Workshop: Musings and Mahjong Play

Explore and experience the Asian diaspora through mahjong.

For many, the sound of clacking mahjong tiles conjures deep-seated memories of late night parties, specific family members, and cultural traditions. In this book talk, Nicole Wong, author of Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora will discuss how mahjong is both a unifier and point of distinction across the Asian diaspora. She will discuss a brief history of the game and its growing popularity in the United States and beyond.

A panel discussion featuring Aureen Almario, Bindlestiff Studio's artistic director, and local wellness advocate Dyanna Volek, and guided mahjong gameplay (both Chinese and Filipino styles) will follow the book talk. Attendees are welcome to play on their own without an instructor as well.

Copies of Mahjong: House Rules from Across the Asian Diaspora will be available for purchase at this event.

Registration required: Please click on blue register button to sign up for this event. 

Registration opens Wednesday, April 1.

Nicole Wong is a writer and audio producer based in Oakland, California. She started The Mahjong Project in 2019—part instructional guide, part oral history project, to document her family’s house rules and place them in the broader history and diaspora of the game itself. She has been featured in The Washington Post, The Associated Press, NPR, Axios, Vogue and more.

Connect: The Mahjong Project - website | Instagram

Aureen Almario is currently the Artistic Director of Bindlestiff Studio, where she has developed and honed her skills on acting, writing, directing, puppetry and comedy since 2004. She is the co-founder of sketch comedy troupe Granny Cart Gangstas (GCG) which celebrated their 10 year anniversary in 2023 with the show PWET. Her work explores the intersection of immigration, identity, diaspora, gender and labor and she is currently developing a multi-disciplinary performance art project, Bulong. Last year, she did an artist residency at Memeraki Arts in Limassol, Cyprus for the video installation project Body of Work: Work of Body with Yawen Chien. 

Connect: Aureen Almario - website

Dyanna Volek is a San Francisco native and wellness advocate who grew up playing Filipino-style mahjong with her Abuelita and family in the Outer Sunset. She brought her love of connecting communities with her experience playing mahjong when she co-hosted a Filipino mahjong night at Mr. Mahjong's, highlighting mahjong as both a cultural tradition and a way to bring people together.

Connect: Dyanna Volek - website