Philly comic book lovers! The Asian Arts Initiative presents Marvels & Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942-1986 starting Friday, February 3.
The exhibit, which draws from the collection of Yellow Peril author and scholar William F. Wu, includes a retroactive look at how Asians were portrayed in graphic art, organized by the archetypes they reflect: the Alien, the Kamikaze, the Lotus Blossom... I think you get the point.
Once your blood is at a boiling point, though, the organizers are also highlighting the works of contemporary graphic novels written by Asian Americans. More:
Bay Area students! If you are interested in learning about independent Asian American cinema, here's a cool opportunity to learn a thing or two. Our friends at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival are currently looking for participants in the 
Sorry. More news to make you sick... In El Cerrito, California, an elderly woman is in critical condition after being found severely beaten and possibly sexually assaulted over the weekend: 
There's been a lot of attention, rightly so, on the death of Army Private Danny Chen. Meanwhile, one the Marines who took part in the hazing of Lance Cpl. Harry Lew before he committed suicide, has pleaded guilty: 
Hey students! Sorry, this one's a bit short notice... The 
Pinkberry co-founder Young Lee, 
For the bookworms... The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) recently announced its selections for the 2012 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature, which "honor and recognize individual works about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage with exceptional literary and artistic merit."
In Boston, two brothers have been found guilty of manslaughter and other charges for the death of the three people who perished when their apartment caught fire in March 2009: 
Last year, I posted about 19-year-old James Malecek, who was 
This week in Sacramento, an 80-year-old retired Indian police officer successfully fought off a masked gunman who was attempting to rob his convenience store: 
Got this recently passed along to me, and it looks like a pretty cool opportunity for Lao American writers... Some folks are putting together the very first full-length anthology of 
Damn, this is depressing as hell. Last week in Southern California, a woman was sentenced to death for murdering her husband and two young sons in 2007: 
It's on, Bay Area. It is on. The 30th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival has announced its Opening Night Gala and world premiere presentation of White Frog. The indie drama kicks off SFIAAFF30 on March 8, 2012 at the Castro Theater, followed by a reception at the Asian Art Museum.
Next month in Washington DC, civil rights icon Fred T. Korematsu will become the first Asian American to receive a well-deserved place in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery permanent exhibition, 
Out of New Jersey, more news of a historic Asian American judicial nomination... Earlier this week, Governor Chris Christie nominated Phillip H. Kwon to the state Supreme Court: 
This week in New York, Senator Charles Schumer recommended attorney Lorna Schofield to the White House as a candidate to serve as a federal district court judge for the Southern District of New York: 
The 
Some tragic news out of Orange County, where a college student committed suicide by jumping from a parking structure at UC Irvine: 
Um, what the hell is this? Got this casting call passed along to me, for a low-budget feature film called Blood Games. And it does not look good. 
What the hell? A military investigator has suggested that the most serious charge be dropped against one of the soldiers implicated in the death of Private Danny Chen, who suffered weeks of hazing and abuse before taking his own life while serving in Afghanistan: 