What's up, internet? It's time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Michelle Krusiec.
Who are you?
My name is Michelle Krusiec. Rhymes with music. I say that because no one knows how to pronounce my last name, but when I recently told a Polish native how I say my name, he laughed. I guess I'm not saying it right. There are certainly more sounds in the way he pronounced it. I think if I said it correctly, I would garner even odder looks and plied with more questions about the origin of my last name. I'm adopted so Krusiec is the surname of my adoptive father. My birth name is Yang Ya-Hui which has the equivalent value of something like Jennifer Smith. Yang is a common Chinese last name and my original given name Ya-Hui was also a very popular name at that time. My adoptive father wanted me to have a french name hence Michelle Jacquline and well, Krusiec is Krusiec. Not so French. But hey... what's in a name?
Apparently, a lot!
What are you?
I'm Taiwanese. However my birth mother was also adopted and I don't fully comprehend her family history and therefore her full racial ethnicity. I don't think she's Polish though.
Where are you?
I'm in my home in Echo Park. I remember moving into this neighborhood back in 2001 and talking with my brother on the phone on my back terrace and ducking for cover from gunshots. Lot of coffee shops now.
Where are you from?
Originally Taiwan but raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. My father was in the Navy so he was stationed in Norfolk, Va. I was a military brat and grew up around a lot of military. I always get a little spongey inside when I see military because it reminds me of home and I also have a lot of respect for the men and women who dedicate their lives to their country.
What do you do?
Actor, Writer, Creative = Artist
I make my living from acting. I also write, volunteer and advocate for causes I'm passionate about. Acting is a torrid love affair for me. When I'm creatively satisfied, I feel extremely blessed and grateful. When I'm not creatively satisfied, I'm just a mess. I wish I didn't have to be an "artist," wish I could relinquish whatever control the universe has over me in this department, I think about other possible professions, I end up researching a lot of MA or MFA programs late at night, fantasize about moving to Iceland, but then the next day I just get back to creating work that feels meaningful to me.
Humor is also important in my life. I enjoy writing about things that are truthful and painful and very funny.
What are you all about?
Truth.
I see myself as an Explorer and my work as an actor, mother, modern woman, artist, human, as a way to drop below the surface and investigate the more complex territory of the "iceberg." Iceberg = Inner Life
And then I make stories from that.
As someone who's constantly shifting between cultures, families, countries and clearly, even the notion of my own profession, I understand what it means to feel alien in your own skin and this experience I believe is universal. The ability to tap into the sweet spot of what is true for me is also true for you is like a magical elixir. I enjoy creating and embodying narratives that explore my own truth so that others can connect to their own truth. If I can feel it, then maybe so can you. And then there's this wonderful human connection that happens and I think we were meant to feel connected.
At my core I am someone who wants to use the Arts to heal.
I believe that an artistically centered society is an intrinsically non-violent one and the world I wish to help build is a feeling one, an emotionally intelligent one and one that is able to heal itself from trauma.
What makes you angry?
Violence against anyone especially children. Hatred. Right now. Donald Trump. He encourages hate. He has a deeply wounded ego inside of him and it's sad to me that he uses his wealth, talents and humanity to spread hatred and ignorance.