writers Kate Agathon May-lee Chai. Thanks to Ahn Mai Xuan Bui and 13 Minutes Books - "Pho for Life: A Melting Pot of Thoughts." for putting together A Melting Pot of Thoughts series. ♥ A great Christmas present!

Photo courtesy of M.

A Melting Pot of Thoughts | 13 Minutes Books

Santa says...

You can't get a better endorsement than this! Thanks, Santa!

"Imaginary Affairs--Postcards from an Imagined Life," prose poems and short short stories, 2012: http://www.blacklava.net/#/item/frances_kai-hwa_wang_imaginary_affairs_chapbook

Blacklava - A store for all things Asian American

Funeral Ceremony for Sen. Inouye | C-SPAN

This morning's memorial service for Senator Daniel Inouye. Speakers include Erik Shinseki, Pres Clinton, VP Biden, Pres. Obama...plus the Aloha Boys singing Bradda Iz...

Funeral Ceremony for Sen. Inouye | C-SPAN

Virtually attending Senator Daniel K. Inouye's memorial service right now. Remembering.

Washington National Cathedral : Live Webcast

Send me your University of Michigan students

Send me your University of Michigan students. I'll be team-teaching AMCULT 301: "Asian/Pacific Islander American History and the Law" Thursdays 6-9 with the lawyers and activists who were there during the Vincent Chin case. Only place in the country you can take a course re Vincent Chin case with the folks who were there at the time. historical and current civil rights issues.

Wolverine Access - Gateway to Administrative Systems at the University of Michigan

ACA Detroit High School Scholarship Awards Dinner Keynote EXCERPT

from last week's keynote (to be published in ACA Detroit Newsletter)
Association of Chinese Americans Detroit (OCA chapter) High School Scholarship Awards Dinner Keynote EXCERPT

Chinese Community Center, Madison Heights, MI
December 9, 2012

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

“This is an interesting moment to be coming of age as an Asian American. We are post-Tiger Mother, post-Jeremy Lin, post-Gangnam Style. We are supposed to be post-racial too by now, but the news coming in from college campuses around the country clearly suggest otherwise. We are still struggling with issues of bullying, violence, stereotypes, and media representation. At the same time, America is both fascinated and terrified of the possibilities that are China, Korea, India, Pakistan.

As young Asian Americans, you stand at the confluence of history and family and cultures. In addition to all your school and work and extracurricular activities, you are in the process of shaping your identity and cultivating your character in the midst of many contradictory influences. Anything is possible, but it takes courage and intention.

So as you prepare to leave home and begin this next phase of your journey, it is important to know who you are, remember the communities from where you come, and dare to think big/think global for both work and yourself. Then you will have the tools to go anywhere you want, and the courage to create something new….

Your task now is not simply to graduate and go to a good college and give your Tiger Parents something to brag about in the Asian Parenting Olympics.

Your task is also to start thinking about how you are going to cultivate your character and shape your identity beyond school, beyond work.…

So do not be afraid to dream! To live life! To fall in love! To create something new! Poised as we are between different cultures, we have rich resources that uniquely color everything we do, from our relationships to our research, our politics to our art. I think the key is that we all need to learn how to think and how to dream. Do not let society or your parents or fear make you limit yourself. Figure out how things work. Learn to think outside the box. Dare to take chances, get messy. Think hard. What kind of person do I want to be?

We laugh about it, but think about the three most prominent Asian and Asian American narratives of the moment—Tiger Mother, Jeremy Lin, Gangnam Style—and what they show us. Hard work and excellence are an important part of the equation, but so are passion and character and luck and creativity. And community. Your challenges are our challenges. Your successes are our successes. We are all in this together.”

Danny Chen Hazing Trial: Mother, Suzhen Chen, Says No Justice Was Served In Soldiers' Punishments

Danny Chen Hazing Trial: Mother, Suzhen Chen, Says No Justice Was Served In Soldiers' Punishments

Hurrah! Gov. Snyder vetoed the guns bill!

Hurrah! Gov. Snyder vetoed the guns bill! Now we'll have to move to Tennesee if we want armed teachers in the classroom. 

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121218/POLITICS02/212180432/Sponsor-Snyder-veto-concealed-weapons-bill?odyssey=mod

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/tennessee-armed-teachers.php

Veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools! - NAM EthnoBlog

Excerpt from my article in New America Media:

My kids are remarkably blase about fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown drills. They've been prepped for everything. The coded PA announcement that triggers a lockdown is eerily benign. My daughter explains that they have two different kinds of lockdowns with two different protocols--one when there is an intruder inside the building and another when there is something wierd/dangerous going on in the neighborhood/outside the building. It is how unperturbed they are that strikes me.

Thanks to all our teachers. They don't pay you enough to have to deal with this, let alone to have to shoot back.

click on link for whole article: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools! - NAM EthnoBlog

Remembering Senator Daniel Inouye

Telling 8 year old Little Brother the story of Senator Daniel Inouye tonight and hoping he learns integrity and humility and total badassness-- "When asked in recent days how he wanted to be remembered, Senator Inouye said, "I represented the people of Hawaii and this nation honestly and to the best of my ability. I think I did OK.""

senator daniel inouye dies at 88 | AngryAsianMan.com

So badass! here's the story straight from the source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6MCHjb50S20

another badass story about breaking the color barrier in the house of reps http://vimeo.com/5997922

Chicago is the World » Michigan Governor Rick Snyder: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children’s schools!

Excerpt from my article in Chicago is the World:

I remember when my children were small and I would not let them have playdates or sleepovers at homes that had guns. It was embarassing to ask, “Do you have guns in the house?” but I did. I made one relative get rid of the gun I knew he kept before we would come for a long visit. Curious small children. Careless adults. Deadly weapons. Not a combination I was interested in seeing together.

Now Michigan Republicans want me to send my children to schools full of concealed weapons?

Governor Rick Snyder: For goodness sake, veto SB 59! No guns in my children’s schools!

You can tell Michigan Governor Rick Snyder what you think about the gun bill here.

click on link for whole article: Chicago is the World » Michigan Governor Rick Snyder: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children’s schools!

Sing Along with Santa 2012

Nothing I love better than a man who sings, even--no, especially--when he is wearing a big red suit! Last year, Santa met us for tea and baozi at Eastern Accents Bakery, which meant so much to Little Brother (and who was so impressed that Mommy is such a media personality that of course she knows Santa). This year, we managed to get out of our earlier concert and make it to this concert just in time for Silent Night, sung for the families in Connecticut. Thanks, Santa.

Photos from AnnArbor.com:
Scenes from 'Sing Along With Santa' 2012

My article about the 2008 event (published in 2009):
Sing Along with Santa - Ann Arbor Observer

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder: Veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools!

The night before the school shooting in Connecticut, in a marathon late night session, lame duck Michigan legislature voted to allow concealed weapons at schools, daycares, churches, arenas, hospitals, etc.

Hours AFTER the shooting in Connecticut, Michigan Republicans won the prize for the "second-most awful remark on one of the worst days in American history, coming up behind Mike Huckabee’s" remark about God in schools. Regarding Thursday night's legislation to allow concealed weapons in schools, daycares, hospitals, arenas, etc., House Speaker Jase Bolger said that teachers shooting back might have meant “the difference between life and death for many innocent bystanders.”

My kids are remarkably blase about fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown drills. They've been prepped for everything. The coded PA announcement that triggers a lockdown is eerily benign. My daughter explains that they have two different kinds of lockdowns with two different protocols--one when there is an intruder inside the building and another when there is something wierd/dangerous going on in the neighborhood/outside the building. It is how unperturbed they are that strikes me.

Thanks to all our teachers. They don't pay you enough to have to deal with this, let alone to have to shoot back.

I remember when my children were small and I would not let them have playdates or sleepovers at homes that had guns. It was embarassing to ask, "Do you have guns in the house?" but I did. I made one relative get rid of the gun I knew he kept before we would come for a long visit. Curious small children. Careless adults. Deadly weapons. Not a combination I was interested in seeing together.

Now Michigan Republicans want me to send my children to schools full of concealed weapons?

Governor Rick Snyder: For goodness sake, veto SB 59! No guns in my children's schools!

The children and I are going to Sing along with Santa today. Every year, Little Brother asks Santa some pretty hard-hitting questions--what to do about bullies, how to handle his homework, does Santa like mochi, how does Santa get into houses without chimneys, etc. This year, I want to ask Santa one too. I can't imagine who else has the answer to this.


More from the Michigan Education Association: Michigan teachers union president urges governor to veto gun bill after Connecticut school shooting and from the American Federation of Teachers: AFT - A Union of Professionals - AFT Urges Michigan Gov. Snyder to Veto Gun-in-Schools Bill.

You can tell Michigan Governor Rick Snyder what you think about the gun bill here.

UPDATED 12/17/12 plus links.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang is a second-generation Chinese American from California who now divides her time between Michigan and the Big Island of Hawaii. She is a contributor for New America Media Ethnoblog, Chicagoistheworld.org, PacificCitizen.org, and InCultureParent.com. She team-teaches Asian Pacific American History and the Law at the University of Michigan and University of Michigan Dearborn. She is a popular speaker on Asian Pacific American and multicultural issues. Check out her Web site at franceskaihwawang.com, her blogs at franceskaihwawang.blogspot.com and rememberingvincentchin.com, and she can be reached at fkwang888@gmail.com.

Quoted in Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife

I am quoted on page 601 in this $199.95 book available on Amazon (in a chapter on Rites of Passage):

Encyclopedia of Women's Folklore and Folklife [2 volumes] [Hardcover]Liz Locke (Editor), Theresa A. Vaughan (Editor), Pauline Greenhill (Editor)

"As activist scholar Frances Kai-Hwa Wang notes, 'You know you've become an adult when you buy your first twenty-five-pound sack of rice." 

LOL!

I'm an "activist scholar," too! Love it!

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Womens-Folklore-Folklife-volumes/dp/0313340501/ref=as_li_wdgt_ex?&linkCode=wey&tag=fkwang-20

UPDATE: I was introduced by the department chair as a "freelance intellectual." I like that, too. lol.

A Melting Pot of Thoughts | Where to Buy

Miso for Life is now available for purchase online w special holiday rate (includes shipping) through website - just follow the link below.

A Melting Pot of Thoughts | Where to Buy

Adventures in Multicultural Living: Ganesha, Diwali, and Ravi Shankar too - NAM EthnoBlog

memories of a warm evening with Ravi and Anoushka Shankar long ago, "I think of Diwali as a straw-colored end-of-summer sort of holiday, one of long days and warm nights, set against orange and brown fields—not one that requires the coat and hat and scarf and gloves I just took out of my Michigan closet. What to do, but brave the dark night and icy rain and go to Hill Auditorium and bask in the warmth and gracious charm of Ravi and Anoushka Shankar…and look, the whole community is here."

Adventures in Multicultural Living: Ganesha, Diwali, and Ravi Shankar too - NAM EthnoBlog

Reading Jeff Kass

Reading local writer (and writing teacher extraordinaire) Jeff Kass' new collection of short stories, Knuckleheads,  published by Dzanc Books. So pleased to finally meet him. Surprised we had not met before. Cool workshop last Saturday at Ann Arbor District Library. We traded books.

http://www.aadl.org/events/list?id=16007