News Release

The San Francisco Public Library will offer a number of programs and events to celebrate Asian culture during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, including a reading by a Chinese poet, a Korean music festival, and a performance by a Filipino singing group.
A complete list follows:

• May 3
  Potato Queen: Reading by Rafaelito V. Sy - Filipino-born author Rafaelito Sy will read from his debut novel, Potato Queen, a story about the segregationist relationship between Anglos and Asians in the gay community in the Bay Area during the 1990s.
  Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch Library,
  3555 16th St.
  7 – 8:30 p.m.
  
• May 4
  Poets for Peace - Chinese poet Bei Dao, along with his translator Dan Powell, and poets Susan Kelly De Wit and Ilya Kaminsky will read their works.
  Main Library, Lower Level, Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room,
  6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
  100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
• May 6 – July 27
  China: The Soul of a Country - An exhibit of recent photographs of China by Robert Welsh that bear witness to a land filled with ancient traditions while struggling to modernize. Welsh’s photos capture village life and the people, as well as the traditionally aesthetic architecture, geography and topography.
  Main Library, Chinese Center, Third Floor,
  100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
• May 13
  Chinatown Long Ago - Journey back in time with Lyle Jan as he shares two decades of Chinatown stories spanning the Depression to World War II.
  Chinatown Branch Library, 2:30 – 4 p.m.
  1135 Powell Street
• May 13
  Chinese Papercut Demonstration - YuMei Hou will discuss the design, patterns and aesthetics of Chinese papercuts. She will also demonstrate her unique papercut skills.
  Ortega Branch Library, 2 p.m.
  3223 Ortega Street
• May 14
  Filipino Bilingual Bimonthly Book Club - Bilingual reading of poetry from Spanish to English to Tagalog.
  Main Library, Lower Level, Koret Auditorium, 1 – 4:30 p.m.
  100 Larkin Street
• May 17
  Mini Festival of Korean Music: - Three Concerts of Old and New Sounds from Korea. Jeong Ga Ak Hoe, from Seoul, Korea, will play traditional music by Hyo-shin Na.
  Main Library, Lower Level, Koret Auditorium, 12 – 2 p.m.
  100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
• May 20
  Flying Angels, Dancing World - An exciting and colorful show featuring new and traditional Chinese dances.
  Chinatown Branch Library, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
  1135 Powell Street
• May 23
  Kundirana - The sensational teen singing group from the Philippines will perform for school groups. Please call (415) 557-4549 for reservations
  Main Library, Lower Level, Koret Auditorium, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
  100 Larkin Street (near Grove)
• May 27
  Carved in Silence - The documentary film Carved in Silence focuses on the detention of Chinese immigrants at Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay.
  Chinatown Branch Library, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m
  1135 Powell Street (near Jackson)

“Asian in America”
Thursdays at Noon Large Screen Videos -
Main Library, Lower Level, Koret Auditorium,
100 Larkin Street

May 4
The Wedding Banquet – A gay Chinese man living in New York enters into a sham wedding to keep his parents happy. Directed by Ang Lee.

May 11
Snow Falling on Cedars – The murder of a fisherman and the subsequent trial of a suspect in Washington state causes tension between whites and Japanese Americans.

May 18
Better Luck Tomorrow – Asian honor roll students act out in defiance against the forces that control their lives.

May 25
The Joy Luck Club – The stories of four native-born Chinese women and their American-born daughters. Based on the novel by Amy Tan.

All programs and events are free and open to the public. For more information, please call (415) 557-4277.