Dear Cosmos Community,
This isn’t the newsletter I thought I’d write, but it is the one I must. I woke up to the news of another brutal murder of an Asian woman in New York City, Christina Yuna Lee. I felt a strange, apocalyptic sensation, watching my timeline alternate between heart-shaped Valentine’s Day marketing and shattering accounts of the Asian woman’s constant feeling of unsafety, the damage it wreaks upon our mental health, the demand for real solutions, and then the hopelessness that change will ever come.
Our priority at The Cosmos is to create spaces where you don’t feel alone in your anger, grief, frustration, or demand for change. This is the only way we know how to counter the hopelessness. And so this week Cass and I are hosting two free virtual gatherings for the community:
Tues, Feb 15 | RSVP for Collective Rest for Grief: An AAPI Healing Circle
Join us on Tuesday 2/15 at 7-830pm ET for Collective Rest for Grief, a 90-minute guided reflection and relaxation practice that will support you in caring for grief in community. We gather to mourn Christina Yuna Lee, Michelle Go, Yao Pan Ma, and the countless other lives our beloved AAPI community has lost.
Please come as you are. There is no requirement to speak. Whether you're seeking a space to just listen and not be alone in your grief or a space to talk with others who want to connect, you're invited to show up however you need to.
Wed, Feb 16 | RSVP for How to Demand Policy Change: A Workshop for Asian Women in New York to Feel Safe, Seen, and Heard
This is a safe, communal space where you will learn how to structure and write a letter to your New York City and State representatives, to ensure that the city acts in response to the tragic deaths of Michelle Go and Christina Yuna Lee. This space will center the experience of Asian women in New York City.
You will learn how to advocate for change through effective storytelling to elected officials and awareness of the complex intersection of race, gender, public safety, and housing in New York City. You do not need to know who your representatives are to attend; this will be part of the training. You will learn how mental health care decisions are made in the city and how to demand policy change.
The rest of this Care Package continues with the work we do everyday — supporting Asian women in asking for support and caring for themselves and the community. We are angry, sad, frustrated, and grieving. We are here for you.
Karen, Co-Founder of The Cosmos
Community Reading Series for Asian Women Writers in New York City
Wed, Feb 23 | 7 PM ET | Yu and Me Books, Chinatown, New York
A *new* monthly series for Asian women writers in New York City to share their work and meet and support one another, in partnership with Yu and Me Books.
Tickets are by donation ($5 or $10). All proceeds will go to supporting The Cosmos Care Fund, a creative aid fund that distributes micro funds to support Asian women in telling their stories.
THE READERS FOR FEBRUARY 2022
Julie Ae Kim is a writer and organizer from Queens, NYC. She is interested in questions of desire, sexuality, and feminism.
Michelle Tong is a writer and medical student from Wisconsin. Her poems appear in The Margins and Glass, among others, and she's excited to be among Asian American womxn community tonight
Eunice Kim is a second-generation Korean American and native New Yorker, who, when she's not writing, is watching period dramas, playing the harp, or still on the hunt for the next great baked confectionery. Learn more about her at eunicekimwrites.com.
Irena Huang is a writer living in Brooklyn, NY with her adorably chaotic dog Griffin. In her daylight hours, she is an Agent at BEOTIS, a boutique talent agency that represents a leading roster of multi-hyphenate artists and writers of color.
Nicole Zhao is a writer from Queens and based in Brooklyn. Her writing has received support from VONA/Voices and the Sewanee Writers' Conference and has been published in Apogee Journal.
Jaimee Estreller (she/they) is a first generation Asian-American, queer human on this earth, first and foremost, and a proud mental health advocate striving to make a difference for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ folks through community care. She is obsessed with cultivating joy, nurturing 1:1 connections, breaking sh*t via breakthroughs, writing about my queer late-bloomer & therapy experiences, and laughing at her own puns.
If you're interested in reading at our next event, please sign up here!
Liberate Your Voice: Throat Chakra Activation Workshop with Eunice KS
Wed Feb 23 | 5pm PT | 8pm ET | VIRTUAL
If you feel like you’re holding back your expression…and want to feel more confident in being visible and showing up even more freely, fully, and unapologetically as yourself, this workshop is for you.
Explore the power of your throat chakra to speak your truth with more confidence. Learn tangible public speaking tools to share your voice with more ease. Connect with your ancestral wisdom and cultivate a more loving, intimate relationship with your voice.
Tickets are $15. All proceeds benefit The Cosmos GoFundMe stretch goal.
Community Care Circle: Grounding for Stressful Times
In partnership with 3rd Ritual, a Chinese-Canadian woman owned wellness brand
Thurs Feb 24 | 8-9pm ET | 5-6pm PT | VIRTUAL
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Earth element is important during times of transition — a reminder of stability amid moments of continual flux. So let’s weather this final stretch of winter together by engaging in self and community care practices!
Join The Cosmos and 3rd Ritual for a relaxing evening of heart-warming conversation and grounding rituals, all in community with Asian women. Your ticket includes “Earth”, an aromatherapeutic, moisturizing cream designed to restore dry or overworked hands and feet, which you’ll learn to incorporate as a practical and pleasurable daily ritual.
Tickets are sliding scale: $35 / $45 / $55 with a portion of each sale going towards closing The Cosmos GoFundMe stretch goal.
Skinship by Yoon Choi | Reviewed by Nicole Zhao
In Partnership with The Cosmos Book Club, I present book reviews by Cosmos Community members.
“Skinship” is Yoon Choi's incredible debut collection of short stories about the Korean diaspora. Choi takes on a variety of fascinating perspectives with deep insight and nuance, illuminating each character's humanity in all their contradictions, flaws, and endearing qualities. The stories' points of view range from a piano prodigy on the autism spectrum; a begrudged, long-married wife tasting the excitement and memory of an old flame; an elementary school student who makes a new Indian-American friend; to an old man suffering from Alzheimer’s; and a transracial adoptee apprenticing as a home health aide. Flipping through each chapter was like turning the knob of a kaleidoscope on the Korean diasporic experience.
While the stories each come from a different point of view, they are all compassionate tales of loss, forgiveness, resentment, humor, and hope. What was most impressive was Choi's ability to render the flaws and shortcomings of her narrators and protagonists with such fidelity and candor that they are immediately recognizable as human and natural, as well as her perfect capturing of the minor and major humiliations her characters experience. This collection astounded and heartened me. I'll be returning to these stories often and highly recommend reading them.
Ali Wong | Don Wong | On Netflix today
She’s back, and more necessary than ever!!
Book links are connected to our Bookshop affiliate page. If you purchase a book from there, you'll be supporting our work and local independent bookstores! You can peep our Bookshop list for all community recommended books here.
Community Bulletin Board
Since our GoFundMe, many of you wrote us with asks for support, as well as offers. Consider this new section a “bulletin board” where you can give and receive what feels authentic to you :)
Liane Ma is offering free spots for a communication workshop!
“I’m offering free spots for a virtual communication course held by my company, Cadence Leadership! It’s called Answer the Damn Question and will teach you how to answer questions in the most concise and effective way. The 90-minute workshop will especially help with establishing leadership presence and conquering the interview processes. The last 45 minutes of the workshop will include break-out sessions in which coaches give feedback (around physical, verbal verbiage + how you answer the question) through a practice round!” The workshop will be capped at 20 people, and spots are available for:
Tuesday, Feb 15 from 11 AM-12:30 PM EST
Tuesday, Feb 22, 11-12:30 PM EST
If interested, reach out to Liane at lma@cadenceleadership.ca!
Melissa is a Korean American journalist based in Honolulu, Hawaii who’s asking for support to get to SXSW to present her project 'Hot Market: Navigating the Future of Korean Dramas.'
“My background is in the media industry, and I've worked in casting and on indie film productions as well as in international television distribution, digital project management, and at a startup web publisher abroad. On the journalism side, I have gravitated towards Asian American artists and Korean talent, with a passion for independent films.
Upon our SXSW panel acceptance, my podcast co-producer and I applied for individual grants to help cover the financial costs of travel for the conference. I applied to 3 grants but unfortunately did not get awarded any of them. I do not know where else I can look or research that I haven't already researched. Do you have any suggestions?”
If you know of any travel grants or funding opportunities for Melissa, please get in touch directly at melissakimbcn@gmail.com.
A community member who wishes to stay anonymous is asking for immediate help due to immigration-related financial insecurity.
“I am a queer non-binary Indonesian currently in Seoul, South Korea, as I had to leave the US since my visa ended. Due to immigration related circumstances during my time in the US and the pandemic, I have been financially insecure for the last several years.
My goal is to raise $1,555 by my birthday on 2/22 to help cover next month’s rent + living expenses. Any additional funds raised will be used for some debt relief. This fundraiser will give me 1 month to focus on finding more freelance jobs and save any funds I make as I have no savings or emergency funds. It will also help give me just a bit of space to breathe in between it all.”
You can donate to the community member’s GoFundMe or for direct support, venmo @oranjesoda.