On November 7, I participated in the Page Turner Festival in DUMBO, reading with the poet Luis Francia and the stand-up comic Hari Kondabolu (middle initial K.). It was a wonderful event in every way except for one — Richard Price never showed up. A shame, as I had a number of books and DVDs for him to sign! In any case, check out the photos below.
10/25: Spartan Scholar Ceremony
On October 25, I went back to my old high school, which of course meant I traveled back in time. I hadn’t set foot in the building in almost twenty years, and I’d forgotten that the auditorium was right by the entrance. What did feel familiar were the lockers, rows and rows of lockers, banks of them painted in red and blue and orange.
Every year, Ocean Township High School recognizes academic achievement at the Spartan Scholar ceremony, and this year, they were kind enough to invite me as a guest speaker. Appearing below are some pictures and the speech I delivered. The latter portion of the speech includes my “Backstory” piece.
Self-Interview and Extra Chapter at TNB
The good folks at The Nervous Breakdown are currently featuring me on their home page and in the Fiction section for the following:
- my self-interview (which was a rather odd but good experience)
- an excerpt of what used to be the second chapter of Everything Asian
11/7: Page Turner Festival @ Brooklyn
I’ll be partaking in the second annual Page Turner Festival, the Asian American Literary Festival presented by the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. Check out my event below and be there!
OPEN CITY: The Diaspora Next Door
November 7, 4pm – powerHouse Ground Floor
So say you head out to Flushing for the food and New Jersey to see your fam, but who’s telling the stories of the immigrant communities, whose stories are often obscured by language barriers and economic segregation? Luis Francia, Hari Kondabolu, and Sung Woo will act as your tour guide through the diasporic landscape of Mom-and-pop shops, strip malls, and cart food in the outer boroughs and Jersey, the honorary borough. Asian American Literary Award winner Luis Francia’s new chapbook is populated by manongs, teen rappers, and a comfort woman relocated to Queens. Stand up comic Hari Kondabolu–star of Comedy Central and “a national comedic treasure” (The Stranger)–talks about coming of age in Queens. And Sung J. Woo’s Everything Asian features a Korean American family running a shop in a depressed New Jersey town. Reading headlined by Organizing Fellows of the Workshop’s OPEN CITY: Blogging Urban Change, an innovative anti-gentrification blog featuring writers gathering testimony from immigrants in Chinatown, Sunset Park and Flushing.
Haiku: Mad Men, Season 4, Episode 13 – “Tomorrowland”
Don pops the question
in Cali, with Anna’s ring
Megan says, “Oui, oui!”
—
Joan the Director
a title without money
soon to be mommy.
—
Topaz pantyhose
a quarter-million client
Peggy breaks the streak.
—
Out with the old, right?
New house, new wife, a new life.
But what’s new gets old.
Haiku: Mad Men, Season 4, Episode 12 – “Blowing Smoke”
The best defense is
an anti-smoking letter
in the New York Times.
Haiku: Mad Men, Season 4, Episode 11 – “Chinese Wall”
It’s a Girl! for Pete
No clients, no Agency
Megan, Faye: for Don.
KoreanAmericanStory.org’s Book Reading and Wine Reception
Over at KoreanAmericanStory.org, there’s a nice recap and also a link to my Backstory essay that I read at the event held on 9/15. I’ve hijacked their pictures here! Many thanks to the wonderful audience that came out for our little reading.
Haiku: Mad Men, Season 4, Episode 10 – “Hands and Knees”
Scared, tired Whitman.
Joan aborts? Lane leaves for home.
Un-Lucky Roger.
Haiku: Mad Men, Season 4, Episode 9 – “The Beautiful Girls”
Runaway Sally.
Joan and Roger, mugged and loved.
Astronaut Ida.