Story & Song Through the Generations 傳代的故事與歌曲

Think!Chinatown is proud to present two new T!C-produced short films at 21 Pell. T!C-produced short films this season honor musicians like Nobuko Miyamoto and Zhang Jingtai, who have filled the soundscape of the neighborhood. The screening will be followed by poetry from George Chew and a special performance by treya lam and Taiyo Na, inspired by the songs included in the Yellow Pearl publication by Chris Kando Iijima, Joanne Nobuko Miyamoto, and “Charlie” Chin.

This event is free with RSVP required! A small donation is appreciated. All proceeds will directly go to making these community events possible. If you are unable to contribute financially, please don’t hesitate to reach out to programs@thinkchinatown.org – we would still love to have you there!

treya lam is a multi-instrumentalist and composer whose expansive and intersecting identities inform but do not define their work, whether solo or when collaborating with ensembles across a variety of disciplines. their atmospheric voice, liberation oriented songwriting and fluency on guitar, piano and looped viola recalls Nina Simone and Andrew Bird. treya’s debut Good News was created entirely by womxn and genderqueer collaborators and released via Kaki King’s label. Smithsonian Magazine states lam’s work “perfectly captures the mixture of love, loss and hope”. lam is currently developing otherland - an audiovisual chamber-folk album on radical self acceptance, intersecting identities and healing in the wake of grief and loss.

Taiyo Na (Taiyo Ebato) is a writer of poems, songs, stories and curricula who lives on unceded Lenape land (Queens, NY). The 2010/2011 collaboration album Home:Word under the outfit Magnetic North & Taiyo Na (MNTN) included a number of chart-topping songs in Asia, and his “Artist Takeovers” playlist was featured on Spotify in 2017. His writing has appeared in Aperture, Poets House and Unmargin.

George Chew is a poet and former US Immigration Judge. Born and raised in Manhattan’s Chinatown, George had a short lived career as a poet as “[he] did not earn a cent”. His poem was included in Yellow Pearl. George went to law school and practiced law for 14 years in Chinatown. Now George is happily retired and indulge in fishing, cooking and eating.

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Chinatown Arts Festival is a month-long festival produced by Think!Chinatown to celebrate the cultural richness of Manhattan’s Chinatown with musical and dance performances, storytelling projects, film screenings, community workshops, art exhibitions, a block party, and so much more! This series of cultural programs curated by Yin Kong presents traditional Chinatown artists, and emerging Asian American artists in context and dialogue with each other, bringing the generations together and making connections with a wider arts audience. The festival also highlights cultural happenings presented by neighboring organizations and artists to increase awareness of Chinatown’s cultural assets. Learn more at thinkchinatown.org/artsfest

Think!Chinatown is an intergenerational non-profit based in Manhattan’s Chinatown, here to listen, to respond, and to build China­town’s capacities as a strong & vibrant immigrant neighborhood of NYC. Our mission is to foster intergenerational community through neighbor­hood engagement, storytelling & the arts. We push from within our neighborhood to shape better policies and programs that define our public spaces, to celebrate our cultural heritage, and to innovate how our collective memories are represented. Learn more at thinkchinatown.org

Think!Chinatown is committed to hosting accessible events for our Chinatown neighbors. As we continue to present free, public events throughout the neighborhood, we invite you to support us with your contribution or ask us about options to volunteer with us.