VOL 41 NO 24 | JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022

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PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA

VOL 41 NO 24 JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022

FREE 40 YEARS YOUR VOICE

A brighter future ahead for Denise Louie Photo provided by Denise Louie Education Center

Bellevue’s Saharsh Vuppala places fourth in revamped National Spelling Bee

Denise Louie 2022 gala on June 4, 2022

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

By Chris S. Nishiwaki NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY After over two years of going dark, in theater terms closing for business, the Denise Louie Education Center held its first in-person gala since October 2019 on June 4—almost 1,000

Saharsh Vuppala, 13, from Bellevue, spells his word during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition.

many words they could correctly spell within 90 seconds. The top two finishers’ unexpected struggles began when Raju misspelled “Senijextee,” one of several alternate spellings of Sinixt, an Indigenous people from see SPELLING BEE on 16

see DENISE LOUIE on 15

“Reorient” at Wing Luke explores link between art and healing By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY In troubled times, art can be a means of healing in both the individual and society at large. Wing Luke Museum’s upcoming exhibition, “Reorient: Journeys Through Art & Healing,” unites four established artists who have in-depth experience with the power art holds to help navigate life’s challenges. Guest curator Lele Barnett brings together these artists and their work with her passion for stories of immigration and diaspora, particularly in the Asian community. “I believe strongly that the act of creating art is healing and all of these artists have been doing that with a lot going on in their

Courtesy of Suchitra Mattai & Wing Luke Museum.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A 13-year-old from Bellevue placed fourth in the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee on June 2—the best performance by a speller from Washington in more than three decades, on a night that ended with the competition’s first “spell-off.” Saharsh Vuppala, an eighthgrader at Annie Wright Middle School in Tacoma, correctly spelled “Clitocybe”—a genus of mushrooms—in the first round of the finals to advance to a multiplechoice stage that required spellers to identify a word’s meaning. That vocabulary round, which knocked out half of the eight contestants still standing, was part of an increased emphasis on not only spelling words, but defining them. Harini Logan of San Antonio, 14, spelled 21 words correctly to emerge as the champion, beating Vikram Raju in a marathon, firstof-its-kind spell-off, a format that tested the contestants on how

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Harini Logan, 14, from San Antonio, Texas, holds the winning trophy as she is surrounded by her family.

days apart. Turning the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Denise Louie gala, dubbed “The Future is Bright,” met their fundraising goal of over $200,000 with over 100 guests attending the fete at Magnuson Park.

“Recognition: Pratyabhijna” by Suchitra Mattai

lives,” said Barnett. The artists Barnett chose approach their art with a spirit of experimentation and exploration, often employing unusual materials and

methods, which has made their work unique and allowed them to work through the personal see REORIENT on 16

THE INSIDE STORY ON THE SHELF From page to stage: Book-It adapts Amy Tan’s “The Bonesetter’s Daughter”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Eastbound Bilingual music, mirth, and yearning

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HEALTH Clergy of color face unprecedented mental health challenges

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SPORTS The Layup Drill

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412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com


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