I’ll be presenting Nov. 18 at Blackanese Event at College of San Mateo

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

College Center (Bldg. 10) Room 193
College of San Mateo
1700 W. Hillsdale Drive, San Mateo, CA 94402

Free Event (Public) – $2 visitor parking
Questions? Contact: KomoEvents@gmail.com

6:30 – 8:00 PM Program
8:00 – 9:00 PM Reception with light refreshments

BEING BLACKANESE AND THE EVOLVING EMBRACE OF SELF AND COMMUNITY brings together an award winning literary artist, a scholar activist, and an independently published author in an examination and affirmation of Black Japanese American life. The “Blackanese” experience – of a world where divisiveness remains common and cultural ambiguity can equate to invisibility within one’s own communities – will be exposed through readings, presentations and Q&A.

FEATURING READINGS BY:

ALYSS DIXSON will read from “The Club”, her short fiction piece about Ai, a determined Black Japanese girl who decides to sneak a ride on her father’s old Harley until an encounter with a thief puts her between fear of the stranger and fear of her dad’s punishment.

FREDRICK CLOYD will read selections from his memoir, Dream of the Water Children: Memory and Mourning in the Black Pacific, covering his struggles as a half-Black Japanese boy born of an African American military father and that of his mother who was looked down upon for having a child by an American, as well as his life as an Amerasian after migrating to the United States.

RAMON CALHOUN will read excerpts from his self-published novel, Blackanese Boy, the coming of age story of Rafael Halifax. Raised by a single mother, Rafael tries to cope with and understand the complexity of his mixed-identity, born of his Japanese American mother and Black father, an infrequent yet powerful presence in his life.

The readings will be followed by a Question & Answer session facilitated by DR. FREDERICK GAINES, Chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies, College of San Mateo