Poetry Reading: Navigating the underCurrents, May 15 — SOMArts

I've been called an activist scholar, a freelance intellectual, and now I'm an activist poet. I like it! Thanks to author May-lee Chai for inviting me to be a part. Now to write (after I finish my taxes!)...

What: Poetry Reading: Navigating the underCurrents
When: Wednesday, May 15, 7–8:30pm
Where: 934 Brannan St. (between 8th & 9th)
How Much: Free admission.
Bay Area author and international journalist, May-lee Chai curates this poetry reading inspired and surrounded by the socio-political visual art works during the underCurrents & the Quest for Spaceart exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center, as part of Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s (APICC’s) Annual United States of Asian American Art Festival.
The activist poets read their original poems in reaction to specific art pieces, challenging the status quo and proposing new aesthetic spaces. The reading, which will take place in front of the art piece that inspired each poet, will question our concepts and assumptions of gender, race, class, nationality, and the constructed femininity used to silence Asian American women throughout history.

Poetry Reading: Navigating the underCurrents, May 15 — SOMArts

First Early-Bird V3con Registrants 2013: Nelson Wong | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

Hey, it's Nelson Wong!

V3con’s next featured early registrant is music blogger Nelson Wong. He manages his own blog about Asian Americans in the entertainment industry, called AARisings, which had its origins in 1990. Nelson is a past V3con attendee and is returning to the conference for another weekend of reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones.

First Early-Bird V3con Registrants 2013: Nelson Wong | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

"We Can End Racism," multi-media performance by damali ayo at Umich April 11

this looks really cool. at UMich for Understanding Race Project.

Thursday, April 11, 2013, 7:00pm until 8:30pm
Rackham Amphitheatre, Rackham Graduate School, 915 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, MI 49109

Multi-media artist damali ayo (lower case is intentional) has a fresh
take on diversity like none you’ve ever seen. Using art, photos,
videos, humor, and unforgettable stories, ayo shows the solutions to
one of our culture’s toughest topics and leaves her audiences
energized and feeling empowered and hopeful.

more here:
"We Can End Racism," multi-media performance by damali ayo

First Early-Bird V3con Registrants 2013: Frances and Hao Hao Wang | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

V3con sends UCLA The Daily Bruin reporter and AAJA member Kristen Takeda to interview me and Hao Hao! Although what I actually said was that we kissed National Film Society Patrick Mendoza Epino and Stephen Dypiangco and made them cry. But I think she thought I was joking.

She doesn't know I never joke about kissing the boys and making them cry.

Thanks to Eric Ignacio at Viz Media for the beautiful photograph!

First Early-Bird V3con Registrants 2013: Frances and Hao Hao Wang | V3 Digital Media Conference presented by AAJA-LA

Michigan Center for Empowerment and Economic Development (CEED) 29th Annual Awards Celebration

Looking forward to meeting the good folks at the Michigan Center for Empowerment and Economic Development (CEED) 29th Annual Awards Celebration coming up Thursday April 11 in Novi, Michigan.

The Center for Empowerment and Economic Development (CEED) takes pride in recognizing those that have empowered others or received empowerment from CEED and demonstrated outstanding achievement while yet is supporting the small business community....It is easy to continually face forward, but it is courageous to also lend a hand to someone behind you or beside you.  These are the individuals who truly inspire the creation of community and help maintain economic stability for all.

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FestiFools: Ann Arbor’s Annual Street Festival of Huge Puppets & Random Acts of April Foolishness

More and more normal people at Festifools every year. Not sure if that's a good thing. Yep, it's a good thing.

FestiFools: Ann Arbor’s Annual Street Festival of Huge Puppets & Random Acts of April Foolishness

Speaking today at MAASU Spring Conference 2013

Speaking today at Midwest Asian American Student Union (MAASU) Spring Conference 2013. Running three DIFFERENT workshops! Also looking forward to hanging out with Steve Nguyen who is bringing his new film, Hibakusha!

Workshop Title: Multicultural Nature of Hawaii

Session: 1

Time Slot: 10:45am-12:00pm

Room Location: Mason Hall 1436

Check-in time: 10:00am

Check in room: Mason Hall 3440

Workshop Title: Status of the APIA Civil Rights Movement: from Vincent Chin, to Danny Chen, and Beyond (with Roland Hwang and Ron Aramaki)

Session: 2

Time Slot: 01:45pm-03:00pm

Room Location: Angell Hall Auditorium B

Check-in time: 01:00pm

Check in room: Mason Hall 3440

Workshop Title: Becoming Badass: Forging an Asian American identity in the space between History, Stereotype, and Family

Session: 3

Time Slot: 03:15pm-04:30pm

Room Location: Mason Hall 1436

Check-in time: 02:30pm

Check in room: Mason Hall 3440

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MAASU: Viewpoint: Activate your inner activist - The Michigan Daily

Encouraging. Sweet. The power of student organizations and conferences like Midwest Asian American Student Union (MAASU) Spring Conference, starting tonight at University of Michigan.

Viewpoint: Activate your inner activist - The Michigan Daily

More info on the conference:
https://www.facebook.com/events/258439210957142/?fref=ts

Today at UMich: Minkah Makalani, "The Union of All Oppressed Peoples: Black and Asian Radicals on Empire and Coloniality"

Sounds fierce. Today at UMich.

The University of Michigan Department of Afroamerican and African Studies and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies Program Present 

Minkah Makalani, Department of African and African Diaspora Studies University of Texas Austin

"The Union of All Oppressed Peoples: Black and Asian Radicals on Empire and Coloniality"

DAAS Haven Hall 4700
Thursday, April 4
1:00 to 2:30pm

This talk will focus on the important yet often neglected role that black-Asian interactions during the 1920s and 1930s played in shaping black radicalism and Marxist organizing in the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa. Through the 1927 meeting of the League against Imperialism in Brussels, Belgium and other encounters, black and Asian radicals charted a political genealogy outside the institutional and theoretical corridors of organized Marxism. They saw in the struggles of the African and Asian worlds the basis for world liberation and an end not only to capitalism, imperialism, and Empire, but more fundamentally, to coloniality.

Bio: Minkah Makalani is the author of In the Cause of Freedom: Radical Black Internationalism from Harlem to London, 1917-1939 (UNC Press, 2011). He is currently working on a book titled Calypso Conquered the World: C. L. R. James and the Unimaginable Democracy in Trinidadian Postcolonyand a second project on Anglophone, African American, and Afro-Dominican interactions during the second U.S. military occupation of the Dominican Republic in 1965-1966.

http://mesa.umich.edu/article/minkah-makalani-black-asian-radicals-empire


And don't forget Museum of Chinese in American (MOCA) founder Jack Tchen today at University of Michigan too for the Understanding Race Project! He is beyond cool!

Events | Theme Semester | University of Michigan

Asian American art exhibit in San Francisco SOMArts

So excited to be reading at the poetry reading held in conjunction with this exciting Asian American art exhibit in San Francisco and curated by my good friend May-lee Chai May-lee Chai. Great article about it in Psychology Today! Now to write!

http://www.psychologytoday.com/em/121347

Evocative exhibit, town hall foster conversation about race

April 18 Town Hall Meeting on Race at Rackham at University of Michigan.

Evocative exhibit, town hall foster conversation about race

Omar Borkan Al Gala identified as one of the men deported for being too handsome

eyecandy to start the week right

Omar Borkan Al Gala identified as one of the men deported for being too handsome

MAASU Spring Conference 2013 FB Event Page

Midwest Asian American Student Union (MAASU) Facebook Event Page is up. Coming to University of Michigan April 5-6, 2013.

• • April 5 at 6:30pm until April 6 at 10:30pm

• maasu2013.org

• MAASU's annual Spring Conference is here at the University of Michigan! Invite your friends and get excited! With nearly a thousand attendants each year, MAASU is the biggest university student-run A/PIA (Asian/Pacific-Islander American) conference in the Midwest. It's something everyone looks forward to each year! Our theme this year is "Magnify/Explore Yourself; Amplify/Inspire Others". What does that mean? Through the lens of self-evaluation, a person can look inside to find the power of their own identity. Our vision for the MAASU Spring Conference 2013 is to provide a medium through which participants can explore themselves and others in order to develop a way to impact their community and motivate peers to do the same. In our community today, many students have difficultly creating a solid identify for themselves. Without identity, a sense of community is evasive. As a result of this obstacle, becoming civically engaged is increasingly difficult. Through the keynote speakers, workshops, and facilitated discussions at MAASU SC 2013, conference participants will have an unparalleled opportunity to gain valuable knowledge about themselves and establish their own identity. Upon returning to their respective communities, we hope participants will use what they have gained in order to create a meaningful impact and inspire others to take their own initiative. Small groups, night market, career fair, banquet, exciting performances - MAASU has it all. With over 50 workshops, you'll have both a fun and meaningful time here! We promise. So once again, invite your friends! We'll ensure that you'll thoroughly enjoy MAASU SC 2013! Visit our website for more information regarding logistics (maps, lodging information, transportation)! https://www.maasu2013.org/ Like our Facebook page for updates and more! https://www.facebook.com/MAASU2013 Follow us on Twitter! https://www.twitter.com/MAASU2013 Watch our fun promotional videos on our YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/MAASUSC2013 We're excited to see you all here in Ann Arbor in April!

MAASU Spring Conference 2013

MOCA's Jack Tchen speaking at University of Michigan Thursday!

Cool! Museum of Chinese in American (MOCA) founder Jack Tchen is coming to University of Michigan on Thursday for the Understanding Race Project! Can't wait to talk to him about #btbatu!

Events | Theme Semester | University of Michigan

A/PIA High School Conference: Resonate!

Speaking today at the A/PIA High School Conference at the University of Michigan! Resonate! Finishing up keynote now. Should be fun! Always torn about how Tiger Mom I should go on the kids (because Heaven knows I never listen to my parents, except when a total stranger says exactly the same thing, lol). This year's theme: Resonate!

A/PIA High School Conference

GenAPA 2013 - hybrID: Who Am I?

GenAPA this Saturday night at the University of Michigan! Not to be missed! The biggest and best student-run pan-APA cultural show in the midwest, we go every year.

More information about this year's show:  www.genapa.org

Or the Facebook event:https://www.facebook.com/events/340866752688312

Promo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDZG994RzrA

GenAPA 2013 - hybrID: Who Am I?

GenAPA is THE biggest and best student-run pan-Asian cultural programs in the midwest showcasing the cultures and talents in the APA community here at Michigan
This year's show is once again at the Power Center on March 30, 2013 at 7PM and consist of performances from the following:
alpha Kappa Delta Phi
Chris Lee
Filipino American Student Association
Female Gayo
Kappa Phi Lambda
Kopitonez
Photonix
Pi Alpha Phi
Sinaboro
Tiffany Eng
It's a show you don't want to miss!
Tickets can be bought at the posting wall everyday this week from 10AM-4PM or online through MUTO athttp://muto.umich.edu/event/generation-apa-cultural-showTickets are $5 pre-sale, $7 at the door

GenAPA 2013 - hybrID: Who Am I?

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)