Hyphen is proud to sponsor an upcoming event from the Asian American Women Artists Association (AAWAA). AAWAA, one of the longest-running US arts organizations of its kind, marks its 20th Anniversary with a celebration on September 26th and ongoing art exhibition of contemporary art by Asian American Women from the Bay Area.

Curated by Cynthia Tom, Vision, Vitality and Visibility showcases the work of more than 35 artists in a wide array of mediums: painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media. Exhibit runs Tuesday September 22nd through Sunday, October 4th.

20th Anniversary Celebration
9/26 6:30 to 9:30 pm
with Emcee Sue Kwon of CBS-5
Includes three additional exhibitions: Made in AAWAA: 20 Years, Cheers to Muses, and A Place of Her Own.
Activities include sessions with make-up artists and portrait photography, a silent auction and A Place of Her Own-inspired diorama making.
Live Music by Mutual Admiration Org

SOMArts Cultural Center, Bay Gallery
934 Brennan St, San Francisco
$ 15 - $ 50 sliding scale / $ 10 students tickets here

Vision Vitality and Visibility
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Friday 2 to 7 pm
Saturday noon to 5 pm
Saturday 10/3 noon to 9 pm
10/4 3 to 6 pm
FREE

Tuesday September 8th -- Sunday September 27th

Sing For China Tour

This national tour features three of China's biggest and best indie rock bands -- Queen Sea Big Shark, Hedgehog, and Casino Demon -- with proceeds benefiting the China AIDS Orphan Fund, with the mission to improve the lives of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in central China through education, advocacy, research, and organizational support. Upcoming California dates are listed below, but be sure to check the website for full tour schedule.

9/8 -- 9 pm @ Silverlake Lounge, $ 10, Los Angeles
9/9 -- 8 pm @ Bottom of the Hill, $ 10, San Francisco
9/10 (with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) --  8 pm @ Fox Theater, $ 35.50, Oakland

Wednesday August 26th -- San Francisco

Lydia's Funeral Video

Samantha Chanse is reprising her acclaimed one-woman show Lydia's Funeral Video for one night only. A dark comedy about an "apocalypse-obsessed bank clerk whose dreams are suddenly invaded by a mysterious being claiming to be her newly-conceived embryo." Check out Hyphen's past review here.

7:30 pm
The Marsh
1062 Valencia St, San Francisco
$ 10 - $ 15 tickets here

I had a chance to sit down with Philippines-born and Australia-raised Dana Diaz-Tutaan and New York native Raphael LaMotta, the married duo known as dynamic hip-hop electro group ApSci. After chatting about Australian slang and the joys and perils of home cooking, we got into the nitty gritty behind their unique sound and infectious and intricately-crafted sophomore release, Best Crisis Ever (album review is in the latest issue, the Action Issue).

Hyphen was invited by the creators of DramaFever to
a launch party for this impressive new site, which features legally
licensed, English-subtitled Asian drama and comedies streaming in high definition.

The site is entirely free, with a few overlay ads (don't worry, the ads are in between episodes, not during). Currently it mainly features Korean series (like Boys Over Flowers, Sad Love Story, and about 50 more), but shows and music videos from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and China will likely be up soon. With the addition of a new title each week, you'll have no trouble finding at least a few shows to aid you in procrastination, sleep deprivation, and the eventual disintegration of your social life.

Wednesday July 29th -- San Francisco

Harana Filipino American Art Event

Togonon Gallery and the producers of Benito Bautista's documentary Harana present a celebration of Filipino American contemporary art and film. A private screening of the film trailer and wine reception will be included. A portion of proceeds will go towards completion of the documentary, which focuses on the fading custom of Filipino love songs.

6 to 8 pm
Togonon Gallery
77 Geary Street, 2nd floor, San Francisco
$ 10

Wednesday July 15th

The Invisible Cities Live Webcast

Indie pop band The Invisible Cities (including singer-songwriter Goh Nakamura) will be performing live via webcast at theinvisiblecities.com. The band -- who played at our Six in the City birthday party -- will be broadcasting from a friend's living room. The show will also be looped directly after the show for a couple days to watch at your convenience. Their new album Houses Shine Like Teeth is available for free download here.

Tuesday June 30th -- San Francisco

Goh Nakamura and Jane Lui Show

Bay Area singer/songwriters Goh Nakamura and Jane Lui will be teaming up for a special performance with plenty of banter, crooning and...duets!

7 to 11 pm
Cafe du Nord
2174 Market Street, San Francisco
$ 10 at the door or tickets here

Tuesday June 15th -- NYC

Novels of Heartbreak and Folly

Booker prize finalist Romesh Gunesekera will read from his most recent novel The Match, about a Hamlet-esque Sri Lankan cricket player on a mission to find love. Debut novelist Tania James will read from Atlas of Unknowns, following two sisters' disparate romantic journeys in Kerala and New York.

7 pm
Asian American Writers' Workshop
16 West 32nd St, 10th floor, New York
$ 5 suggested donation

Wednesday June 3rd -- Nationwide

Vigils for Laura Ling and Euna Lee

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, American journalists who work for San Francisco-based Current TV, were arrested March 17 near the North Korean border while reporting on refugees living in China. Both are accused by North Korea of crossing into the country illegally and committing "hostile acts," and will be tried on criminal charges on Thursday. Organizers of vigils planned for Thursday hope to influence a positive outcome for Ling and Lee. Join one of the many nationwide vigils, and don't forget your candles.

More info on the Laura Ling and Euna Lee Facebook group.

Thursday May 21st to May 23rd -- NYC

New Staged Readings from Second Generation

Second Generation, a nonprofit Asian American theater company, presents two new staged readings by emerging writers. Tapefaces, directed by Qui Nguyen (of Soul Samurai), is an epic kung-fu comedy. Thunder Above, Deeps Below, by A. Rey Pamatmat, is about three homeless young friends hustling to make it to San Francisco. All readings are free, more info and reservations here.

Tapefaces
Thursday May 21, 7 pm
Saturday May 23, 3 pm

Thunder Above, Deeps Below
Friday May 22, 7 pm
Saturday May 23, 7 pm

Walkerspace
46 Walker St, NYC
FREE

Thursday May 7th -- NYC

Fred Ho Reading and Jazz Show

The Asian American Writers' Workshop presents activist, writer, and musician Fred Ho, who will read from his latest Wicked Theory, Naked Practice: A Fred Ho Reader. Followed by a (hopefully naked and green) live jazz performance.

7 pm
The Workshop
16 West 32nd St, 10th Floor, New York
$ 5 suggested donation

Thursday April 23rd to Saturday April 25th -- NYC

A Celebration of the Chapbook

Join The Asian American Writers' Workshop for a chapbook festival that highlights its essential place in poetry publishing, and will include printing workshops and discussions. Saturday's program will feature the "secret history of Asian Americans in chapbooks." Complete program with locations here.

Wednesday April 8th -- NYC

Timothy Liu Book Party

Join the Asian American Writers' Workshop to celebrate Timothy Liu's newest poetry collection, Bending the Mind Around the Dream's Blown Fuse. Poetry + champagne + cake = good times!

6 pm
The Workshop
16 West 32nd Street, 10th floor (b/w Broadway & 5th Ave), New York
FREE

I recently checked out Texas-born writer/performer Lan Tran's one-woman comedy SMART ASS, which concluded its five-day run as part of Pan Asian Repertory's NEWWorks 09 program.

Here's my synopsis: Girl discovers yoga. Girl learns to listen to her body. Girl applies yoga to dating. Girl is on quest for a man but is hopelessly dysfunctional because of pesky "daddy issues". Girl dates a couple of duds. Girl finds a decent one and decides to hang onto him. The End.

While I was initially impressed with Tran's ability to deliver her lines effortlessly during a variety of yoga poses (downward dog, go 'head), it was quickly downhill from there.

The most notable aspect of this otherwise flat show was the first scene, in which Tran re-enacts a happy hour conversation with a sassy Latina friend. After discussing which qualities women of color possess that make them irresistible to the opposite sex (Latinas are curvy! Black men like big butts!), Tran poses the question: If Asian women have small boobs and asses, then what makes us attractive?

Hmmmm.....waaaaait for it.....Tight Pussies!

Friday March 20th -- San Francisco

Excuse my Gangsta Ways and Perceptions: A Question of Justice Screenings and Community Discussion

I won't say too much on the documentary Excuse My Gangsta Ways, as it's been already been reviewed by Hyphen for SFIAAFF. LOCUS @ Kearny Street Workshop presents a community screening of two films, followed by a discussion on gang violence in the API community. Participants will include filmmaker Corinne Manabat, Chol Soo Lee (who was wrongly convicted in 1973 for the murder of a Chinatown gang advisor and later sentenced to the death penalty for killing a white supremacist in self-defense), Asian Law Caucus Attorney Angela Chan, and leaders from the youth development nonprofit United Playaz.

7 pm
The I-Hotel
868 Kearney Street (at Jackson St), San Francisco
$ 5

For this week's Hyphenite we have several events to scratch that artistic itch -- whether your cup of tea is literature, the visual arts, or creative boozing.

Friday to Saturday March 6-7th -- NYC

South Asian Women's Creative Collective Sixth Annual Literary Festival

This year's theme is "Stranger Love", exploring love between strangers and love that is strange. Join this two-day series of readings, panel discussions, and writing workshops featuring South Asian literature. Themes will span race, sexuality, journey, and memory, reaching from the suburbs of Jersey to guerilla movements in Sri Lanka. Featured authors include Jhumpa Lahiri, S. Mitra Kalita, and Purvia Shah, and works include the genres of poetry, memoir and fiction. More info and complete schedule here.

Here's a heap of theater shows (along with a smattering of other distractions) for all you thespian-ites. To kick things off is a ticket giveaway, courtesy of Hyphen!

In lieu of buying a bunch of cliched commodified crap for yourself or your sweetheart, here're several events where you can show your love for some great causes, other than Hallmark and FTD.

Thursday February 12th -- NYC

Feb' Fling Happy Hour and Fundraiser

Flirt shamelessly with that cute piece across the bar, with the help of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) staff and friends as your "Wingpeople" for the night (I will be one such wingperson, so come benefit from my impeccable game). This promises to be a fun night of drinks, games, and love connections, with all proceeds donated to CACF, the nation's only pan-Asian children's rights organization. Everyone welcome -- you don't have to be single to come!

                                       6:30 to 8:30 pm
                                       Sunita Bar
                                       106 Norfolk Street New York b/w Delancey and Rivington
                                       $10 minimum suggested donation

For Hyphen readers undergoing post-inaugural comedowns and political hangovers, here're two right coast events to keep your activist momentum going strong:

In DC, there's a panel discussion tomorrow on the power of art and performance to heal collective suffering: "War, Memory and Representation in Art: Burma, Korea, Laos and Vietnam." The panel is organized by the Institute for Policy Studies, and will feature several well-known artists and activists, including filmmaker Annabel Park and Peace Mural creator Huong. As many of us share experiences as refugees and immigrants, this can help create linkages between our varied histories and homelands, and explore innovative ways to move forward together.

An exciting Inauguration fete for readers in Seattle. On Inauguration morning, over 200 community members are expected to gather at the Wing Luke Asian Museum to celebrate and watch a live broadcast of the swearing-in ceremony.

The Inauguration Mixer (pun intended) is organized by Mavin, the nation's leading nonprofit that seeks to raise awareness about mixed-heritage people and families. In 2005, as part of the Generation Mix National Awareness cross-country tour, Mavin youth interviewed the then-Illinois Senator (the interview is captured in the documentary Chasing Daybreak). Obama urged them to stay connected to their communities of color, which Mavin has consistently supported. Four years later, Mavin is commemorating the election of a president that has already begun to challenge and transform America's traditional constructs about race.

Sure it's early in the morning, but this is a history-making milestone. Call in sick and go mix it up with Mavin and friends.

Tuesday January 20
8:10 to 11:00am
Free!
Wing Luke Asian Museum
719 South King Street (Chinatown-International District)
Seattle, WA

For you New Yorkers who've decided not to join the four million strong party in the streets in D.C., there'll be plenty of carousing right here in town. One such event is being thrown by the Media Coalition for Artists of Color at the beautiful Tribeca Cinemas. If you're an actor, director, writer, producer or technician in the fields of film, TV or the internets, this bash will be right up your alley. And bonus! The $20 admission includes two drinks. Buy tix here, they're likely to sell out fast.

The Media Coalition promotes collaborative efforts between media organizations of color to create opportunities in film, TV, and other media, and includes organizations like Asian Cinevision, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and African American Women in Cinema.

Media Coalition Dance Party and Networking Salon
Tuesday January 20
7:00-11:00pm
Tribeca Cinemas Main Lounge
54 Varick Street NY, NY

Here's your chance to join New York-based artists Magnetic North and Taiyo Na for the making of their "I Got My" music video! The emcees want to involve the community for the shooting of this new song as part of Sunday's Sulu Series, a monthly showcase of emerging and established Asian American artists. A counter-statement to these current gloom and doom times of economic crisis, "I Got My" focuses on the value of non-monetary things we do "got," like fam and friends.

You can participate and be recorded in several ways: lip-syncing your favorite lyric from "I Got My," spitting your own line, or just hanging out at the show.

Ishle Yi Park, the former poet laureate of Queens, New York will also be making a live performance.

Come feel the love and celebrate the priceless things in life.

Sunday January 18
8:00 to 11:00pm
FREE!
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery (between Houston and Bleecker) New York, NY

This coming Monday in New York City, the 12% and Growing Coalition: Asian Pacific American Community Fighting for a Fair Budget will be holding a press conference on the steps of City Hall. The 12% Coalition will call for a stop to New York State and City budget cuts, which would particularly harm low-income and other vulnerable and underserved APA immigrants. The 12% Coalition is made up of over 20 New York organizations
representing over 40 APA ethnic groups.

Service providers, advocates, youth, parents, and seniors will be speaking during the press conference.

Although APAs -- at 12 percent of the City's population -- are the fastest growing racial group, APA-led organizations receive less than half of one percent of City funds.

If you're in the New York area, stop by to show your support for this incredible advocacy effort. For more info, contact Wayne Ho at who [at] cacf.org

Monday, December 29, 2008, 11:00am
Steps of City Hall: Broadway (at Murray Street) or Park Row (across from Pace University)
New York, NY 10007

Another New York event for those of you spending the holidaze in the city.