L to R: Hazem Fahmy, Kiran Bath, Wo Chan, and Elmo Tumbokon in front of “Coolieisms, aka: Sly Son Goku turns 23” by Oscar yi Hou. Photo Credit: Shirley Cai.
On May 6th, we partnered with the Brooklyn Museum to host a poetry reading as part of the museum’s First Saturdays: Double Happiness program. Introductions were made by Inga Manticas, Brooklyn Museum Public Programs Producer, and Shirley Cai, Kundiman Communications Manager, as well as opening words from Eugenie Tsai, the John and Barbara Vogelstein Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum. This in-person reading featured poets Kiran Bath, Wo Chan, Hazem Fahmy, and Elmo Tumbokon as they read selections of their original works in conjunction with acclaimed poet and painter Oscar yi Hou’s striking exhibition East of sun, west of moon.
“The opposite of love is not sacrifice” —Kiran Bath, Instructions for Banno
The audience spilled out across the gallery, overflowing with enthralled attendees listening to poems covering a myriad of styles and themes from each writer. Kiran Bath and Wo Chan read selected excerpts from their debut poetry collections, Instructions for Banno and Togetherness respectively, while Hazem Fahmy and Elmo Tumbokon performed their own original compositions.
Attendees gather in the audience. Photo Credit: Saifa Khan.
“Every year I long for a city kept warm by an ocean of burning cop cars" —Hazem Fahmy
Channeling the themes of identity and Asian American liberation expressed throughout yi Hou’s figurative paintings on display, the poets delivered powerful messages about misogyny, motherhood, migration, labor, imperialism, grief, and activism. In celebrating the resilience and abundance of the Asian American community during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we found this reading to be a profound and timely expression of how we, as individual members within the larger Asian diaspora, choose to navigate a future marked by the continued fight for progress.
L to R: Hazem Fahmy, Kiran Bath, Wo Chan, and Elmo Tumbokon. Photo Credit: Shirley Cai.
Thank you to the Brooklyn Museum for having us, as well as Kiran Bath, Wo Chan, Hazem Fahmy, and Elmo Tumbokon for sharing such inspiring and thought-provoking original works that showcase the vast multiplicity of stories and lived experiences within the Asian diaspora. We look forward to seeing you all at the next event!