Many of our readers may be familiar with the Philadelphia based Asian Arts Initiative, having attended the Asian American Arts Festival, or one of their workshops, gallery shows, or film screenings. Asian Arts Initiative recently celebrated their relocation to a new facility in Chinatown and expanded their offerings to include an open mic event called Family Style, which is similar in format to our StorySlams. Family Style is a monthly series held through May (every third Friday) inviting extended “family” from all communities and cultures to hit the open mic with poetry, stories and other performance.


Each event is hosted by Michelle Myers and Catzie Vilayphonh of Yellow Rage (warning: this clip contains graphic language), and features a different guest artist and theme. This Friday, March 19th at 7:30 pm join artist Sham-e-Ali al-Jamil at Family Style to celebrate Women’s History Month with the theme Holding Up Half the Sky: A Tribute to Women. Interested participants should contact Michelle[at]yellowrage[dot]com to reserve a spot, and visit the Asian Arts Initiative website for more details on the open mic format and rules.


- Sarah Crawford