Hey, everybody. It's time. Like we do every seven days, 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 Chiwan Choi.
Who are you?
I am Chiwan. My cartooning teacher at John Burroughs Junior High School started calling me Chi because, as she said in class, "Chiwan is just too many syllables. I'm calling you Chi from now on."
What are you?
I am Korean. I am Norteño. I am Paraguayo. Most people say I am Asian-American. But whatever. I hate that label cuz it's so inaccurate on so many levels.
I am exhausted from finishing #90X90LA. I am depressed because our dog passed away 2 days ago. :(
Where are you?
Currently, I am in Highland Park, CA. I will be in Pittsburgh, PA in a few days. I've been splitting my time between Los Angeles and Pittsburgh for the past couple of years while my wife and partner, Judeth Oden Choi, is doing her PhD at Carnegie Mellon.
I am very often on a plane or at an airport eating CCF (Crappy Chinese Food).
Where are you from?
I was born in Seoul, Korea. Lived for a few years in Asunción, Paraguay when I was a little kid. Been in LA for almost 40 years now.
What do you do?
I am a poet, with three collections out. I am a 1/3 of an LA based indie publisher called Writ Large Press. I am an enemy of White Supremacy.
What are you all about?
I am all about being blunt. I am all about making spaces where POC can gather in joy, using the arts as a means to share ideas, thoughts, plans and just drinks sometime. I am all about agitating, making the establishment feel uncomfortable.
I am ALL about saying "NAH" to Whiteness.
What makes you angry?
Man... where do I begin.
East coasters who come to LA and complain all day everyday about how vapid this city is, then go all Hollywood the first chance they get to rub elbows with some celebrity.
Chipotle.
Mayor Garcetti.
Arts venues that feature mostly white artists.
People who ask me which Korea I'm from.
Uber drivers that keep trying to talk to me even though I have my headphones on.
My parents when they "forget" to tell me they were in the hospital.
When my regular bars suddenly change bartenders.
"Street Art".
The 4th wave of gentrifiers complaining about the incoming 5th wave of gentrifiers.
White people who have ideas about community based on the one documentary they watched about Papua New Guinea.
White dudes who call me "buddy". I mean really, this should be a get-your-throat-ripped-out-your-white-neck offense.
