witchdoctors and assassins at the asian american writers' workshop

For folks in New York... Elijah informs me that he's curating and hosting a new reading and opic mic series geared towards APIA youth, called Witchdoctors and Assassins, at the Asian American Writers' Workshop. Each month, an eclectic group of Asian American artists present poetry, prose, film, theatre, and multimedia in a safe space and nurturing environment. Intrigued? Read on:

A new reading series and open mic for Asian/Pacific Islander-American youth at The Asian American Writers' Workshop.

***PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE TWO SHOWS: October 10th AND 24th, 2008***

Who are the Witchdoctors and Assassins?

As bodies that have witnessed onslaughts of violence and trauma from supremacist regimes, we are sounding out for decolonization. We refuse to play the "victim" in the countless oppressions against us. If you ask us who we are, we say we are "witchdoctors and assassins"*. By assuming these roles, we are demonstrating our creative resistance against the traditional act of "performing" our race, gender, class, sexual identity, and beyond on the world stage.

We are Axis of Praxis, your resident arts collective, coming to you with our interpretation of the revolutionary theater. As witchdoctors and assassins, we will be actors in the conjuring and dispelling of the violence and trauma that we have witnessed in its most personal and destructive forms. We invite you not to become only spectators in this process, but participants with your own stories and revolutionary fervor. Join us as we don our masks in performance, become puppets, and transcend the stage with an impromptu dance party. See that the instances of oppression you have witnessed in your lives on a daily basis is no less or disconnected from the headlines of Asian America--whatever and however that body means to us and to you.

* Leroi Jones/ Amiri Baraka. The Revolutionary Theatre. Liberator, 1965

Take the N, R, Q, W, F, B, D, V trains to 34th Street/Herald Square

For more info go to:
AAWW.org, myspace.com/elijahkuanwong

Axis of Praxis are:
-Krystle Cheirs
-Nafisa Ferdous
-Emmelle Israel
-Muriel Leung
-Jackie Mariano
-Elijah Kuan Wong
-Derek Yung

The first one was last Friday, but if you missed it, make sure to mark your calendar for the next one on October 24, 6:30-8:30pm at The Workshop in New York. For more information, take a look at the AAWW event schedule here.