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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asianweekly northwest
40 YEARS
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
■ NAMES IN THE NEWS
Monique Ming Laven, Anchor - News category Ryan Barber, Graphic Artist; Hard News Report category: Ryan Barber Dale Hazapis Horror, Heroics and Heartache Art Director; Children/Youth/Teens category: Wildlife: Day in the Life of a Keeper Dale Hazapis, Graphic Artist; Children/Youth/Teens category: Wildlife: Day in the Life of a Keeper KING 5 Erin Liu, Photographer; News Promotion - Campaign category — The KING 5 Investigators
Susan Han (middle) with fellow Seattle Channel winners
The City of Seattle’s government-access station Seattle Channel was recognized on June 4, at the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy Awards ceremony. The awards show was held in person for the first time since 2019 at Fremont Studios in Seattle. An episode of “City Inside/Out,” diving into police reform, won an Emmy in the interview/discussion category. It was produced by Susan Han. Other AAPI winners in the Seattle market include the following: KIRO 7
Deedee Sun
Monique Ming Laven
Western Washington Gets Real
Deedee Sun, Breaking News category — Storming the Governor’s Mansion Reporter, Diversity Equity Inclusion - News category —
Josephine Lee
Resisters.com. Informed by a lifetime of movement through the United States, Canada, and South Korea, Lee’s interdisciplinary practice addresses the psychic violence of cultural assimilation and naturalization through migration, alongside issues of ecological and racial justice within technology. Lee is an artist resident.
Fujimatsu Village open house
Erin Liu
2022 Emerging Artist and Writer Residents
Two Asian Americans have been selected for a month-long residency at Port Townsend by the Centrum Foundation, as part of the 2022 Emerging Artist and Writers Residency. Frank Abe and Josephine Lee will join eight other residents at Fort Worden in October. Abe—a writer resident—is the co-author of the graphic novel, “WE HEREBY REFUSE: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration.” He has worked to reframe the public’s understanding of the World Frank Abe War II incarceration of Japanese Americans ever since helping to create the first Day
Fujimatsu Village open house on June 2, 2022.
Approximately 56 people turned up to an open house organized by the developer of the Fujimatsu Village Project on 5th Avenue and South Jackson Street on June 2. The intent of the open house was to share with the community their concept design, and to gather additional community input. The project is a vision of Tomio Moriguchi in honor of his father, Fujimatsu, who founded Uwajimaya in 1928. Retail and housing will be the backbone of the project. The residential tower will feature a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedrooms.
THANK YOU AUCTION CHAIRS
of Remembrance for the camps in the campaign for redress and reparations. For his Centrum residency, he will be working on a project to bring those stories to the stage. He’s contributed to Ishmael Reed’s Konch Magazine, The Bloomsbury Review, and others, and is a past attendee of the Port Townsend Writers Conference. He blogs at
Photo from Vivian Hsieh
59th Northwest Regional Emmy Awards
WE RAISED OVER $200,000!
Emeritus Board Member Denise Moriguchi and Board Member Jennie Cochran-Chinn Natalie Chan, Jim Berry, Deborah Song, Tracy Thai, Karen Smith, Nikki Huang, Christina Congdon PLATINUM: Amerigroup GOLD: East West Bank, Marpac Construction, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and Uwajimaya SILVER: Cummings, Fraser, & Associates, and Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority BRONZE: Kaiser Permanente of Washington, Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington, Group Health Foundation, and Seattle Children’s BAMBOO: Banner Bank, Columbia Bank, Mithun, Molina Healthcare of Washington, and Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation LEAF: International Community Health Services
AUCTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS SPONSORS
SUPPORTERS Acorn Street Shop Aerlume America’s Test Kitchen Kids Angelo’s Ristorante Anthony’s Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi Baked Custom Cakes Bakery Nouveau Bark Box Beast Academy Beautiful Things Floral Bellden Coffee Bellevue Arts Museum Bellevue Club Bellevue Collection Ben Bridge Jeweler Ben Franklin Frames Beneath the Streets Benihana’s Blade & Timber Book Larder
Burke Museum Cactus Southwest Kitchen + Bar Cafe Ladro Capital Genealogy Chelsea Cakes Costco Cultures United FC Daniel’s Broiler DeLaurenti Demco Consulting Designer Portraits By Jamison A Johnson Dick’s Drive-In Din Tai Fung Dolar Shop Duck Duck Books El Gaucho Great Wolf Lodge Guardian Cellars Guayaki Yerba Mate Hello Cupcake
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Musang Seattle NEKO: A Cat Café Nikki Huang Noir Lux Candles Oregon Shakespeare Festival Pagliacci Pizza Panera Bread Portteus Wine Pyramid Catering Ran Dessert Robert Jacobs Portraits San Juan Excursions Schwartz Brothers Restaurants Seattle Bouldering Project Seattle Boxing Gym Seattle Kraken Seattle Rhythmic Gymnastics
Seattle Seahawks Seattle Sounders Seattle Storm Seattle Symphony Seattle Theatre Group Sound Financial Therapy LLC Storyville Coffee Strategic Living, LLC Sugar Plum Waxing Susan Yang Tabletop Village LLC Tacoma Art Museum The Confectional The Museum of Flight The School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts The Seattle Great
Wheel Tami Moore Tilth Alliance Tito’s Handmade Vodka Tocha Tea Total Wine & More Trader Joe’s Trophy Cupcake Urban Float Uwajimaya Vinason Pho and Grill Vitality Pilates Wild Waves Theme & Water Park Wisteria Body Works Wolf Haven International Young Tea Lover Zen Sweat
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
YOUR VOICE
asianweekly northwest
■ COMMUNITY NEWS Burien City Council selects finalists for city manager position
Pritz Navaratnasingam
Martin Yamamoto
The Burien City Council on June 6 selected six candidates and two alternates for the City of Burien city manager position. Five candidates confirmed interest in proceeding, including Pritz Navaratnasingam, executive director of Department of Veterans of Affairs in Seattle, and Martin Yamamoto, the interim city manager of Mill Creek. Community members will have the opportunity to meet and evaluate the candidates during an open house event on June 9, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Burien Community Center. The community can complete a short online survey to share their feedback on the candidates with the City Council. The candidates will then be interviewed by both City staff leadership and City Council as follows:
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June 10, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.: City Council will interview the candidates during a special public meeting where they are expected to select three final candidates to interview on the following Monday. June 13, 4:15–7:45 p.m.: City Council will interview finalists during a special public meeting where they are expected to select one finalist to move to a conditional job offer. June 21, 7 p.m.: City Council will hear an update on formal background check and potential action on an employment agreement. Learn more about the process to recruit and hire the next Burien City Manager at burienwa.gov/CityManagerSearch.
Man injured in CID stabbing Police are investigating after a man was injured in a stabbing in the ChinatownInternational District (CID). At 9:19 a.m. on June 1, police responded to reports that someone had been stabbed
near the 1000 block of South Jackson Street. Arriving officers found the victim near 8th Avenue South and South Jackson Street with a stab wound to his neck. Medics transported the 50-year-old man
to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. Witnesses provided limited information. Police searched the area for a suspect, but he reportedly fled before officers
arrived. Officers also searched a nearby encampment for a possible scene of the crime but did not find one. Detectives will continue to investigate this incident.
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asianweekly northwest
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
40 YEARS
■ WORLD NEWS
Beijing reopens restaurants as new COVID-19 cases drop BEIJING (AP) — Diners returned to restaurants in most of Beijing for the first time in more than a month on June 6 as authorities further eased pandemic-related restrictions after largely eradicating a small COVID-19 outbreak in the capital under China’s strict “zero-COVID” approach. Zhang Suyan said she called her friends and said “let’s make a reservation” as soon as she heard that restaurants were opening again. “We don’t have such an atmosphere or feeling at home,” she said as she and two friends polished off bowls of spicy fried crayfish, a popular summertime meal. Museums, cinemas and gyms were allowed to operate at up to 75% of capacity and delivery drivers could once again bring packages to a customer’s door, rather than leave them to be picked up at the entrances to apartment compounds. The return to near-normal applied everywhere in Beijing except for one district and part of another, where the outbreak lingered. Schools, which partially reopened earlier, will fully do so on June 13, followed by kindergartens on June 20.
Authorities had conducted multiple rounds of mass testing and locked down buildings and complexes whenever infections were discovered to stamp out an outbreak that infected about 1,800 people over six weeks in a city of 22 million. The ruling Communist Party remains wedded to a “zero-COVID” strategy that exacts an economic cost and
■ NATIONAL NEWS Man arrested in killing of NYC restaurant delivery worker had worked for more than NEW YORK (AP) — A a decade for Great Wall, a man has been arrested Chinese restaurant. on charges of killing a Owner Kai Yang told New York City restaurant reporters at the time that he’d delivery worker after the had trouble with a customer owner reported a spate since November, when of harassment that began the patron unsuccessfully with a complaint about a demanded a refund because condiment. he said he didn’t get enough Glenn Hirsch, 51, was duck sauce with an order awaiting arraignment on Zhiwen Yan, restaurant — although the sweet-andJune 2 after being arrested delivery worker sour condiment was free on murder and weapons and self-serve. charges in the death of Zhiwen Yan. Yang said he told police in January “Zhiwen Yan was a beloved member of his Queens community whose tragic that the patron had slashed his tires and murder in April was heartbreaking,” pulled a gun on him. Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell Another restaurant worker, Sooi tweeted. Chung, told the New York Post that It wasn’t immediately clear whether the customer would sometimes wait Hirsch had an attorney who can outside the restaurant and tell Yang comment on the charges. A person who and employees, “‘I remember you. I answered the phone at his Queens home remember you.’” declined to comment and hung up. Yan, a married father of three, was Yan was gunned down on a Queens hardworking and friendly to everyone, street April 30, while riding a scooter neighbors and relatives said. to make a delivery. The 45-year-old
inconveniences millions of people, even as many other countries adopt a more relaxed approach as vaccination rates rise and treatments become more widely available. Chen Feng, the manager of the crayfish restaurant, said sales dropped 70% when Beijing eateries were restricted to takeout and delivery. Customers started lining up on the night of June 5, and he and his
colleagues served 350 people between midnight and 2 a.m. In Shanghai, a population of 25 million people endured a citywide lockdown that kept most confined to their apartments or neighborhoods for two months. The city reopened the week prior, but restaurants remain closed except for delivery and takeout. One neighborhood conducted more mass testing on June 5 after finding new cases in a residential compound, which is now locked down for 14 days. In both Beijing and Shanghai, anyone entering the subway or an office building, shopping mall or other public place must show a negative test result within the past 72 hours. People lined up at testing stations that have been set up around the cities to meet the requirement. All ferries in Shanghai, which is bisected by the Huangpu river, resumed normal operation on June 6. Organizers also postponed the Shanghai International Film Festival, which was scheduled to be held this month, until next year.
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Proposals will be received for KC000599, Professional Services for Metro Transit ADA Transition Plan; by King County Procurement and Payables Section until 12:00 PM on June 29, 2022. This contract includes development and submittal of an Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Innovation Plan. The ESJ Innovation Plan details the approach, strategies, and actionable steps that will be taken to maximize the participation of Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) firms. Both MBE and WBE firms must be certified by the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises. Total Estimated Price: $500,000 Prospective proposers can view more details at: https:// kingcounty.gov/procurement/solicitations Contact: Alice Phoenix, alice.phoenix@kingcounty.gov, 206-263-9311
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
YOUR VOICE
asianweekly northwest
■ WORLD NEWS Police patrol Hong Kong park to enforce Tiananmen vigil ban By ZEN SOO ASSOCIATED PRESS HONG KONG (AP) — Heavy police force patrolled Hong Kong’s Victoria Park on June 4 after authorities for a third consecutive year banned public commemoration of the anniversary of the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, with vigils overseas the only place marking the event. For decades, Hong Kong and nearby Macao were the only places in China allowed to commemorate the violent suppression by army troops of student protesters demanding greater democracy in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Hundreds, if not thousands, were killed. The ban is seen as part of a move to snuff
out political dissent and a sign that Hong Kong is losing its freedoms as Beijing tightens its grip over the semi-autonomous Chinese city. The vigil organizers, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, disbanded last year after many of its leaders were arrested on suspicion of violating the national security law, which was imposed following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019. Authorities have cited risks from the coronavirus for banning the public commemoration over the past three years. Critics say the pandemic is used as an excuse to infringe on the right to assemble. A June 3 government statement said that parts of Victoria Park, which traditionally
served as the venue for the candlelight vigil, will be closed as it may be used for “illegal activities.” The move was to “prevent any unauthorized assemblies” in the park and to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 spread. Earlier in the week, a police superintendent warned that anyone who gathered in a group “at the same place, with the same time and with a common purpose to express certain views” could be considered part of an unauthorized assembly. Despite the ban, some residents wore black in a silent show of support, and some even carried bouquets of flowers, held candles or turned on the flashlight on their cellphones. “Today, this is to commemorate June 4th. Every year I have to do it,” said Man
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Yuen, who appeared in a black T-shirt with the words “the people will not forget” while walking down the streets carrying an unlit candle. Police stopped and searched several people, some of whom were dressed in black. It is unclear if any arrests were made. “I am disappointed because although no one organized any commemoration event, the authorities are already on high alert,” said Donald Tam, who was shopping in the Causeway Bay district, where the park is located. Since the British handed over Hong Kong to China in 1997, the city has been governed under a “one country, two systems” see TIANANMEN on 15
China launches For Japan’s star poet Tanikawa, it’s mission to complete space station fun, not work, at 90 assembly
By YURI KAGEYAMA ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO (AP) — Shuntaro Tanikawa used to think poems descended like an inspiration from the heavens. As he grew older—he is now 9—Tanikawa sees poems as welling up from the ground. The poems still come to him, a word or fragments of lines, as he wakes up in the morning. What inspires the words comes from outside. The poetry comes from deep within. “Writing poetry has become really fun these days,” he said recently in his elegant home in the Tokyo suburbs. see TANIKAWA on 12
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BEIJING (AP) — China on June 5 launched a new three-person mission to complete assembly work on its permanent orbiting space station. The Shenzhou 14 crew will spend six months on the Tiangong station, during which they will oversee the addition of two laboratory modules to join the main Tianhe living space that was launched in April 2021. Their spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert at 10:44 a.m. see SPACE on 12
asianweekly northwest
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JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
40 YEARS
■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR THRU JUN 19 VIRTUAL DIWA FILIPINO FILM FESTIVAL Register at facebook.com/diwafilmfest THRU JULY 10 EMBODIED CHANGE: SOUTH ASIAN ART ACROSS TIME Seattle Asian Art Museum, South Gallery Fri-Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. seattleartmuseum.org THRU FEB 19, 2023 EXHIBIT, “WE ARE CHANGING THE TIDE: COMMUNITY POWER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE” The Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle Thu-Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. wingluke.org/we-are-changing-thetide
JUN 9
12 NISEI VETERANS CHOW MEIN DINNER AND BAKED GOODS SALE RETURN! NVC Memorial Hall 11 a.m.-4 p.m. KOREAN MUSIC ASSOCIATION’S 42ND ANNUAL CONCERT WITH JOO WON KANG, TANYA STAMBUK, MARIA SAMPEN, SOON CHO, YUJIN KIM, KYUNGSIN KIM, AND LISA AN Benaroya Nordstrom Hall 5 p.m.
16 CLUB MEETING WITH KELLY WOLFFE SUNRISE NUTRITION 11:30 a.m.– 1 p.m. For Zoom link, contact rotaryofseattleid@gmail.com
17 & 18
2022 VIRTUAL TOMODACHI GALA 7 p.m. youtube.com/c/JCCCWA jcccw.org/tomodachi-gala
LIVE2DANCE’S 12 HOURS OF DANCING, 10 BACK-TO-BACK CLASSES, 12 INSTRUCTORS, WITH PRIZES AND BREAKFAST 6 p.m.-6 a.m. (yes, overnight!) live2danceseattle.com
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C-ID COMMUNITY CLEAN UP Hing Hay Park 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Sign up: https://bit.ly/3mpkSBn
CID FOOD WALK Seattle’s C-ID 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sign up to be a vendor, https://bit.ly/3O1tE4g
JUL
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CLUB MEETING WITH JENNIFER ADAMS VEHICLE RESIDENT OUTREACH 11:30 a.m.– 1 p.m. For Zoom link, contact rotaryofseattleid@gmail.com
9 OUTDOOR PARTY IN CANTON ALLEY Canton Alley South, Seattle 1-6 p.m. Register at https://bit.ly/3mpIW7h
9 & 28 SEATTLE ASIAN AMERICAN NATIVE HAWAIIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER WOMEN ARTISTS UNITED IS A VISUAL CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT THE TIDE OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE AND XENOPHOBIA Posters will be free to public
MICHAEL POLLAN WITH JANE C. HU, “THIS IS YOUR MIND ON PLANTS” Town Hall, 720 Seneca St., Seattle 7:30 p.m.
AUG 20
CID FOOD WALK Seattle’s C-ID 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sign up for a booth https://bit.ly/3O1tE4g
SEP 10
C-ID NIGHT MARKET FESTIVAL Seattle’s C-ID 1-9 p.m. Sign up to be a vendor, https://bit.ly/3zi6qmu
16 CID FOOD WALK Seattle’s C-ID 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sign up for a booth https://bit.ly/3O1tE4g
WALK FOR RICE Jefferson Park, Seattle 9 a.m.-12 p.m. walkforrice.org
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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.” The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article. Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission. 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
YOUR VOICE
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
asianweekly northwest
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From page to stage
Book-It adapts Amy Tan’s
“THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER”
By Samantha Pak NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Starting June 11, Book-It Repertory Theatre will take Amy Tan’s 2001 novel, “The Bonesetter’s Daughter,” from the page to the stage. The show, adapted by Desdemona Chiang and directed by Rosa Joshi, will be the world premiere of Tan’s familial epic, featuring an all-female and nonbinary, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) cast, playwright, and director. The production will run through July 3 at Center Theatre in Seattle Center’s Armory. “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” tells the story of Ruth, a Chinese American woman who learns details about her mother’s childhood
and daughters.” “It’s a fascinating book,” Joshi said about their source material.
Desdemona Chiang
by reading her diary. According to a news release, the show is set against multiple historical backdrops, including both modern Si-
no-Japanese wars, and delves into the “heart of family, taking an unflinching look at the often-complicated relationship between mothers
THE COMPLICATED MOTHERDAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP At the beginning of her partnering with Book-It, Chiang said they initially wanted to adapt “The Joy Luck Club,” Tan’s best-known novel, but they couldn’t get the rights to it. This led to a deep reading into all of Tan’s books, before Chiang settled on “The Bonesetter’s Daughter.” “There was something beautifully epic about that novel,” she said, adding that she found the nesting doll-like structure of the story—of a daughter reading her mother’s diary, and the mother
reading her mother’s diary—very vivid and compelling. Chiang also noted that the story includes four generations of one family, evoking ancestors and touching on something ancient. The deeper they go, the more mythological things get. This was Chiang’s first time adapting a piece for the stage and with Tan’s novel coming in at 400 pages, and the audiobook being nearly 12 hours, cuts had to be made to the story. In the end, Chiang—who works primarily as a theater director—focused on the relationship between Ruth and LuLing, and the former discovering the latter’s origin story. see THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER on 13
asianweekly northwest
40 YEARS
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
EASTBOUND Bilingual music, mirth, and yearning
By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Bringing a character to life before a live audience proves challenging enough for most actors. But alternating between two very different languages
each night, as any of the actors in the new show “Eastbound” do, adds yet another challenge to the work. “A huge challenge for me during this process was navigating my character’s speech,” said Jonny Lee Jr., who plays a character called Yun. “Not only do I
Yun (Jonny Lee Jr.) experiences a gay night club in New York City.
speak Mandarin for half the show, I also speak with an accent. Practicing Yun’s speech has really helped me dig deeper into the character.” “Eastbound,” with a book by Cheeyang Ng and Khiyon Hursey, music by Ng, and lyrics by Hursey, currently plays at the Village Theatre’s First Stage Theatre in Issaquah. The director, Desdemona Chiang, earned her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Washington, and she’s worked in local live theater ever since. The show features talking and singing in both English and Mandarin, although non-Mandarin speakers need not fret. All Mandarin dialogue and lyrics get translated into supertitles visible above the stage. The action follows two brothers moving in opposite directions across the globe. Calvin, diagnosed with a serious health problem, travels to China in an anxious attempt to reconnect with his birthplace. Yun, starting out from the East, moves to the U.S., trying to break free from the straitjacketing customs of home. Kennedy Kanagawa, who plays Calvin, says the special nature of the show drew him in. “The number of contemporary musicals in existence, which center on the AAPI experience, is negligible. ‘Eastbound’ is a powerful story with a gorgeous score, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of it.” He admits readily that as a Japanese American, he couldn’t follow the Mandarin sections of the show, although he did have fun picking out the Chinese characters overlapping Japanese characters. “In a lot of ways, I identify with Calvin,” Kanagawa confessed. “The clash of cultures and the desire to find where you ‘belong’ is something I’ve struggled with my whole life. That said, there is the added layer of Calvin’s illness, which amplifies his stakes exponentially. One of the highlights of this process has been navigating that narrative arc with the other actors and the creative team.”
Photo by by John McLellan
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Musing on his own character, Yun, Jonny Lee Jr. found “that the most interesting thing about my character is the internal struggle he faces navigating his life, and trying to find balance between two cultures all the while dealing with conflict in trying to be his true self. “In the second act, I sing a song titled ‘Tradition.’ I sing about the importance of cultural traditions, but also how they can be shackles that keep you from living your true self.” Other local talent on display includes Cristin J. Hubbard as Caroline, Shuyan Yang as Tian, Ya Han Chang as Qing, and Derek Hoyden as Alec. Behind the scenes, besides Chiang, the show features choreographer Kathryn Van Meter, music director/conductor R.J. Tancioco, scenic designer Timothy Mackabee, lighting designer Robert J. Aguliar, costume designer Johanna Pan, sound designer Natalie Kinsaul, stage manager Rachel Miller, and assistant stage manager Leila Cheung. The musical remains in development, and audiences are encouraged to provide feedback through post-show talkbacks with the authors, or online surveys. In the words of Village Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Brandon Ivie, “‘Eastbound’ is the perfect example of why this step in the process [of developing shows] is so important. “Audiences will see that ‘Eastbound’ does not live on the page, it lives on its feet and in space. And those audiences will give so much input on how to best tell this story. I think the show is going to make some huge strides because of this process.” “Eastbound” plays through June 12 at the Village Theatre’s First Stage Theatre, 120 Front Street North in Issaquah. For showtimes, prices, COVID-19 policies, and other information, visit villagetheatre.org/new-works/betaproductions/eastbound. Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
YOUR VOICE
asianweekly northwest
■ HEALTH Clergy of color face unprecedented mental health challenges About two years ago, when coronavirus cases began to peak in her impoverished San Antonio neighborhood, the Rev. Norma Fuentes-Quintero found herself taking on an additional duty— helping congregants deal with anxiety. The pastor, who leads El Templo Cristiano Assembly of God, which is largely Latino, has spent hours with one congregant in particular—a woman with seven children—who was consumed by the fear that the virus would kill her and leave her children motherless. ““Each phone call with her would last 30 minutes to an hour,” Fuentes-Quintero said. “Some days, she would knock on my door. I would give her water, massage her head, and rub her arm until she fell asleep. It got that personal.” Fuentes-Quintero’s situation is common in communities of color where a lack of resources, poor access to health care and stifling stigma over mental health
AP Photo/Mark Black
By DEEPA BHARATH of The Associated Press and ADELLE BANKS of Religion News Service Associated Press
Pastor Juliet Liu of Life on the Vine church closes Sunday services with the sign of the cross on May 22, 2022, in Long Grove, IL.
issues have turned pastors into counselors and caregivers. These were also communities that were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In addition to the pandemic, difficult conversations about anti-Asian hate and systemic racism
after the Atlanta spa killings and the murder of George Floyd, have significantly raised stress levels in these communities. Faith leaders say they are overwhelmed, exhausted, burned out and left with serious questions about how to care for their own physical and
mental well-being while helping congregants in a meaningful way. Such self-care is not so simple especially in some cultures where pastors are expected to always be present physically and spiritually, said the Rev. Pausa Kaio Thompson, head pastor of the Domin-
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guez Samoan Congregational Christian Church in Compton, California. In his state, Pacific Islanders died at a higher rate from COVID-19 than any other racial group and pastors like Thompson, on certain days, officiated two or three funerals—sometimes, for members of the same family. In Pacific Islander communities, pastors tend to a variety of needs, from food, healthcare and employment to housing and immigration, he said. The pandemic was a unique situation because the source of everyone’s grief— whether you were in the pulpit or the pews—was the same. “How do I talk about my own mental instability and doubt at a time when I cannot relay that to someone I’m there to uplift and comfort?” Thompson said. He decided to seek psychiatric counseling and take the time whenever possible to unwind. A third-generation pastor, Thompson said the remnants of colonialism still haunt clergy in the Pacific Islander community. The missionaries, when they arrived in the islands, trained locals to go see CLERGY on 14
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asianweekly northwest
■ SPORTS
40 YEARS
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
AP Photo/Eric Christian
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
The Layup Drill
By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Welcome to another episode of The Layup Drill. This month, we take a look at the start of a new professional basketball league in Asia getting a boost from an NBA star, the rise of a new Chinese tennis star, and a startling diagnosis for a golfer. Green joins East Asia Super League as ambassador Coming off a successful rookie season with the Houston Rockets in the NBA, Jalen Green announced that he’s partnering with the new East Asia Super League, as an ambassador for the up-and-coming league. Green joins former NBA stars Baron Davis, Metta
Danielle Kang during the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open on June 5, 2022.
World Peace, and Shane Battier. The East Asia Super League is an 8-team, pan-regional league that will start this fall and feature the winners and runners-up from the Japanese, South Korean, and Philippines leagues, as well as the Taiwanese champions and the Bay Area Dragons, a roster of players from across greater China based in Manila. Green, whose mother is Filipino, became the highest-drafted Asian American player in the NBA when the Rockets selected him second overall in the 2021 NBA Draft. Green made the NBA’s All-Rookie team this past season. Similar to the fandom Jordan Clarkson received when he entered the NBA, Green received adoration from a multitude of Filipino fans. Green first
recognized this when he played in Manila in 2019 for the U.S. junior national team in a tournament. “I want to be an inspiration for the next generation of hoopers in Asia and elevate the game in the region,” Green told NBC Sports. “I see the East Asia Super League as the gateway for Asia players to make it in the NBA.” Green will be featured in marketing for the new league, as well as making appearances on its behalf in promoting the product. Pro Golfer Kang grits out play with tumor on her spine 29-year-old golf pro Danielle Kang was diagnosed with a tumor on her spine last month. Despite the diagnosis, the Las Vegas resident played the U.S.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green during the team’s NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 3, 2022.
Qinwen Zheng of China at the Miami Open tennis tournament on March 22, 2022.
Women’s Open in early June. “I wasn’t scared of the result,” Kang told ESPN of learning of the diagnosis, “I was more scared of not being able to play.” Kang made
changes to her pre-round routine in order to get ready for playing 18-holes with her back issue. This included see SPORTS on 15
■ WORLD NEWS
Japanese man, 83, ready for more after crossing Pacific solo
Kyodo News via AP
By MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS
Japan’s Kenichi Horie waves on his sailing boat after his trans-Pacific voyage, at Osaka Bay, western Japan, on June 4, 2022.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese adventurer Kenichi Horie at 83 just became the oldest person in the world to complete a solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific Ocean—and he says he is still “in the middle of my youth” and not done yet. Horie returned home as he crossed the Kii Strait off Japan’s western coast on June 4, completing his trans-Pacific solo voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbor in San Francisco in late March. On June 5, after spending the night on his 19-foot-long Suntory Mermaid III just off the coast, Horie was towed into his home port of Shin Nishinomiya, where he was cheered by local residents and supporters and banners that read: “Welcome back, Mr. Kenichi Horie!” As he approached the harbor, Horie, standing in his boat, took off his white cap and waved. He
got off the yacht, took off the cap again and bowed deeply on the pier before he was presented with bouquets of roses. “Thank you for waiting!” said Horie, who appeared tanned and with his white hair longer than usual. He carried a stock of medicine from San Francisco, he said, but only used eye drops and BandAids during his more than two months alone at sea. “That shows how healthy I am,” Horie said. “I’m still in the middle of my youth.” He said he “burned all my body and soul” on the journey but says he’s ready for more. “I will keep up my work to be a late bloomer.“ At a news conference at the yacht harbor, he said becoming the oldest person to make the feat was a dream come true. “It was my great joy to have been able to make a challenge as a real goal and safely achieve it, instead of just holding onto it as a dream.” see HORIE on 13
YOUR VOICE
■ LETTER
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
asianweekly northwest
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Open letter to support light rail justice for the CID By Larry Matsuda I am against both Sound Transit proposals for the ChinatownInternational District (CID). The bottom line is that the light rail planners need to develop viable non-CID options. Remember, WE are the customers and NOT the planners. Larry Matsuda To that end, the question is: Have you paid your license tab fees recently? I did for my 2018 car. My total license tab fee was $437.25. Thirty dollars went to License Registration, $5 donation to parks, and the largest category was RTA or Regional Transit Authority or Sound Transit, which was $249. In other words, this year I contributed $249 to have the light rail planners develop plans to destroy or disrupt the historic character of the CID. As customers, we should all demand quality service and products. At a cursory glance, I’ve identified several transit station options outside of the CID that could work. I will address one new option and several that I spoke about previously in more detail. The first (new) option is south of the CID and east of the stadiums. It is a Metro Transit bus parking lot. It is
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flat, big, and full of parked buses. If a light rail site were located there, it would be a small inconvenience for the transit employees to walk an extra block from their offices to the bus parking lot. If the planners don’t select this or any other option that uses city, county, or Metro land, it means that the two options to destroy the CID are better in their minds than using Metro or other public land. This mindset has its roots in why there is a Chinatown/ Japantown. The reason is simple—racism. That same racist thinking created the red-line real estate covenants which restricted where Asians could live in Seattle until the 1960s. To add insult to injury, the I-5 freeway came straight through and split the CID. I grew up on Lane Street near the Japanese Presbyterian Church, which is now buried under the Dearborn exit off I-5. That same thinking brought the Kingdome. If Sound Transit chooses not to put forth the Metro bus parking lot as an option, then there are vacant lands nearby. Or better yet, the planners could consider using the north parking lot of Lumen Field. They could build the terminal there and put 10 stories of parking on top. Right now, it is a wide open and relatively empty space. But that option would go against the sports business community. In that case, what’s the best choice for the planners? Inconvenience the sports community who, in the end, will get a free 10-story parking lot, or destroy parts of the CID?
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Union Station is another option. It is underutilized and could be linked to the Lumen Field north parking lot proposal either through a tram like the one at SeaTac or some other system. Union Station and the old Immigration Center are probably landmarked, but what does that mean in terms of destroying parts of a protected area like the CID instead? Sound Transit’s plans in this case lean toward demolition instead of preservation. What happened to the idea that the CID was a protected area for preservation? Whatever comes of this input/planning process, the prime directive for CID preservation advocates must be—WE ARE THE CUSTOMERS AND WE MUST DEMAND TO BE TREATED AS SUCH. Check your license tab fees for this year if you have any doubts. Finally, I would urge that the Sound Transit planners put some skin in the game and bring options that utilize Metro, city, county or non-CID lands for this project. I think it is high time that the light rail forces stop putting fear into the hearts of CID small business owners regarding the future. Also, they should stop pitting CID merchants against each other since many are struggling financially. CID merchants should be able to live their lives and operate their businesses in peace. Enduring and surviving the antiAsian hate attacks in the city and CID are enough. The added specter of being bullied by Sound Transit (a public entity) is shameful and offensive.
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JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
TANIKAWA from 5 Shelves were overflowing with books. His collection of ancient bronze animal figurines stand in neat rows in a glass box next to stacks of his favorite classical music CDs. “In the past, there was something about its being a job, being commissioned. Now, I can write as I want,” he said. Tanikawa is among Japan’s most famous modern poets, and a master of free verse on the everyday. He has more than a hundred poetry books published. With titles like “To Live,” “Listen” and “Grass,” his poems are stark, rhythmical but conversational, defying elaborate traditional literary styles. William Elliott, who has translated Tanikawa for years, compares his place in Japanese poetic history to how T. S. Eliot marked the beginning of a new era in English poetry. Tanikawa is also a reputed translator, having translated Charles Schulz’ “Peanuts” comic strip into Japanese since the 1970s. He demonstrated his ear for the poetic in the colloquial with finesse, choosing “yare yare” for “good grief,” transcending the lifestyle differences of East and West in the universal world of children and animals. “He was more a poet or a philosopher,” he said of Schulz. Tanikawa has translated many others’ works, including Mother Goose, as well as Maurice Sendak and Leo Lionni. In turn, his works have been widely translated,
SPACE from 5 atop the crewed space flight program’s workhorse Long March 2F rocket. Fifteen minutes later, it reached low Earth orbit and opened its solar panels, drawing applause from ground controllers in Jiuquan and Beijing. The launch was broadcast live on state television, indicating a rising level of confidence in the
including into Chinese and European languages. Tanikawa’s poem “Two Billion LightYears of Solitude” catapulted him to stardom in the early 1950s. Tanikawa had his eyes on the cosmos and Earth’s spot in the universe, years before Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote the magical realism classic, “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Tanikawa was always in demand, the darling of poetry readings around the world, a rare example of a poet who effortlessly crossed over to commercialism without compromising his art. But poetry used to be a job—his profession, his daily work. Tanikawa is the lyricist for the Japanese theme song for Osamu Tezuka’s TV animated series “Astro Boy.” He also wrote the script for the narration of Kon Ichikawa’s documentary of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. A popular author of children’s picture books, he is often featured in textbooks. He swears he doesn’t have “projects” anymore because of his age, which has made walking and going out more difficult. But in the same breath he says he is collaborating with his musician son Kensaku Tanikawa, who lives next door, on what they call “Piano Twitter.” He has already written dozens of poems to go with the score. They are all short, more abstracted than his past work, conjuring surreal images like staircases descending to nowhere, or a caterpillar dancing uncontrollably. He isn’t sure how the work will be
capabilities of the space program, which has been promoted as a sign of China’s technological progress and global influence. Commander Chen Dong and fellow astronauts Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe will assemble the three-module structure joining the existing Tianhe with Wentian and Mengtian, due to arrive in July and October. Another cargo craft, the Tianzhou-3, remains docked with the station.
40 YEARS presented, but speculated it could become a book with a barcode so readers can listen to the poems being read with music online. Among his voluminous output, he is most proud of his 1970s “Kotoba Asobi Uta” series, which utilized singsong alliterations and onomatopoeia, as the title “Word Play Songs” implies. One repeats the phrase “kappa,” a mythical monster, as in: “kappa kapparatta,” which translates to “the kappa took off with something”—a “rappa,” a “trumpet,” as it turns out in a later line. The poetry is, both visually and aurally, a sheer celebration of the Japanese language. That was unique, Tanikawa said, and he still likes what he came up with. “For me, the Japanese language is the ground. Like a plant, I place my roots, drink in the nutrients of the Japanese language, sprouting leaves, flowers and bearing fruit,” he said. Married and divorced three times—to a poet, an actress and an illustrator— Tanikawa stressed he was changing with age, noting 90 felt much older than 80, and he was getting forgetful. Yet he appeared on a recent sunny afternoon totally comfortable with social media and everyday technology, although he used a magnifying glass to make out fine print. He was curious about new movies, including what might be on Netflix. He likes eating cookies, he said, looking more like a mischievous child than the greatgrandfather that he is. He usually works at his huge desk in a spacious study, which has a window that
The arrival of the new modules will “provide more stability, more powerful functions, more complete equipment,” said Chen, 43, who was a member of the Shenzhou 11 mission in 2016, at a press conference. Liu, 43, is also a space veteran and was China’s first female astronaut to reach space aboard the Shenzhou 9 mission in 2012. Cai, 46, is making his first space trip.
lets in the breeze and a fuzzy ray of light. It looks out into a yard with flowers. On the wall hangs a sepia-toned portrait of his mother with his father, Tetsuzo Tanikawa, a philosopher. While growing up, Tanikawa was more afraid about his mother’s dying than of any other death. He also remembers how he saw corpses upon corpses after the American air raids of Tokyo during World War II. “Death has become more real. It used to be more conceptual when I was young. But now my body is approaching death,” he said. He hopes to die as his father did, in his sleep after a night of partying, at 94. “I am more curious about where I go when I die. It’s a different world, right? Of course, I don’t want pain. I don’t want to die after major surgery or anything. I just want to die, all of a sudden,” he said. When asked to read his works out loud, he doesn’t hesitate. He reads excerpts from his latest collaboration with his son. Then he reads his debut work that, translated into English, ends with these lines: “The universe is twisted, / That is why we try to connect. / The universe keeps expanding, / That is why we are all afraid. / In two billion light-years of solitude / I suddenly sneeze.” So what does he think? “It feels like a poem written by someone else,” Tanikawa said. But it’s a good poem? He nods with conviction.
China’s space program launched its first astronaut into orbit in 2003, making it only the third country to do so on its own after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. It has landed robot rovers on the moon and placed one on Mars last year. China has also returned lunar samples and officials have discussed a possible crewed mission to the moon. China’s space program is run
by the ruling Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, prompting the U.S. to exclude it from the International Space Station. Chen, Liu and Cai will be joined at the end of their mission for three to five days by the crew of the upcoming Shenzhou 15, marking the first time the station will have had six people aboard.
KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received by the King County Procurement Services Section through the County’s E-Procurement system for the following listed bids. Instructions on how to submit a bid electronically, view any current bid opportunities, express interest, communicate with the Buyer via Message app and/or successfully submit a bid through the E-Procurement system prior, and more are provided on the County’s website: https://kingcounty. gov/procurement/registration King County encourages minority business enterprise participation. King County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its programs, services, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. KC000558 OPENS: 06/27/2022 RFP-Best Starts for Kids Health Survey Implementation Pre-Proposal Conference: Thursday, June 9th at 9:00 AM via MS Teams Conference Call: 1.425.653.6586 Conference ID: 695 705 079# KC000532 OPENS: 06/22/2022 Unarmed Security Services KC000503 OPENS: 06/21/2022
Seals and Packing CORRECTION: Bid Opening will be conducted, Tuesday, June 21st at 2:00 PM, via MS Teams (unless otherwise noted) Conference Call: 1.425.653.6586 Conference ID: 124 379 406# KC000596 OPENS: 07/11/2022 Mitigation and Landscaping Maintenance Services Pre-Proposal Conference: Thursday, June 16th at 11:00 AM Join via MS Teams (audio only) Conference Call: 1.425.653.6586 ID: 226 864 344# or Join with a video conferencing device at kcsc@m.webex.com Video Conference ID: 117 573 164 9 KC000471 OPENS: 06/21/2022 ITB-Condoms and Lubricants KC000592 OPENS: 06/22/2022 Communication Style Guide for Equitable Communication in Public Health KC000436 OPENS: 7/1/2022 RFP-Administrator for Pilot Heat Pump Installation Grant Program Pre-Proposal Conference: Friday, June 10th at 9:00 AM via MS Teams Conference Call: 1.425.653.6586 Conference ID: 746 973 2848#
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
YOUR VOICE
■ ASTROLOGY
asianweekly northwest
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Predictions and advice for the week of June 11–June 17, 2022 By Sun Lee Chang Dragon—You have supported those around you, now it is time to think about making an investment in yourself.
Monkey—Are you ready for some adventure? You won’t have to go too far from home to find what you seek.
Ox—Pivoting at the last moment could be a bit unsettling. However, you should be able to quickly regain your footing.
Snake—It’s not just what you say to your partner, but also the actions that follow. Strive for congruence between the two.
Rooster—Shaking things up a little in the name of efficiency and usefulness could yield surprising benefits.
Tiger—Has your view changed since you started? If so, it may impact how you finish the rest of the journey.
Horse—Without a doubt, you have proven you belong. Having paid your dues, consider taking your ambitions to the next level.
Dog—Why settle for getting by? You are capable of so much more, but only if you put in the effort.
Rabbit—Despite good intentions, things aren’t working out the way you planned. It’s time to consider the next alternative.
Goat—Has it been a while since you connected with a good friend? Take the initiative to reach out soon.
Pig—Interested in forging a new role? Avoid playing the same old part that you have in the past.
Rat—Are you pulling back when you should be pushing forward? You are very close to meeting your goal.
WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.
THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER from 7 For Joshi, whose most recent works have consisted of Shakespeare and other classical plays, exploring that mother-daughter relationship felt familiar to her as an immigrant and daughter of an immigrant herself. “This work feels closer to my experience,” she said. “I have an Asian mother who’s in her 80s.” Like Ruth, Joshi has had the realization that her mother had an entire life before she was born. While this is something many people experience, Joshi said it’s especially poignant when your parent’s other life was in another country (in Joshi’s case, Nepal). Chiang agreed. “Mothers and daughters have a really hard time communicating,” she said, adding that there’s also something specific about Asian mothers and daughters that adds another layer to the relationships. “We hold things in.” The play had Joshi thinking about her own mother, what she knows about her, and what she will never know. It also has her wishing her daughters were in town so they could see “The Bonesetter’s Daughter.” “If you have a mother you can go with, if you have a daughter you can go with,” Joshi said in regards to who she recommends people bring to the show. “And even if you don’t, the idea of knowing ourselves through the stories of our parents [helps us] know more about ourselves.” A PAUSE FOR THE PANDEMIC It had been a goal for Book-It—a nonprofit founded in 1990 with the mission to transform great literature into great theater, and to inspire audiences to read—to bring “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” to the stage since 2020. But like live productions everywhere, the pandemic had other ideas. In 2021, they began talking again about making the show a reality and Chiang began writing in the fall. Casting took place at the beginning of this year. “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” is Joshi’s first full, in-
HORIE from 10 “I want to be a challenger as long as I live,” he said. In 1962, he became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco. Sixty years later, he traveled the opposite route. This time, his preparation during
person production since the pandemic. “It’s very exciting, kind of like riding a bike,” she said about being back in the theater. She admits that with the pandemic, the gears on the bike in question are different and some of the rules of the road have changed. In the news release, Book-It managing director Jeannine Clarke said they didn’t want to just let the show go, choosing to wait because it was an important story from an important author. In addition, she said, with Seattle’s rich AAPI community, they knew there was “incredible writing, directing, and acting talent that was available to tell this story.” “Well, good things come to those who wait, and here we are, two and a half years later, bringing this story to the stage, with an incredible all female and nonbinary AAPI cast, director, and playwright,” Clarke said in the release. “I couldn’t be more thrilled.” UNIVERSALITY THROUGH SPECIFICITY Although she got her start in the local theater scene in the late 1990s at the Northwest Asian American Theatre, “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” is the first Asian American show and all-AAPI cast (who are playing the male and very few non-Asian roles as well) Joshi has directed. “I love it, I’ve just never had the experience before,” she said, adding that through her theater company, upstart crow collective, she has worked with all-female and nonbinary casts. Joshi said for a long time, the idea of universality in stories has come from white culture. But when that universality—in this case, the relationship between mothers and daughters—comes from a non-dominant culture, it creates a more inclusive space for people whose stories are not always centered. It helps them feel seen. Chiang added that when it comes to universality, the key is specificity and she’s curious to see how audiences will respond and relate to the mother-daughter relationship in “The Bonesetter’s Daughter.” Because the show unlocks more than “Chinese-ness,” she said, it’s about our parents’
the coronavirus pandemic was full of uncertainties involving vaccine requirements, testing and other logistics. “It was like walking on thin ice,” he said. Soon after his departure from San Francisco, he was faced with a storm, but the weather gradually improved and he reached Hawaii in mid-April ahead of schedule. He had some struggles toward the end
survival stories and what they went through to get us here. A POWERFUL, ALL-AAPI MOMENT ON STAGE Throughout rehearsals, the cast talked about their mothers and their own personal experiences. Joshi said it was amazing to see the diversity among different Asian cultures, but there were still certain things they could all relate to with each other, which created a shorthand around the culture. This being said, they couldn’t just make assumptions and Joshi still had to learn a lot about Chinese culture. They had lots of research to do to ensure things were accurate. She added that she was grateful to have Chiang, who was born and spent the first few years of her life in Taiwan, as the playwright as well as a cultural consultant. As a director, Chiang has had the opposite experience of Joshi’s—having worked with AAPI casts but not an all-female and nonbinary cast. And for Chiang, seeing the show’s full company of eight AAPI women and nonbinary on stage for the first time was something to behold. “That’s a powerful moment,” she said. “This is amazing.” TICKETS AND COVID GUIDELINES Performances of “The Bonesetter’s Daughter” are Wednesday through Sunday and single tickets are on sale now. Ticket prices range from $33-$50. In addition, tickets for students—of all ages—are $20 with a valid student ID. Groups of eight or more tickets are eligible for a 10% discount. To purchase tickets, visit book-it.org or call (206) 216-0833. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays. Masks are required for show attendees, as well as proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. There will be no separate sections for vaccinated and unvaccinated patrons. Samantha can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
with a few days of pushback from a strong tide. He wrote on his blog on Friday that he had succeeded but was exhausted, and he took a nap after feeling assured that his yacht was on the right track to the finish line. Horie has completed other long-distance solo voyages, including sailing around the world in 1974. His latest expedition was the first since his 2008 solo nonstop voyage on
a wave-powered boat from Hawaii to the Kii Strait Despite sailing on his own, technology such as ship tracking and communications allowed him to stay in touch with his family and other people throughout the journey. “I imagine my next voyage would be even more fun,” he said.
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40 YEARS
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CLERGY from 9 into dangerous terrain, teaching them “to give all and die for the faith,“ he said. “We still live by that theology and it’s really hurting us,” Thompson said. “We need a new way forward.” It is important to remember that “clergy are human beings,” said Bishop Vashti McKenzie, interim president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches and a retired African Methodist Episcopal leader. “When you add racial unrest on top of burying more congregants than you’ve ever had in your whole entire ministry,” on top of losing loved ones in one’s own family, it can all add up, McKenzie said. The challenges facing clergy of color were on display recently during a virtual event hosted by the Christian organization Live Free, two days after a mass shooting at a supermarket where 10 Black people were killed in Buffalo, New York. The Rev. Julian Cook, pastor of Buffalo’s Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, described a clergy colleague who was unable to meet a request to provide grief counseling to local bank employees. “She had to tell them flat out, `I’m
just not in a place where I can even talk about grief right now,”’ he said during the online event. The strain of having discussions about race and racism led to burnout for Pastor Juliet Liu, who co-leads Life on the Vine, a Christian congregation in Long Grove, Illinois. She is getting ready to start a six-month sabbatical in July. Liu said she is not sure if she will return to ministry. “For me, it’s not just the pandemic, but also the conversations about race and the anti-Asian hate,” said Liu, who is of Taiwanese and Vietnamese descent. Her congregation is predominantly white and about 20% Asian American. Liu said she started seeing a therapist three years ago. That has helped her understand that she cannot hold herself responsible for “how white people understand and respond to racial justice,“ she said. Yet she feels disillusioned when some white congregants question the existence of systemic racism. “I’m asking myself if I’m in the right place,“ Liu said. “I’m questioning my calling.” Many pastors have found comfort during this time knowing they are not alone, said Washington, D.C.-based psychologist Jessica Smedley, who saw
an increase in requests for assistance from Black clergy and African American congregations. She has held virtual webinars as a form of support. “It gave them the opportunity to hear from other clergy that they were experiencing some of the same grief or stressors of not being in person or not knowing how to show up for their congregants in the same way and not being able to visit the hospital because of safety issues,” she said. A recent Rice University study found that Black and Latino churchgoers often rely on their pastors for mental health care, but their clergy feel limited in being able to help them. Smedley said there is need for more research about clergy of color and rates of depression. The Rev. Dante Quick has made Black mental health an area of focus at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey. The senior pastor has also attended to his own mental health needs and advises his congregants and seminarians to do the same. “If you go to a cardiologist for your heart, an optometrist for your eye, an oncologist for your cancer, why wouldn’t you go to a doctor for your mind?” he said, noting he has been seeing a therapist for 20 years.
Quick said Black clergy face various stressors. But social justice advocacy “brings its own stress,” he said. “Preaching about George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the (psychological) trauma that we have to try to shepherd people of color through requires an intense amount of empathy that wears on one’s spirit.” Quick says he copes by taking time for “joy seeking” activities - like a nice restaurant meal, an Anita Baker concert, or joining his mother in watching her favorite TV show. He also now has a personal phone and a church phone “so I can put one down from time to time.” “I want to live to see my children’s weddings,“ he said.
SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
YOUR VOICE TIANANMEN from 5 framework that promised it liberties not found on the mainland, including freedom of speech and assembly. It meant Hong Kong and nearby Macao, the other semiautonomous territory, were allowed to commemorate the 1989 crackdown. Elsewhere in China, keywords such as “Tiananmen massacre” and “June 4” are strictly censored online, and people are not allowed to publicly mark the event. Outside China, vigils were held to remember the Tiananmen victims. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said even though Chinese and Hong Kong were attempting to suppress the memories of the crackdown, his government would continue to speak out and promote accountability on human rights abuses by China, including those in Hong Kong, against Muslim minorities in the western Xinjiang region as well as Tibet. “To the people of China and to those who
SPORTS from 10 more exercises prior to playing golf to “activate her back.” After she is done with the 18 holes, she and her physiotherapist do more exercises to care for her back. She admits that the pain is tough while she plays golf. At this point, she is unclear about the diagnosis of the tumor, including whether she will need surgery to remove it. Kang, who won the 2017 Women’s PGA Championship, stated that she was disappointed with her score, although her team and family told her not to worry about where she placed.
continue to stand against injustice and seek freedom, we will not forget June 4,” he said. The U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong lit candles in the windows of the building. In Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing as part of its territory, hundreds took part in the vigil. The Foreign Ministry wrote on Facebook that “when this time of year comes around, there is a lot one can’t say, a lot one can’t write, and a lot one can’t even look up on the internet.” The post encouraged Chinese citizens who use a VPN to access Facebook, which is blocked in China, and search for information on the Tiananmen Square massacre “to see what their country is hiding from them.” “Taiwan has been commemorating the June 4 massacre before Hong Kong did, and each place (in the rest of the world) that holds this event interprets it in its own ways,” said Taiwan democracy activist Lee Mingche. “We must be aware of China’s threats and protect Taiwan’s values of democracy, human rights, and freedom.”
Kang was born to South Korean parents. She played golf at Pepperdine University for two years before she turned pro in 2011. She joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour in 2012. Her brother Alex also played golf at San Diego State. A new Chinese tennis star emerges but can’t go home Zheng “Ana” Qinwen could be the next women’s tennis superstar from China. The 19-year-old with a powerful forehand made her debut at this year’s French Open and upset 20th ranked (in the world) Si-
mona Halep. Known as Ana by her Western friends, Qinwen gravitated toward tennis as a young child due to the success of women’s tennis star Li Na. Na was the first Grand Slam singles champion and one of the highest-earning female athletes on the tour. It was Na’s success and popularity for which the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) decided to hold more events and promote the sport in China. However, the WTA suspended all tournaments in China due to the allegations that Peng Shuai, another successful women’s Chinese player, accused a Chinese official of sexual assault. Peng was censored by Chi-
Photo provided by Denise Louie Education Center
DENISE LOUIE from 1 Jennie Cochran-Chinn and Denise Moriguchi co-chaired the gala. Alma Feldpausch, a former Denise Louie parent, board member, Action Council Member, and gala co-chair, was recognized with the “Individual Dream Award.” Sala Sataraka and the University of Washington’s JumpStart program were recognized with the “Community Dream Award.” JumpStart has collaborated with Denise Louie since 2003, serving over 14,000 students in that time. “These events, pre-pandemic, generally take a lot of time to plan and execute. This year, with the extra protocols and the result of the pandemic, shortage in the workforce, the behind the scenes was chaotic,” said Nikki L. Huang, Denise Louie director of development and marketing. “With annual events, there are so many pieces from volunteers, catering, guests, program, sponsorships, communications to all the behind the scene pieces. The hybrid component was challenging and this year, we implemented safety protocols where all guests and volunteers had to submit to us a negative covid test result as well as a vaccination card. These extra steps required a lot of oversight and we were short of staff.” Denise Louie sustained its operation during the pandemic by decreasing expenses and raising corporate and foundation funding, according to Huang. She said the organization tripled the number of applications submitted to institutional funders, much of it driven by volunteer board members. Corporate giving to the gala alone increased by 30%, including a selection of Pokemon gifts (valued at $1,000) donated by Tabletop Village that sold for $3,500—
Graduate student Joanna Chen said that commemorating the June 4 massacre is important because Taiwan is one of the few places in Greater China to commemorate such an event publicly. “We must remind the Taiwanese people that democracy should not be taken for granted,” she said. In Sydney, about 50 pro-democracy supporters lit candles outside the Chinese Consulate to mark the massacre, as several police officers kept watch. In the Indian city of Dharmsala, home to Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, activists organized a street theater to mark the Tiananmen anniversary. They used a cutout of a Chinese tank to recreate the “tank man,” an iconic image taken by The Associated Press of a student standing in front of a tank, which came to symbolize courage in the face of Chinese government’s crackdown of the protest. For the first time in 30 years, Hong Kong’s Catholic churches also skipped Mass for
Desserts at Denise Louie 2022 gala
making it the highest selling item in the live auction. Like many employers across the country, Denise Louie has had to contend with staff shortages. Relying on volunteers and flexibility from staff, they continue to thrive, providing early learning services to a diverse population of nearly 500 children. Of the families served, two-thirds speak a foreign language. For example, Executive Director Susan Yang turned property manager the week leading up to its marquee fundraiser of the year, covering for absent staff at Mercy Magnuson Place, opened in September of 2019. Denise Louie will begin delivering services at Yesler Terrace in 2023. “We all had to wear many hats due to the pandemic, the work increases but the capacity decreases so the need for community volunteers is essential,” Huang said. Chris can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
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the Tiananmen victims, after the diocese expressed concerns that such events could violate the national security law. Authorities have been using the law to crack down on the opposition, with over 150 people arrested on suspicion of offences that include subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign collusion to intervene in the city’s affairs. The clampdown has included universities as well. In December 2021, a sculpture called “Pillar of Shame,” which depicts torn and twisted bodies symbolizing the lives lost during the massacre, was taken down at the University of Hong Kong. Officials said that no approval had been obtained to display the sculpture. A day later, two other universities in the city removed monuments related to the commemoration. In response, Jens Galschioet, the artist who created “Pillar of Shame,” unveiled a full-scale replica of the 26 foot tall sculpture at the University of Oslo in Norway.
nese officials and mysteriously disappeared from public view for several weeks before she re-emerged and stated that her allegations were misinterpreted. While the issue has not been discussed publicly in several months, the WTA still holds a ban on any events in China. Moreover, they have not been able to speak to Peng directly and believe that she was influenced to change her story. As a result, Qinwen cannot play in front of her home country due to the ban. She trains in Spain and lives away from home. Qinwen was born in Shiyan, a city in Central China. She was encouraged by her parents to choose a sport at a
very early age. Tennis became that sport and her father sent her away to train at 8 years old in Wuhan, a city approximately 250 miles from her home. The hard work away from her family paid off as she was discovered by IMG Academy at an event in Bradenton, Florida and was signed at the age of 11. She was then shipped to Beijing to train with the Academy. Qinwen’s play is still growing and all of her training is occurring mostly away from her family due to the current ban from the WTA. Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
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asianweekly northwest
40 YEARS
JUNE 11 – JUNE 17, 2022
Harini Logan holds her Scripps National Spelling Bee trophy.
Vihaan Sibal, 13, from McGregor, Texas, during the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Vikram Raju, 12, from Aurora, Colo., spells his word during the Spelling Bee finals.
night’s competition, but the vocabulary round—added in 2021 to test increasingly sophisticated spellers—tripped up some of the favorites to win the event. Scott Remer—who coached three of the 13 finalists, including Vuppala—said the new emphasis on word meanings makes it harder to give contestants a balanced set of
questions and gives an advantage to older spellers who have been exposed to more words in context over time. “It’s sort of a spelling and vocab bee now; it’s not really a spelling bee,” said Remer, who was a finalist in the 2008 Bee and has since authored multiple books on the competition. “I just think that it sort of
does the competition a disservice.” Vuppala’s twin sister, Deetya, was also eliminated by a vocabulary round in the semifinals without misspelling a single word. In a taped segment shown during the program, Vuppala said it was hard not having her in the finals with him. “It feels really great to be in the
finals of the Bee, but I’m also really sad my sister isn’t there,” he told the Spokesman-Review. “I’m representing Washington and I’m also representing me and my sister.” Their mother, Mayura Vuchuru, said Saharsh and Deetya supported and challenged each other to become two of the nation’s most elite spellers. “It’s hard for Deetya, because she worked hard and she is equally capable,” Vuchuru said. “Sometimes it’s just luck, too, in the word you get.” Past champions won with far easier words, including “therapy” in 1940, “croissant” in 1970, and “luge” in 1984. But Remer said spelling is about more than rote memorization. “It encourages a love of languages,” he said. “It encourages an appreciation of different cultures and of nuance and sophistication.”
Courtesy of Jean Ngai and Wing Luke Museum
Courtesy of the artist and Wing Luke Museum.
modern-day Washington and British Columbia who are one of the 12 bands of the Colville Confederated Tribes. Spellers rely on a word’s origin to discern its spelling, but the Bee’s pronouncers told Raju the Merriam-Webster Dictionary listed no origin for Senijextee, which comes from a Salish dialect. Vuppala, who finished in a tie for 51st place as a fifth-grader in the 2019 Bee, placed higher than any Washingtonian since Amy Marie Dimak of Seattle triumphed in 1990 by spelling “fibranne,” a type of fabric made from rayon. According to Bee organizers, no speller from Washington had made it to the finals since at least 2016. The Bee’s winner earns $50,000. The runner-up receives $25,000, and Vuppala will win $10,000 for finishing fourth. Thirteen finalists began the
AP Photos/Jose Luis Magana
SPELLING BEE from 1
“Crystal Rainbow” by Victor Kai Wang.
REORIENT from 1 and collective pain attached to their stories of relocation from their home countries and “reorientation” into a new country and culture. Suchitra Mattai, for instance, speaks in her work “about healing the pain of her ancestors” by weaving saris together, Barnett explained. “Art heals both in the making and in the viewing. It creates a space for empathy and understanding,” said Mattai, who struggles with bi-polarism. “The process of making art has offered me an effective, emotive, and unparalleled path towards healing. I think many people who experience mental illness also experience shame. Sharing our experiences makes us realize how common these diseases are and hopefully reduces the stigma associated with them.” Mattai recognized potential multiple meanings in the show’s title: “Reorient” is it to find a new direction? Is it about the mostly-abolished terms “orient” or “oriental?” Both. “The title, to me, references historic Western ‘orientalism,’ the lens once used to view the ‘East,’ and asks us as a society to reflect on and reimagine the way that we view Asians and Asian Americans.” As Barnett prepared the exhibition, each artist fell into place when she realized connections between them. Jean Ngai has spent a great deal of time on issues of social injustice, as well as mental health. Barnett recalled seeing Ngai speak on a panel when he was living in Los Angeles. “At the time, he was bottling up smog from his exhaust pipe…and painting with it.” Smog, pumice, Ngai employs nontradi-
tional materials to make a point about serious issues such as “the trauma of being a part-time migrant worker, or the crushing force of corporations and their manipulation of our government to destroy our sense of self, time, and energy.” Ngai finds the show’s title very triggering. The works he contributed address the process of “reorientation” that immigrants go through. “We try to learn the language, we learn the job, the games, or clothing, etc.…We adapt to connect or to camouflage ourselves.” Ngai has held several migrant jobs, such as with the fishing industry in Alaska or trimming weeds in California. He considers his paintings in the exhibit “an homage to the true ‘global power’ of this planet, who are the workers who strive to have a better life for themselves and their family.” Barnett first came up with the idea for “Reorient” some years ago. COVID-19 and other considerations got in the way. She feared that one of the artists she wanted to spotlight, Victor Kai Wang, now in his 90s and suffering from poor health, might be unable to see the fruits of their labor. Wang, who has not often shown his works to the public, was very humble in his approach to the exhibition. “He didn't want fame. He just wanted his work to be seen and experienced,” Barnett shared. Wang experienced the Cultural Revolution firsthand. In the 1980s, he brought his family to Seattle, where he ended up raising his two sons alone, due to his wife’s mental trauma resulting from her experiences in the manual labor camp in China. “Victor had to ‘reorient’ himself to the West with his roots from the east and blend
“Global Power” by Jean Ngai
the cultures, as well as art forms, in a way that makes sense to him,” Wang’s son, Will Wang Graylin, explained. “Through experimentation and living day to day over the decades here in America, he was able to express himself through his art in new innovative ways that affected those around him.” Like Ngai and Mattai, Wang has been open to experimentation with his art, and the crucial connection of art to healing. “Art is his life from a very young age, and his devotion to it was unending. It gave him meaning that many others could not comprehend,” Graylin said. In hard times, whether in China or the United States, Wang turned to his art in a perennial search for beauty. He has never been averse to using unusual materials, as attested to in the exhibition, such as when he made art on rice sacks during the Cultural Revolution; or, after working in photo correction, he started his “marking color” paintings on photo paper. As Barnett recalled, Wang and the fourth artist in “Reorient,” Tuan Nguyen, were “experimenting with unique materials and finding joy there, taking that pain and turning it around in this act of creating.” “My recent ‘pain body’ work in the show is a kind of material manifestation of so-
cietal intergenerational trauma,” explained Nguyen. “For me, the making of the work is the first step towards forgiveness, healing, and love.” A child of the Vietnam War, Nguyen has also experienced the “societal violence, racism, trans and homophobia, misogyny, war, etc. currently happening in the United States that is affecting us all” and considers his art practice one of the tools in his toolbox to get through it all—“an important one…I gravitated towards art at an early age as it was a way for me to access the larger world and to dream and imagine a better world. It was also a way for me to carve out a space for myself and for things that didn't fit into existing categories.” Barnett is excited to show some of these works for the first time. “Seattle needed to see it.” “Reorient” runs from June 10 to May 14, 2023 in Wing Luke’s George Tsutakawa Art Gallery. Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.