happy new year! hope things are fresh for you in 2005.


an important event coming up that i'll be part of:

small offerings, a Tsunami Relief Benefit

at Asian American Writers' Workshop.
16 West 32nd Street, 10th floor
Wednesday, January 12th, 2005, 7-9pm.
doors open 6:30

$10-20 cover, sliding scale

In the aftermath of the tsunami, over 118,000 people have died and 5 million more are homeless in Asia. This event is but a small community offering to sustain ourselves and to try to help others far away.

Please join an incredible & diverse group of artists for a night of music, refreshments, and poetry. A silent auction and raffle will be held, and informational brochures will be available. Bring your friends, your heart, and your wallet, and make your own small offering.

**ALL proceeds will go directly to non-profit organizations helping with tsunami relief.****

curated and hosted by:
Ishle Yi Park * Poet Laureate of Queens, New York

featuring:

Sabrina Margarita Alcantara-Tan * Founder of the amazing'zine Bamboo Girl

Steve Cannon * Founder of the Gathering of the Tribes

Eric Gamalinda * Professor at NYU and Columbia, author of Zero Gravity

Edward Garcia * ASPIRA teacher and Winner of a 2003 NYFA Poetry Grant

Kimiko Hahn * Winner of the American Book Award

Suheir Hammad * Author of Born Palestinian, Born Black, member of Def Poetry Jam

Bassey Ikpi * Three-time featured Nigerian American poet on HBO's Def Poetry Jam

Kontrast * Filipino-American, Brooklyn-transplanted and unrepentantly radical hip-hop group

Joseph Legaspi * Founder of Kundiman, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to Asian American literature

Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz * Tour-de-force woman and founder of Urbana, the three-time National Poetry Slam Championship Venue

Patrick Rosal * Winner of the AAWW's 2004 Member's Choice Awar

Shappy * An amazing comedic poet, in high school Shappy was voted "Most Swinging Guy".

Hal Sirowitz * Former Poet Laureate of Queens'01-'04

Kevin So + Incredibly talented singer, songwriter, guitarist, latest CD "leaving the lights on"

...and more!!!!

For more information, please email desk@aaww.org. To send a check or donate something to the raffle/silent auction, please contact ishlepark@gmail.com.


ALSO:

NYC SAVE the DATE!: January 15th
BENEFIT for progressive Sri Lankan relief efforts
 
EMBORA Movement and Wellness Studio
900 Fulton St., Brooklyn
 
8pm
Performers include:
Mango Tribe's
Cellist Varuni Tiruchelvam 
in collabo w/ Performance Poet/Movement Artist 
Marian Yalini Thambynayagam
 
singer/songwriter Gabby Callendar
 
songstress Chaney Sims

contact: marian@mangotribe.com
or Varuni@world.oberlin.edu for more details, or to contribute
to the efforts!
***************************************
The Sri Lankan Relief Fund
 
Please Read................
Of the 80,000 people who have died as a result of the tsunamis over 26,000 were from Sri Lanka. The death toll is still rising along with threat of deadly diseases associated with the aftermath. Due to the immense devastation, Sri Lanka is in great need of financial support to purchase medical supplies to aid the survivors.

We urgently appeal to you to come together as a community and raise money to help the victims of this great tragedy. We are in a position of great power and privilege and with that privilege comes the responsibility to aid people who have been left injured and homeless.

Diaspora Flow, a Sri Lankan run 501(c) 3 nonprofit arts organization, has started a fund called The Sri Lanka Relief Fund. A benefit show will be held in the coming month in Minneapolis in conjunction with the Los Angeles Sri Lankan community to raise money for the surviving victims. Well send more info on that in the coming week. All proceeds and donations will go to orphanages and hospital clinics that have been devastated (north, east and south) and to Direct Relief International to provide anti-biotics, painkillers, and water purification tablets, which Sri Lanka states, are the most essential items at this moment. To save as many lives as possible, immediate donations are welcome in order to provide emergency healthcare for victims.

Direct Relief is a non-profit, non-political and non-sectarian organization that provides assistance without regard to race, ethnicity, political or religious affliation their support goes to administrative and fundraising expenses.

All donations are tax-deductible and can be mailed to the following address:
The Sri Lanka Relief Fund
12134 Jonquil St. NW
Coon Rapids MN 55433
Please make checks payable to: The Sri Lanka Relief Fund

We are in the middle of setting up an electronic payment system, but until then, please mail checks so we can send urgently needed money for medical supplies. Thank you for your support in this time of tragedy.

If you would like a receipt of donation for tax purposes please include a self-addressed stamped envelope so that one can be mailed to you. If you work for a company, please find out what their matching donation policy is.

We are in the middle of setting up a webpage with more information; in a few days please visit www.diasporaflow.org/srilanka-relief.html
If you have questions about the fund, please feel free to contact us by email at srilanka-relief@diasporaflow.org or call us at the numbers below. Thank you for your time.
Pradeepa- (co-director of D'Flow) 612-237-7670
Chamindika- (co-director of D'Flow) 651-489-8393
Vinothini (Vino) -Board Member 763-443-1320
Amirthini (Amu) -Board Member 763-639-6833
Diaspora Flow
Sri Lanka Relief Fund