Wednesday February 9th -- St. Paul

TruthTellers Kick-Off Performance

ThruthTellers is a collective of Hmong American artists, ranging from spoken word poets, musicians, comedians, and theatre artists offering a perspective into voices not well-represented in the mainstream. Catch their free kick-off performance this Wednesday. More info here.

7:30 pm

Black Dog Cafe

308 Prince St, St. Paul, MN

FREE

Thursday February 10th - San Francisco

SFIAFF Launch Party

The 29th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAFF) is coming up -- come celebrate at the launch party and 4th annual Toyota DIY Music Video Contest. Pick up a Festival Mini-Guide and enjoy live performances by Bay Area-based independent Asian American musicians and DJs, including Golda + The Guns, Dune Tran, Mandeep Sethi, Citizen Ten, and more.  Co-sponsored by Locus@KSW. More info here.

FREE FOR CAAM MEMBERS

More info here.

8 pm to midnite

Minna Gallery

111 Minna St, San Francisco

$ 5 admission, 21+ (free for CAAM members)

For Life: Paintings by Trinh Mai to Benefit the Angkor Hospital for Children

Artist Trinh Mai's abstracts and modern portraits will be displayed during her first solo exhibit in San Franscisco, and will include new works from her series Relearning the Language of the Birds. Many paintings in the collection include portraits of family members, yet explore universal themes of hope and determinaton in the face of adversity. 50% of art sales made during the fundraiser will go to the nonprofit Friends Without a Border, which provides health care to children in Cambodia.

7 to 9:30 pm

a.Muse Gallery

614 Alabama St, San Francisco

Thursday February 10th and Saturday Febraury 12 -- Seattle

Chinese Expulsion Remembrance Project

February 2011 marks 125 years since the Chinese were driven out of Seattle. Join Chinese Expulsion Remembrance Project (CERP) and its community partners at two free events to explore lessons learned about the political, social, and economic conditions then, and how those relate to current issues. More info here.
 
2/10 at 6 pm:  Speaker Panel & Music Jazz Jam. Speakers will include Traci Lai (labor), Anne Wing (pioneer), Pramila Jayapal (immigration) and Eric Liu (lessons & future).  The Jon Jang Jazz Quartet will present music dedicated to the history, strengths and struggles of Chinese Americans.  Light refreshments at 5:30pm

Cleveland High School Theater

5511 - 15th Avenue S., Seattle 

2/12 at 10am: Rally and March from S. Washington & Alaskan Way S. proceed to heart of old Chinatown, ending with a program at Wing Luke Asian Museum.  Speakers will include Doug Chin, Michael Woo, Chinese community leaders, students, labor & legal representatives, state and local elected officials.

Thursday February 10th --NYC

How to Handle Gay Bullying Workshop

With the recent string of tragic suicides, gay bullying became a topic everyone had something to say about. Spoken word artist Regie Cabico and psychologist and People Magazine's hottest bachelor Kevin Nadal will discuss anti-gay bullying and how they survived high school. More info here.

4 to 7 pm

Asian American Writers' Workshop

110-112 W 27th St, 6th Floor, New York

Friday February 11th through Saturday March 5th-- Los Angeles

I Heart Hamas: And Other Things I'm Afraid to Tell You

This new one-woman play by Jennifer Jajeh follows a Palestinian American woman who, sick and tired of the unsolicited discussions, debate and disagreements about her identity and opinions about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, tries to figure it out for herself. Join her on American and Palestinian soil on auditions, bad dates, and across military checkpoints as she navigates the thorny terrain around Palestinian identity. More info here.

Theatre Asylum

6320 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles

$20-30; tickets here

Friday February 11th -- NYC

Lunar New Year Mouth to Mouth Open Mic

Asian Amercan Writers' Workshop is ushering in the new year with a Mouth to Mouth Open Mic featuring activist and spoken word artist Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai and poet Ocean Vuong. More info here.

9 to 11 pm (8:30 sign-up for 5 minute slot)

The Asian American Writers' Workshop

110-112 W 27th Street, 6th Floor, New York

$5 suggested donation

Saturday February 12th -- Oakland

Lunar New Year Celebration

The Oakland Asian Cultural Center will bring in the New Year of 4709 with its annual Lunar New Year Festival. Elements of Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Vietnamese, and Philippine cultures will be featured in the day-long celebration. Activities will include cultural art activities for families and performances from OACC teachers/artists and their students, including fruit carving demonstrations, lion dances, and Mongolian dance. More info here.

Noon to 4 pm

Oakland Asian Cultural Center

388 9th St, 2nd floor, Oakland

FREE

Saturday February 12th -- NYC

Dance For Freedom

Nomi Network, a non-profit that leverages the marketplace to eradicate sexual slavery in SE Asia, is hosting an evening of dancing, desserts, and sparkling beverages at New York City's premier Latin and Ballroom dance studio, Dance Times Square. Enjoy a professional dance lesson taught by "So You Think You Can Dance" choreographers Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin, see live demonstrations, and meet other passionate activists. No dance experience of partner required. More info here.

7 to 10 pm

Dance Times Square

156 W 44th St, 3rd floor

$15-$25; tickets here

Chinese Poetry: Classical to Modern with Cai Tianxin and Bob Holman

Contemporary Chinese poet Cai Tianxin will give a talk on the history of Chinese poetry, reads from his own avant work, and discuss his place in the continuum of Chinese poetry -- with poetry legend Bob Holman. Cai is a columnist of the monthly magazine Book City in Shanghai, which is considered the Chinese New Yorker, and founder of Appolinaire, the leading underground literary magazine in China.

2 pm

The Asian American Writers' Workshop

110-112 West 27th Street, 6th Floor

$5 suggested donation

Sunday February 13th -- San Francisco

Chinese New Year Run and Youth Benefit

The Chinatown YMCA will hold their 33rd Annual Chinese New Year 5K/10K Run. The scenic route starts at Sacramento and Grant, goes through Chinatown and North Beach, and ends on Kearny. Proceeds from the run will benefit the YMCA Physical Education Program, which serves over 1,200 students from Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods with free fitness and wellness programs. More info here.

Registration at 855 Sacramento St: 7 am

Race begins: 8 am

Register here

Lunar New Year at the Zoo

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at the San Francisco Zoo with interactive family entertainment. Event includes the Red Panda Acrobats, Chung Ngai Dance Troupe, crafts, and lion dancing. Visitors call also take a self-guided tour and scavenger hunt.

10 am to 3 pm

Playfield Promenade

Sloat Blvd and Great Highway, San Francisco

Free with zoo admission (No admission fee for those born in Year of the Hare).