Back from CONVERGENCE

A special thank you goes out to everyone we met while attending Convergence this year in Minnesota.

Once again, the local Asian American writers came together to give a series of panels and presentations to over 1,000 science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages in one of Minnesota's largest conventions.

Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese writers were represented by Bao Phi, myself, Shoua Lee, May Lee, Peter Yang and Juliana Pegues.

On Friday, July 7th, at 9:30 PM, we presented our annual Giant Lizard Theater poetry reading, providing a fun and engaging opportunity for families to become familiar with Asian American poetry, and even destroyed a miniature city in the process.

Interestingly, the panels highlighting Hmong American writing as well as tales of the supernatural (both traditional and modern) were very well attended, showing that there is indeed an audience for their writing, despite what some publishers have said.

Other workshops included "Out There: Sulu, Sex and Space," addressing the implications of George Takei's recent revelations that he was GLBT, as well as current issues in the depiction and treatment of GLBT and Asian Americans by speculative media, and why it matters.

We had a packed room for "Heroines and Heroes of the Old Country," where we discussed several figures from Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese and Chinese traditions, including a reading of the original Fa Mulan poem (I should note that it was an edition translated into English, however.)

We also conducted "Yellowspace" a panel discussing the history of Asians and Asian Americans in the popular science fiction of the 21st century. We tackled everything from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings to the X-men, Serenity/Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Grudge, and almost every other major film or tv show that had come out during that time.

We even held the first Golden Horde Awards, which gave recognition to the worst actors, actresses and films that set back perceptions of Asians and Asian Americans in the last 6 years. Sadly, there were far too many viable candidates. This year's winners were Tom Cruise, Lucy Liu, and The Last Samurai.

Will we attend next year? Definitely! Once again, thank you all for supporting us!
I'll try to post photos soon!

WTF: Kung Fu Panda

The Deadbolt and others are reporting that Angelina Jolie will be voicing The Tigress for Dreamworks latest attempt to cash in on modern orientalism, "Kung Fu Panda".

Jack Black will also be featured.

The description thus far released is "Black plays Po the Panda, who slings noodles in a restaurant and loves kung fu but doesn't have the body for it. Jolie will provide the voice of a martial-arts master named Tigress. When Po is revealed as the Chosen One to save the animals, Tigress must get the slacker panda into fighting form."

Just couldn't give these roles to Asian American actors and actresses, eh?

To be fair, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan are also on board. Yeah, that's just great.

Upcoming in the Movies

A new report suggests that The Mummy 3 will now be set in China in some contrived plot revolving around the desiccated remains of China's first uber-Emperor Qin Shihuang, who wants revenge on those who turned his team into stone all those years ago. Just great.

On the other hand, ComingSoon.Net has a story posted about the upcoming Dark Matter.

It's supposed to be a film about "the humor, frustration and heartbreak that results when different cultures collide and communication falters. The film follows the story of Liu Xing, a brilliant Chinese science student, who strives to impress his mentor Jacob Reiser (Aiden Quinn) with his theories on the origins of the universe. Helping Liu Xing adapt but unable to protect him from academic politics are Joanna (Meryl Streep), a patron of the university with a passion for all things Chinese, and Hildy (Blair Brown), Reiser's secretary."

May be something to see.

Virginia Quarterly Review Announces Staige D. Blackford Prize Winner

Congratulations to Pauline Chen of Los Angeles, who won the Staige D. Blackford Prize for creative nonfiction that appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review in 2005. Chen won for "Dead Enough? The Paradox of Brain Death," which appeared in the Fall 2005 issue. The annual awards are given for the best poems, short stories, and creative nonfiction essays published in VQR during the previous year