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Simmer and Stir: Food, Culture, and Storytelling

Simmer and Stir: Food, Culture, and Storytelling
Thursday, April 22, 2021 | 6:00 - 7:00 pm ET
A Collab between Natives at Penn, Penn Food & Wellness, Cultural Resource Centers, & Penn Violence Prevention
Join us for an evening of nourishing and healing story sharing where attendees can recount tales of their favorite meals, engage in a storytelling workshop, and even participate in an open mic to share their stories of food, cooking, growing, and eating.

WORKSHOP TOPICS/OUTLINE
-Storytelling as a Form of Resistance. Namely, storytelling breaks down barriers and transforms people through the power of compassion and empathy. By sharing our stories and discovering our common humanity with one another, we can overcome misunderstanding and even hate.
-Food & Communal Food Sharing
Through the non-profit work of Laos in the House, we will discuss how food and communal food sharing has been a central way to collect personal stories and create community bonds.
-Storytelling as an Ancient Form of Communication and Knowledge Transfer
This requires simply a willingness for community members to gather, to listen, to create a collective space. Storytelling is a tool for community empowerment and healing.
-Performance
LindoYes (He/Him/They/Jawn, Spoken Word Poet | Educator | Black Superhero) will perform 3 poems called Irregular Heartbeat, Skydive, and Flowers.
-Open Mic Session
We invite event participants to share their own personal stories.

FACILITATOR BIOS
Michelle Myers is an award-winning poet, community activist, and educator. Born in Seoul, South Korea to a Korean mother and a white American father serving in the United States Air Force, she draws from her personal experiences as a biracial Korean American woman to write poetry that challenges mainstream misconceptions of Asianness and explores the intersections of race, culture, gender, community, and self. She is a founding member of the spoken word poetry group, Yellow Rage.
Catzie Vilayphonh is an award-winning writer, spoken word poet and multi-media artist. As a founding member of the group Yellow Rage she was one of the first Asian American women to appear on HBO's Def Poetry Jam. Through her work, she provides an awareness not often heard, drawing from personal narrative. She runs a community arts org, Laos In The House, is a Commissioner on the Mayor's Commission on Asian American Affairs and was recently appointed as Councilmember to the Pennsylvania Council on The Arts. A child of refugees, Catzie was born in camp, on the way to America, and thus considers herself part of the ".5 Generation".
Kao Nhia Kue is a Hmong American storyteller, poet, and educator. She works to bring communities together and empower community members through the use of storytelling. She was born and raised in Philadelphia and currently resides in Georgia.
LindoYes (He/Him/They/Jawn, Spoken Word Poet | Educator | Black Superhero), is a spoken word artist from Philadelphia. They have appeared on Def Poetry Jam, Button Poetry and Philadelphia weekly just to name a few. Their poetry touches on soft masculinity, racial injustice and emotion well being.
This is an event for all members of the Penn community as well as friends and family members.
A collaboration between Natives at Penn (NAP), Penn Food & Wellness, Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH), Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC), La Casa Latinx, LGBT Center, Makuu, Penn Women's Center (PWC), and Penn Violence Prevention (PVP)
Questions/Comments? Please direct inquiries to PAACH at paach@lists.upenn.edu.