“I don’t know how the moon looked where you were last night, but from the curb where I stood, a few paces away from the auto repair shop and the two men tamping down the embers of their barbecue, the moon was round and luminous and haunting, and it glowed even through the quick-flitting clouds. Last night’s moon-gazing was for the Mid-Autumn Festival. That means it’s fully autumn, and it’s time to unveil a project I’ve been working on for the past year.”
About 12 hours after Kevin looked upon the moon, I also looked upon the face of a bright and bold moon. I gazed up in excitement, walking home along the lantern light of local bars. I had my mooncakes that day, which, to be honest, was an anomaly for me as far as this holiday went, even when I lived at home. But that night, I was also thinking very much of the project Kevin was working on that night and the connectedness of us seeing the same full moon, half a world away.
One year ago, my friends Kevin, Albertine, and I embarked on a journey to create an anthology of art and literature by emerging creators of the Taiwanese diaspora. We felt strongly that we needed a place of our own for this critical work to push our community forward, and so we pressed forward with little but our hearts to guide us. It’s corny, but it’s true.
We now have over 25 works of art and writing on the theme of liminality, or in-betweenness. We’re calling it Chrysanthemum: Voices of the Taiwanese Diaspora, and we hope that this anthology can be a light, a comfort, and a spark for those of us looking for solace, those of us looking for our strength, and those of us needing reminders of beauty in these difficult times. The works in this anthology are short, but they lovingly capture the spirit of people of Taiwanese descent and the liminal spaces we inhabit.
We hope that this project by emerging writers can be one that brings together the whole Taiwanese American community. And we need your support to make it a reality. We have launched our Kickstarter campaign to pay for artist compensation, printing, shipping, and logistics, and we hope you will support art and literature in the Taiwanese American community by backing this project. The information is linked below, and we would love if you can spread the word and back our campaign.
After all, we all look upon the same moon.
Chrysanthemum: Voices of the Taiwanese Diaspora
A print collection of visual and written work by young people of the North American Taiwanese diaspora.
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