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richincolor · 5 years

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Group Discussion: Patron Saints of Nothing

Hey, everyone! The Rich in Color bloggers have gotten together to discuss Randy Ribay’s PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING. As always, there will likely be spoilers in our conversation. If you haven’t yet read it, we recommend you go get it.

A powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin’s murder.

Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.

Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth — and the part he played in it.

As gripping as it is lyrical, Patron Saints of Nothing is a page-turning portrayal of the struggle to reconcile faith, family, and immigrant identity.

Crystal: Families are complicated. Very complicated. Jay likely knew that on one level, but as he gets re-acquainted with his extended family in the Philippines, this becomes even more obvious. I found it interesting that Jay felt closer to his cousins than his siblings. And even more notable was his relationship with his uncle, but for completely different reasons. I think his changing opinions of his uncle were evidence that he was maturing. He begins to see that not only are family relationships complex, but people are too. We’re not simply good or evil. Individuals have so many facets.

Jessica: As someone who grew up in a different country than my cousins, I definitely connected with Jay’s relationship with Jun — close in some ways, distant in others, and overshadowed by the regret that they’ve drifted apart. The letters the two exchange really brought Jun to life, and his initial introduction — consoling Jay — sets the tone for a central conflict: The ways Jay is connected to his heritage, and the ways his perspective differs, as someone who grew up in America. I’m in awe of how PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING managed to thread the needle on this conflict, and show the fraught complexities of family, and coming from an immigrant background.

Audrey: I really liked how PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING tackled complicated family dynamics between and across generations. Whether its Jay and his immediate family, the relationships among the parents’ generation, or his slow-building connection to Grace, there is a lot simmering under the surface. Not only are different people actively keeping secrets from one another, but Jay is also at a significant disadvantage due to language and cultural barriers. (Side note: As someone who can’t communicate much with her own grandmother due to a language barrier, Jay’s interactions with his grandparents were painfully familiar.) I really appreciated the scene with Jun’s service for this reason; even though Jay couldn’t understand most of what his other family members said, it was obvious that Jun had mattered to them all despite the ways they had/had not shown it previously.

K. Imani: I agree with you Audrey about how the novel tackled the dynamics across generations. In my extended family, so many stories are unknown because the elders refuse to speak on it, like Jay’s father about why he left the Philippines. The last years of Jun’s life would have been another untold story had not Jay decided to seek it out and stir up trouble in his family. I could truly empathize with his struggle and his frustration with his family, specifically his uncle. I feel like Jay’s insistence on learning about Jun and his family helped not only himself but the rest of his family.

Crystal: A large part of this story focuses on Jay’s connections to his family and to the Philippines. His father explains that “It’s easy to romanticize a place when it’s far away. Filipino Americans have a tendency to do that.” He goes on to say, “But as many good things as there are, there are many bad things, things not so easy to see from far away. When you are close, though, they are sometimes all you see.” Jay definitely has to square his ideas about the Philippines with the reality he meets.

Jessica: Ack! This was a big deal to me… so naturally, I’ve already discussed it in my earlier answer — but yeah, that line from his father is so important, especially in stories where an American goes back to the motherland. I feel that, as someone who’s always dreaming of Taiwan.

Audrey: Jay marched into his extended family’s lives (and the Philippines) with a lot of ignorance and multiple preconceptions, and by the end of it, he left with a better understanding of them and himself–and a desire to close the distance between them. What elevates this from the painful White Person Goes to a Foreign Country to Find/Better Themselves narrative is that Jay gets called out on his ignorance and assumptions constantly, and he isn’t a savior who sweeps in and fixes everything. There are Filipinos already doing the hard work and who will continue to do that work after he leaves. At the same time, Jay also has claim to his motherland, and his uncle’s gatekeeping and frequent digs at Jay are clearly unhelpful. I think a lot of diaspora folks will find things to relate to in Jay’s story.

Crystal: This book deals with President Duterte’s war on drugs. The abuse of drugs is such a huge social issue. It seems when people declare these wars on drugs, they actually seem to declare war on people. And the people they are warring against are often the ones most negatively impacted by the drug use. Jun’s cousin Grace tells him that Jun thought “that those suffering from addiction needed to be helped, not to be arrested because their addiction was as much genetics as it was a choice. And those pushing need to be employed, not killed, because most of them were only trying to survive.” Beyond that, looking for the corruption that allowed the drugs to get into the country would also be a good place to start. It’s so much easier to demonize the addicts and the pushers than solving many of the problems that lead to the drug use — especially when the people in power actually benefit from looking like they are working on the problem, but still leaving the whole system in place. This story helps share the human side of this war.

Audrey: PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING did a great job of pointing out the complexity and hypocrisy surrounding this war on drugs and how easy it is for people to start looking at one another as less worthy of life simply because they are visible symptoms of larger social ills. Even Jay doesn’t want to believe that Jun could have been using drugs, and that leads him to erroneous conclusions for much of the novel. It’s simpler for those in power to make an enemy of those who are suffering rather than doing the complicated, expensive work of tackling corruption and the problems that lead to drug use in the first place.

K. Imani: I agree with both of you that this novel does an excellent job of putting a human face on drug abuse, and highlights the issue with Duterte’s drug war, that sadly, many in the US do not know about. It definitely showed that the way to deal with drug abuse is to treat it as a health issue, rather than a criminal issue, because Jun wasn’t a criminal. Jun was a troubled, but giving soul, and if he’d had treatment instead of killed, he would really make an impact in his world. Additionally, I feel like this highlight of Duterte’s drug war also shows how power corrupts and how people can fall so easily into following along to hold onto power. I know that we learned different sides of Uncle Maning, however, his blind faithfulness to Duterte and the drug war disturbed me. The belief to do anything for the “law and order” and the “safety of the people”, when in reality the ones in power are the ones we fear. This hit a little too close to home to me.

Crystal: Many families have secrets or things they really don’t talk about much, but there were many things going on here that Jay was learning for the first time. Some of his family members are working to help girls escape from trafficking situations and he never even knew. It makes me think about how many things people are keeping from each other. And like Jay wonders, why do we not share more and love more when we all have the capacity to love so deeply? We certainly miss out, but it’s protective to stay separate and keep things hidden.

Audrey: Some of the best scenes in the book are when Jay is able to bridge that gap between himself and someone else in his family. It takes courage to speak and the willingness to be vulnerable, and Jay is starting to embrace both by the end of the book. Jun’s letters were excellent examples of this, as was Jay’s final letter back. I was really pleased with how the book ended and how Jay had changed in this regard when he came back to the U.S.

K. Imani: Without giving away the ending, I loved the way Patron Saints ended because Jay and his father’s conversation ended the cycle of keeping secrets. In the beginning of the book, Jay didn’t really have a deep friendship with anyone and I felt sad for him, but clearly it was because he was used to growing up with a closed off family. Clearly, he needed an outlet and I feel like the trip to the Philippines and his brief time with Mia, who became a real friend, helped him express himself for the first time in years. It was also very brave of him to speak out to his family, but it overall lead to a healthy change for Jay and his entire family. I almost wanted an epilogue at the end to see how much his family had changed after Jay’s experience, as I would have loved to see how Jay’s relationship with his father changed for the better.

Crystal: I haven’t seen many books set in the Philippines, but I’ve really enjoyed the ones I’ve read — ANGEL DE LA LUNA AND THE 5TH GLORIOUS MYSTERY (review here) and DURAN DURAN, IMELDA MARCOS, AND ME (adult book with YA appeal). Have you all read many other books set there? Do you have any to recommend?

Jessica: This is a short story and not a YA book, but it’s really good so I’m going to take the chance to plug it anyway: “Asphalt, River, Mother, Child” by Isabel Yap on Strange Horizons. The story tackles the what’s going on in the Philippines right now, and it’s incredible and heartbreaking. (Please check the content warnings before reading.)

Audrey: You know, I think PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING is the first book I’ve read set in the Philippines! I have read works by Filipino-American writers before, but this was the first one actually set in the Philippines, so far as I remember.

K. Imani: I read ANGEL DE LA LUNA AND THE 5TH GLORIOUS MYSTERY as well and really loved it, so I second Crystal’s recommendation. I don’t think I’ve read any others, but I’m definitely open to reading more in the future.

Extra: Salve Villarosa (@cuckooforbooks) a BookTuber in the Phillipines created two great videos about this book. The first is her review of the book and the second is a Q&A with Randy Ribay during his book launch in Manila.

To add your thoughts, please send out a tweet or comment section on the Rich in Color blog post.

#Patron Saints of Nothing #Randy Ribay #YA book discussion #YALit

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windowwinnipeg · 4 years

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WINDOW 49: JOY IS MORE THAN JUST A FEELING (JULY 16 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2020)

WINNIPEG’S ONLY 24 HOUR ARTIST-RUN CENTRE PRESENTS JOY IS MORE THAN JUST A FEELING

Location: Artspace Building, corner of Bannatyne @ Arthur [sidewalk level]

window is pleased to present our forty-ninth installation:

Joy is more than just a feeling

Featuring work by Iyunade Judah, Glodi Bahati, RYAN AD, Opal Rose White, Akum Maduka, and pluetoe. Curated by Mahlet Cuff and Ekene Maduka.

Works on view July 16 - 27, 2020, L-R: Iyunade Judah, Sequel to bond, 2019. Glodi Bahati, When she asked me why I left, 2020.

Work on view July 31 - August 11, 2020: RYAN AD, PHANTASY no.3, 2019.

Work on view August 18 - September 4, 2020: Opal Rose White, This Joy Is / Joy After Storm, 2020, poetry. Akum Maduka, Group Photograph, 2020, graphite, ink, and charcoal on paper; and Today, I bought a flower, 2018, graphite, ink, and charcoal on paper.

Work on view September 14 - 18, 2020, in partnership with Wall-to-Wall Mural and Culture Festival, at Synonym Gallery: pluetoe, juno, 25:00 min.

Curatorial statements:

To understand trauma as a Black person and see the pain that not only you yourself go through but the suffering of others in your community–it leaves you and stays with you always. The events of racism, anti Blackness, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and ableism being heightened and used against Black people in the recent months is not new. It is not new to see violence, discrimination and ongoing trauma being displayed for everyone to see and witness at the same time. I know for myself and the ways I have been able to digest everything that has happened, it is important to take time to process, think and rest. To take care of myself when I see Black people being murdered and accountability is not even a part of the equation.

To be angry, sad and be okay with that. To know that through all this grief, there is happiness within it. To connect with my community, to be surrounded by Black people however that looks like in the age of social distancing. These pieces by these three emerging artists showcase the feeling of pleasure as a Black person and to understand the humanization of the Black experience.

-Mahlet Cuff

I often think about little knee-jerk reactions that I impulsively make. Undoubtedly, waking up and jumping straight on my phone is one of those many actions that have become reflexive. The past few months have felt like a lot of things and nothing all at once–from an overwhelming consumption of violence against black bodies on multiple media outlets, to everything else in-between that has made the majority describe this time as “strange.” Not one work email coming into my inbox has missed out the words “I hope you are well in these trying times” and to some degree, these words have become redundant and lacking in comfort. A paradox really. Despite the strain, despite not being able to fully digest my anger and mixed emotions, one thing is constant; I’ve somehow found ways to genuinely laugh, to smile, to feel stronger in vulnerability. Words are interesting and so is semiotics. The word ‘joy’ with its commonplace nature is as mundane as the act of casual laughter at a table with friends and loved ones. These moments are unaccounted for and are painted as “small” and quotidian. Reduced to just a symbol but robust in feeling. Reduced to the flatness of 2 dimensional prints by virtue of July’s artists Judah, Glodi and Ryan we see these moments frozen and highlighted as being important. I smile with Ryan’s subject with teeth and skin a deep cobalt blue from concert lights in the background. I am warm, I am lifted by the women embracing each other in Judah’s work and feel safe in the vulnerability and intimacy of Glodi’s women in white. From me and Mahlet Cuff and by window winnipeg, we write to you this love letter, a reminder really, that in the midst of our consumption of violence there exists many other sides to the narrative of “the black community”.

-Ekene Maduka

About the artists:

Glodi Bahati is a 20-year-old black woman photographer, based in Winnipeg. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and raised in Uganda as a refugee fleeing the civil war in her home country, art was a comfort in her life. Glodi has been captivated by photography from a young age, living in Canada, she started her unique journey by taking photos in her last year of high school. Glodi took part in an intensive program for her final year of study, where she was able to focus entirely on photography, within this program she was able to publish her first photography book “The Following.” Glodi currently showcases her work through Instagram but is working on a second book and future showcases. She is inspired by the women in her life and the world around her. Glodi’s work draws inspiration from street, conceptual and fashion photography. Artists like Vivian Maier, Petra Collins, Micaiah Carter and Carrie Mae Weems are a consistent inspiration.

Iyunade Judah is an artist-photographer based in Winnipeg Canada, originally from Ogun, Nigeria. His work focuses on the black experience from an African’s point of view in the diaspora. He has worked on a number of photo projects and short films on black masculinity, gender and afrocentrism. Judah's work primarily focuses on identity and a need for consciousness in African art. Iyunade says that "My work is inspired by my curiosity to discover African history and art. I found out that there’s almost no identity for me and a lot of people like me. I make use of imaginary narratives such as reincarnation in my practice to convey a message which might be on sexuality, history, identity or love. I infuse fabric as a backdrop to appreciate African prints and patterns which has become a personal style."

RYAN AD is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural worker, and curator. i create multimedia experiences.

Opal Rose White (aka Sappfyre Mcleod) is a first generation Canadian of Jamaican descent. Her works create space for introspection with imagery that lingers, and pacing that captivates an audience. Themes in her works center around heritage, diaspora, and making moments of the mundane. Opal Rose White uses her poetry as a means of exploring: Identity, and blackness. Finding elements to celebrate and ponder in her writings.

Opal R. W. is a pen name dedicated to honouring the author’s Mother and Grandmother. Holding space for the names of her foremothers whose genealogy is erased in patriarchal systems. The name itself places honor, reverence and legacy for the three generations of women.)

Akum Maduka is a Winnipeg based emerging artist with Nigerian roots. Originally from an architectural background, her work investigates the role of societal constructs and their influence on human performance within space and how such notions have created skewed ideals of what a normative life should be. Her intimate drawings entwine these narratives with ongoing lived experiences, as she examines the pliancy and complexity of gender roles, sexuality, desire, and ethnicity in modern society.

pluetoe, also known as Victor Ilunga, is a video and performance artist who has been honing his craft since 2013 and recently graduated from the Vancouver Film School where he studied game and app development.

Despite being a different domain he states he loves activating his creative side and is unafraid of the unknown. Often dabbling between videography, game programming & photography, pluetoe is constantly learning new ways to express his ideas using different mediums and artistry.

A Winnipeg-based video & performance artist, pluetoe has gradually submerged himself in to the Winnipeg art scene. pluetoe’s evolution into videography allowed him to introduce another element to his style, often stating that his influence comes from the music he listens to and not so much the films he watches.

Raised in South Africa, moving to Turtle Island (“Canada”) had an impact on his approach to how he creates his art, as well as his presentation.

About the curators:

Mahlet Cuff is an interdisciplinary artist from Treaty One territory, so-called Winnipeg, Manitoba, who uses mediums such as photography, collaging and poetry. Through their work she hopes to create more awareness about the lack of representation of women of colour and queer people of colour in media. Their work has been shown at local galleries and events such as aceartinc and Black Space’s Nuit Noire at Nuit Blanche. Their work has been shown at window winnipeg, Flip Fest, and in the artist-run center Tea Base in Toronto, Ontario. She explores topics of feminism, Blackness and gender through her artistic and activist practice.

Ekene Maduka is an emerging artist making work that combines lived and formulated events relating to notions of displacement, self representation and reconstructing identity. Her work often investigates the effects of cultural, social and political exposure on developing individual identity and its relationship to communal experience. More of her work can be found via her Instagram: @ekenemaduka

window is located on Treaty 1 Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples and the homeland of the Metis Nation. Window is co-curated by Noor Bhangu, Mariana Muñoz Gomez, and Sarah Nesbitt.

This installation was made possible with the generous support from the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Manitoba Arts Council.

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robinsoncenter · 5 years

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[Qsc_asuw] SPRING! Newsletter Week 4

Welcome to Week 4! <3

QTBIPOC Artist Spotlight of the Week:

Monyee Chau

Monyee Chau (b. 1996) is a Seattle-based contemporary Chinese American artist. She received BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in 2018. Monyee explores the journey of healing through decolonization and reconnecting with her roots and ancestors through a variety of mediums. She has shown at Cornish College of the Arts, Pilchuck Glass School, and has independently curated various DIY exhibitions throughout Seattle. She has been the recipient of multiple Pilchuck scholarships, Cornish’s Art Merit scholarship, and nominations to the Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture, and the Corning award.

The Queer & Trans People of Color Alliance (QTPOCA) will be meeting this Friday, location TBD!

LAVISH QTPOC Art Showcase (Tuesday, May 21, 2019) 6:30 PM - 9 PM @ Ethnic Cultural Theater 3931 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, Washington 98105

Lavish is a multi-arts showcase opportunity centering Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPoC). We will provide a platform for UW students to receive mentorship (by way of building a sustained relationship with a teaching artist) and community building among QTPoCs and artists on campus and in the greater Seattle community.

There are many ways to participate in the showcase. Opportunities include (but are not limited to): emcees/MC, deejays/DJ, performance artists, fine artists, spoken word, poetry, musicians, dramaturge, stage managers, community organizers, and more.

The showcase is student-driven and its final form will be created organically among the participating artists. Lavish centers artists who identify as QTPoC. White allies/accomplices are also welcome to participate. Artists of any experience level are enthusiastically invited to participate in this low stakes/high support experience.

Please consider filling out the following form if you are interested in participating at Lavish: https://forms.gle/dq7TMqV8YQAfvtu2A We will host an Informational Session on May 3, 2019, 3:00PM at the Q Center (HUB 315). Note: Prospective performers may submit their application using this form or in person at the informational session. Questions? Please contact Juan Franco or Jaimée Marsh @ the Q Center: [email protected] or 206-897-1430. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Accessibility Information: The Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Theatre is near landmarks such as Alder Hall and Lander Hall. For a map, search HUB on the campus maps: www.washington.edu/maps The ECC’s front entrance is wheelchair accessible. There is an elevator in the building. There are universal, all-gender bathrooms in the building, as well as gender binary bathrooms with multiple stalls. The ECT is not kept scent-free, but we ask that you do not wear scented/fragranced products (e.g. perfume, hair products) or essential oils to/in the event in order to make the space accessible to those with chemical injury or multiple chemical sensitivity. University District Metro Bus Routes can be found here: metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/neighborhoods/university_district.html

Kitchen Sessions with Imani Sims and CD Forum

(Friday, April 26, 2019) 7 PM - 9 PM @ Seattle Art Museum 1300 1st Ave, Seattle, Washington 98101

In celebration of "Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer," SAM has partnered with poet and educator Imani Sims and The Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas for an evening that explores themes of the exhibition. Entry to the exhibition is included with ticket purchase. bit.ly/SAMKitchenSessions

Kitchen Sessions are an opportunity to celebrate Black femme and non-binary identified artists as they reflect on and discuss with an intergenerational audience.

The Kitchen seems like the place where nourishment is found. Not only food but also valuable lessons. Little girls go from childhood to the kitchen. At some point, we graduate into womanhood. What is the rite of passage that allows you to enter the sacred space of the kitchen? It functions as an epicenter, a doorway into a space where it is safe to examine the crooked room. It is safe to talk about the long list of things we experience as Black women. As our hands conjure nourishment, our mouths begin to form spells and we reshape our reality for a moment.

A Talk About Border Imperialism and more (Tuesday, April 23) 5 - 6 PM @ Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center 3931 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, Washington 98105

Join us for a conversation about border imperialism and more. Leading this discussion will be the founding members of Shot of Truth Podcast.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:

The Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center is near landmarks such as Alder Hall and Lander Hall.

For a map, search HUB on the campus maps: www.washington.edu/maps

The ECC’s front entrance is wheelchair accessible. There is an elevator in the building.

There are universal, all-gender bathrooms in the building, as well as gender binary bathrooms with multiple stalls.

The ECC is not kept scent-free, but we ask that you do not wear scented/fragranced products (e.g. perfume, hair products) or essential oils to/in the event in order to make the space accessible to those with chemical injury or multiple chemical sensitivity.

University District Metro Bus Routes can be found here: metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/neighborhoods/university_district.html

Sacred Breath: Writing and Storytelling (Wednesday, May 1, 2019) 6:30-8:30 PM @ wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ - Intellectual House

This event features writer and Sacred Breath founder, Elissa Washuta (Cowlitz) and local northwest storyteller Sondra Segundo (Haida).

Storytelling offers a spiritual connection, a sharing of sacred breath. Literature, similarly, preserves human experience and ideals. Both forms are durable and transmit power that teaches us how to live. Both storytelling and reading aloud can impact audiences through the power of presence, allowing for the experience of the transfer of sacred breath as audiences are immersed in the experience of being inside stories and works of literature.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Elissa Washuta is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a writer of personal essays and memoir. She is the author of two books, Starvation Mode and My Body Is a Book of Rules, named a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. With Theresa Warburton, she is co-editor of the anthology Shapes of Native Nonfiction, forthcoming from University of Washington Press. She has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Artist Trust, 4Culture, Potlatch Fund, and Hugo House. Elissa is an assistant professor of English at the Ohio State University.

Sondra Segundo is an artist and singer of the Haida language. She is an educator and has worked with youth in schools and programs throughout the Northwest, teaching art and sharing her Indigenous children’s books and songs. Everything Sondra does tells a story. Her composed Haida songs tell a story. Her illustrations in her books tell a story. Her movements while she dances, tell a story. Although she is individually accomplished in each of these facets of her life, they are all intertwined by her passion—storytelling. Recently, Sondra has been recruited by tribal-funk band Khu.eex’ as lead female vocalist and has performed at venues such as The Paramount Theater & Upstream Music Fest. She released her first personal music album “Díi Gudangáay uu Síigaay-I Can Feel the Ocean” on 8-8-18.

Free event. Registration required: https://eventactions.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp

Palestine Awareness Week 2019!

Get ready for SUPER’s 7th annual Palestine Awareness Week! Join us for a full week of Palestinian culture, history and resistance. This year’s PAW lineup includes:

Film Screening: “Salt of the Sea” (Monday, April 22) 4 PM - 6 PM @ Media Arcade - Allen Library Discussion: The Black-Palestinian Solidarity Movement (Tuesday, April 23) 4 PM - 6 PM @ Chicano Room - Ethnic Cultural Center Art & Discussion: Borders, Detainment & Resiliency with MEChA de UW (Wednesday, April 24) 5 PM - 6:30 PM @ HUB 250 Dance workshop: Dabke Day! (Thursday, April 25) 5 PM -7 PM @ DEN 113 Panel + Discussion: From Kashmir to Palestine || Mental Warfare, Cultural Erasure, & Resiliency (Friday, April 26) 4 PM - 6 PM @ HUB 307

DISABILITY MONTH APRIL 2019

Disability Studies Program Brown Bag Sharan Brown (Tuesday, April 30) 12-1 PM @ MGH 024 Sexual Assault Open Mic (Tuesday, April 30) 5-7 PM@ HUB 340

Native Country of the Heart - Native Country of the Heart (Wednesday, April 24) 7:30-9 PM @ Town Hall Seattle

How do we trace the stories of our parents’ lives alongside that of our own self-discovery? Celebrated author and pioneering queer Latina feminist Cherríe Moraga presents Town Hall audiences with her own intergenerational narrative in Native Country of the Heart: A Memoir, charting a personal coming-of-age alongside her mother’s decline, and also tells the larger story of the Mexican American diaspora. Moraga charts her mother’s—journey from an impressionable young girl to a battle-tested matriarch to an old woman suffering under the yoke of Alzheimer’s—while simultaneously tracing her own self-discovery of her gender-queer body and Lesbian identity, as well as her passion for activism and the history of her pueblo. Join Moraga for a reckoning with white American history and a piercing love letter from a fearless daughter to the mother she will never lose.

Cherríe Moraga is a writer and cultural activist whose work serves to disrupt the dominant narratives of gender, race, sexuality, feminism, indigeneity, and literature in the United States. A co-founder of Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, Moraga co-edited the highly influential volume This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color in 1981. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Theatre Playwriting Fellowship Award and a United States Artist Rockefeller Fellowship for Literature. Presented by Town Hall Seattle.

Pasifik Voices Spring 2019 (Wednesday, April 24, 2019) 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM @ ECT

We are back for the last Pasifik Voices of the school year! You know the drill: come out and join us for a night of showcasing and celebrating the unique talents and performances of individuals who make up the greater Pacific Islander community on the UW campus!

As always, you can look forward to... music, dance, art, spoken-word, community and more!

Admission is FREE, bring all your homies!

Interested in performing? Sign up NOW at: tinyurl.com/pvspring2019 Interested in MCing? Apply here: https://forms.gle/GFHgbk6di1ZrCVhx7 ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:

The Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Theater is near landmarks such as Alder Hall and Lander Hall.

There are universal, all-gender bathrooms in the ECC, as well as gender binary bathrooms with multiple stalls.

The ECT is not kept scent-free, but we ask that you do not wear scented/fragranced products (e.g. perfume, hair products) or essential oils to/in the event in order to make the space accessible to those with chemical injury or multiple chemical sensitivity.

University District Metro Bus Routes can be found here: metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bus/neighborhoods/university_district.html

SARVA, WAC, D-Center and SDC Present: Open Mic Night (Tuesday, April 30, 2019) 5-87PM @ HUB 340

Join this safe space and hear stories from disabled survivors of assault and domestic violence.

Light refreshments will be provided! (Vegan/gluten free options available!) ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:

CART Captioning will be provided.

This is a scent free space! Please refrain from using scented products if you plan on attending.

Transgender & Gender Diverse Support & Social Group (Wednesday, May 8, 2019) 6-8 PM @ U.T.O.P.I.A Seattle 205 E. Meeker St. Kent, Washington 98032

[trans] ACTION is a support/social group for sex workers that is held every first Wednesday of every month. It is an opportunity that provides sex workers a safe space to engage in topical discussions relating to their life and/or work. This gathering is open to transgender and gender diverse sex workers with current or past experience in the sex trade.

Discussions include topics such as:

*Safety and self- care

*Decriminalization and Destigmatization of sex work

*Know your rights training

*Legal assistance

*Employment & housing

[trans] ACTION promotes and values confidentiality regarding interactions within the group.

The undisclosed location has ample parking, all-gender and ADA-accessible restroom. Come and build community with us! For more information please email Ara-lei at [email protected] Upcoming Dates :

Wed May 8 (6-8pm)

Wed June 12 (6-8pm)

From Palestine to Mexico, All the Walls Have Got to Go! (Monday, May 20, 2019) 7 PM - 9 PM @ Southside Commons 3518 S Edmunds St, Seattle, Washington 98118 These days, the headlines are filled with Trump's proposal for a border wall, news about brutal family separation policies and baby jails at the border, police murdering Black people in the US, Islamophobic attacks, accusations that Congresswoman Omar is "anti-semitic" because of her criticism of US foreign policy in Israel, and anti-boycott legislation at the federal and state levels. How are all these things connected? What does it mean to build a powerful movement for change that connects these issues and wins change that actually reduces the harms of systems of policing, imprisonment, border enforcement, and colonial dispossession? Join us for a conversation between Maru Mora Villalpando and Nada Elia

Maru is the community organizer at the forefront of work aiming to close the Northwest Detention Center. She has been targeted by the Trump administration for deportation based on her activism and works to build a radical, visionary, border and prison abolitionist migrant justice grassroots movement in our region and nationally. Nada Elia is a diaspora Palestinian writer, organizer, and teacher who was one of the first activists to work to expose how US law enforcement trains with the Israeli military and to build coalitional feminist work to oppose it. Maru and Nada will be talking about the overlapping and interconnected law enforcement technologies being used to target migrants to the US, US communities of color, and Palestinians, and exploring how we build internationalist anti-law enforcement and anti-military resistance. This event aims to strengthen all our imaginations and strategies for building safety through solidarity, not law enforcement.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:

Southside commons is wheelchair accessible and has two parking spots for people with disabilities.

Scent-free soaps will be provided in the bathrooms and we are currently working to find out what is usually used in the space and to what degree it leaves chemicals and fragrances in the space.

Gender neutral bathrooms are available.

The light rail to the Mount Baker stop, and several busses, stop nearby.

If you have any questions about accessibility please email [email protected].

DARK AT DUSK - The Final Suicide (Friday, May 10, 2019) 7 PM -10 PM @ Gay City: Seattle's LGBTQ Center 517 E Pike St, Seattle, Washington 98122 Nic Masangkay Presents... DARK AT DUSK - The Final Suicide

After a medication overdose, our protagonist lays unconscious at a Seattle hospital. Piecing together their past via music, film, and spoken word poetry, we retrace what led Them to suicide - perhaps They aren’t the true killer. Find out if They live to tell Their own story: May 2019.

Cast and Team: Brian is Ze Falon Sierra Guayaba Moonyeka Lourdez Velasco Son the Rhemic Queerbigan Vanna Zaragoza Zora Seboulisa

Help compensate this talented team at http://www.patreon.com/nicmasangkay.

More information on the album and show at http://www.nicmasangkay.com/dark-at-dusk.

Project made possible in part by Jack Straw Cultural Center's Artist Support Program.

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:

The Calamus Auditorium at Gay City is ADA accessible & minimally scented.

There are two single-stall all-gender restrooms.

There will be scent free soap in the restrooms. More info: gaycity.org/access

Seattle Launch: Tongue-Breaker (Tuesday, May 14, 2019) 7 PM - 9 PM @ Third Place Books Seward Park 5041 Wilson Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98118 Seattle family, please come celebrate the New York launch of writer Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha's latest book of poetry, Tonguebreaker.

Tonguebreaker is about surviving the unsurvivable: living through hate crimes, the suicides of queer kin, and the rise of fascism while falling in love and walking through your beloved's neighbourhood in Queens. Building on LLPS' groundbreaking work in Bodymap, Tonguebreaker is an unmitigated force of disabled queer-of-colour nature, narrating disabled femme-of-colour moments on the pulloff of the 80 in West Oakland, the street, and the bed. Tonguebreaker dreams unafraid femme futures where we live -- a ritual for our collective continued survival.

about the weirdo who wrote the poems: LEAH LAKSHMI PIEPZNA-SAMARASINHA is a queer disabled femme writer, cultural worker and educator of Burgher/Tamil Sri Lankan and Irish/Roma ascent. They are the author of Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice, Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home (short-listed for the Lambda and Publishing Triangle Awards, ALA Above the Rainbow List), Bodymap (short listed for the Publishing Triangle Award) ,Love Cake (Lambda Literary Award winner), and Consensual Genocide, and co-editor of The Revolution Starts At Home: Confronting Intimate Violence in Activist Communities. Their next book, Beyond Survival: Stories and Strategies From the Transformative Justice Movement (co-edited with Ejeris Dixon) is forthcoming in 2020. A lead artist with Sins Invalid, her writing has been widely published, with recent work in PBS Newshour, Poets.org's Poetry and the Body folio, The Deaf Poets Society, Bitch, Self, TruthOut and The Body is Not an Apology. She is a VONA Fellow and holds an MFA from Mills College. She is also a rust belt poet, a Sri Lankan with a white mom, a femme over 40, a grassroots intellectual, a survivor who is hard to kill. ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION: wheelchair accessible including bathrooms, armless chairs available, coffee tea and snacks for sale, please come fragrance-free. Free. Bring your kids.

Let’s Talk is a free program that connects UW students with support from experienced counselors from the Counseling Center and Hall Health Center without an appointment. Counselors hold drop-in hours at four sites on campus:

Mondays, 2-4 PM, Odegaard Library Room 222

Tuesdays, 2-4 PM, Ethnic Cultural Center Room 306

Wednesdays, 2-4 PM, Q Center (HUB 315)

Thursdays, 2-4 PM, Mary Gates Hall Room 134E

Let’s Talk offers informal consultation – it is not a substitute for regular therapy, counseling, or psychiatric care. To learn more, visit letstalk.washington.edu. The HUB’s front entrance is wheelchair accessible and the common area is to the right of the main desk. An all-genders restroom can be found at the 3rd floor, down the hallway from the Q Center. Gender binary bathrooms with multiple stalls can be found on each floor of the HUB. The HUB IS not kept scent-free but we ask that you do not wear scented/fragranced products (e.g. perfume, hair products) or essential oils to/in the Q Center in order to make the space accessible to those with chemical injury or multiple chemical sensitivity.

Thank you for being a part of our community <3 We are so glad that you are here, and we are so glad to get to know you! Have questions about the QSC? Just want to get involved? Find our office hours online at hours.asuw.org. To hear more from the QSC be sure to like us on facebook, and follow us on twitter & instagram to stay up to date with all queer and trans related happenings on campus and in Seattle! With love, Mehria Ibrahimi, Outreach & Engagement Intern.

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#events #qsc #qtpoca #Palestine #Lavish #Disability

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