Kelley Still is a writer, editor, and communications professional. Although she spent over a decade living and working in the San Francisco Bay area, she recently returned home to Minnesota, where she grew up. A Korean adoptee and mother of two, young girls, Kelley began her career in arts journalism and in addition to writing, has also spent time in education. She's interested in exploring the cultural identities of Asian adoptees.
"Queer Check-Ins," curated by Franny Choi, poses the question, “Are You OK?,” to 12 queer Asian and Pacific Islander diasporic poets. Their responses are captivating, beautiful and unsettling at times. Each poet reads their piece and shares a glimpse into their life through video and imagery. Hyphen interviewed Franny Choi, a former Hyphen editor, about her work on the exhibition.
Curatorial Note
From a storyline perspective, I noted a few junctures in the plot and wondered if you could comment on what you were thinking as you wrote them. First off, the argument about “elevated Asian cuisine.” That struck me as a conversation that has been playing out in various settings; whether or not elevated Asian cuisine is “selling out” according to some. Can you talk about how that writing came to be and what you wanted to convey?
The Party for Justice will feature many amazing Asian artists and performers. One of the headliners is Magnetic North & Taiyo Na, which is comprised of Theresa Vu, Derek Kan, Taiyo Na and producer Chucky Kim. A hip-hop powerhouse, Magnetic North & Taiyo Na have risen to the #2 spot of Japan’s hip-hop charts with their title track followed by a full-album release overseas backed by label Goon Trax, in addition to a number of charted singles.
Saint Paul, Minnesota is home to almost 30,000 Hmong Americans, making the city the center of the largest concentrated Hmong community in the nation.
Based in St. Paul, the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) serves the local Hmong community through arts and enrichment classes, activities and community events.
Next month marks five years since the inception of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE), which is a network comprised of 11 organizations fighting for justice through an intersectional lens. AACRE works with Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander refugees, immigrants, LGBTQ, incarcerated folks, artists, faith leaders, survivors and more! AACRE’s work has allowed them to reimagine a vision of liberation that is inclusive and intersectional.
Next month marks five years since the inception of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE), which is a network comprised of 11 organizations fighting for justice through an intersectional lens. AACRE works with Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander refugees, immigrants, LGBTQ, incarcerated folks, artists, faith leaders, survivors and more! AACRE’s work has allowed them to reimagine a vision of liberation that is inclusive and intersectional.
Glenn Morey and his wife and co-director, Julie Morey, have spent years conceiving of, producing and directing Side by Side: Out of a South Korean Orphanage and Into the World, a multi-tiered documentary and audio/visual art installation. Focused on changing the narrative of intercultural adoption beyond rescue and compassion, Side by Side documents 100 first-person stories from 100 transracial adult adoptees recounting their deeply personal, singular lived experiences. Since the 1950s, there have been nearly a million of these adoptions, starting with South Korea and
Alice Tsui stars in Wong Fu's latest short, Vantage Points.
In October, Wong Fu Productions released its latest short, Vantage Points, on YouTube, which features Wong Fu’s first LGBTQ lead characters. Alice Tsui plays one of the main characters. A native of Northern California, Alice grew up in San Jose, and even as a young child, knew she had a desire to work in the media industry.