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Anida Rouquiyah Yoeu Esguerra is a cambodian malaysian muslim american woman who prefers a non hyphenated identity. A refugee from Cambodia, Anida strives to blur the boundaries between mediums and push content pass identity politics. Her most recent projects include: Co-editor of a new Asian American anthology Screaming Monkeys, (Coffeehouse Press 2003) and a video multimedia work-in-progress called Evolving into Me: A Biography of My Name. On days when she feels like kicking some major ass, she'll wear roach stomping shoes and start quoting Audre Lorde. Because Anida thrives on the creative process and believes in the power of collective creations she has founded organizations such as Mango Tribe, The Asian American Artists Collective-Chicago and the MONSOON arts journal based at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. She owns a graphic design business on the near westside, Atomic Kitchen Design which feeds her body. She is also a founding member and performer of the nationally recognized spoken word group, I Was Born With Two Tongues which has saved her life and continues to nourish her soul. She was a recent recipient of a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and honored with an award for community activism by the Cambodian Association of Illinois. She believes all her endeavors bring her one step closer to her dreams of world domination!
Ann Poochareon is of Chinese descent, born in the U.S., and raised in Thailand. She not only considers herself bilingual but also bicultural. Having spent a little more than a decade on each side of the world, Ann struggles to find balance between two cultures and wishes to search for her own style through art. She is a coder, a writer, a blogger, a neophyte videographer, a self-proclaimed feminist, a tech geek and burned-out dot-com worker, a sleep-deprived perfectionist, and a b-girl wannabe who is on her way to become a full fledge 'multimedia' artist, blending together art and technology. She oversees all things technical for the Tribe and is also the co-founder and editor of Lantern, an Asian American Arts and Literature Journal. This coming fall, Ann will be attending Tisch School of the Arts for a graduate study in the Interactive Telecommunications Program. She is grateful to be a mango and would like to thank the Asian American Artists Collective-Chicago for giving her the community, love, and support to grow as an artist.
Emily Chi-hua Chang is a 24-year old writer and musician who currently resides in New York. Editor at the social sciences publisher/ research think-tank Russell Sage Foundation, she also comprises one-quarter of the Chicago-based panAsian spoken word group, I Was Born With Two Tongues, which was recently named in A. Magazine's "A List" of 2001's top 25 most influential Asian Americans. Her writing has appeared in Blu Magazine, the Columbia Poetry Review, A. Magazine, and Asianweek.com; and her voice has appeared in several spoken word/music albums, including Broken Speak, Typical Cats, and Denizen Kane's newly release hip hop album, Tree City Legends. Most recently seen at The Kitchen (NY) in Fred Ho's avant-garde jazz opera, Warrior Sisters: Adventures of Asian and African Womyn Warriors, she is also co-writer/director of Mangoes, Cigarettes, and My Mama's Hands, a multimedia production featured at Chicago's Chopin Theater. She is now the New York director of Mango Tribe and is co-director / dramaturg for Mangoes' current production, Sisters in the Smoke.
Gina Bustos Obstaculo Magsombol was born and raised in Chicago and received a Bachelors of Arts in architecture. She is currently continuing in the field of architecture while simultaneously pursuing a passion for the art of spoken word: working to feed the stomach, while performing to feed the soul. Deemed as the "filipina liberation poet", she tackles issues with both insight and a vicious tongue on being a brown female in a not-so-brown world. She was a recent winner of the Steven's Point Slam competition. Her past features include Ladyfest Midwest-Chicago, League of Filipino Students Kultural Night of Resistance, Mental Graffiti, and the Univ. of Chicago's Translations: Celebration of Chinese New Year. Gina was also a cohort in the previously produced: Mangoes, Cigarettes, and My Mama's Hands.
Jennifer Cendaøa Armas- Poet, tapper, actor, singer, and teacher born and raised in nyc. her work has been seen nationally, including LA's Da Poetry Lounge, Boston's Lizard Lounge and all through New York City. a member of Blackout Arts Collective family, she has returned from their second Lyrics on Lockdown tour, a performance/workshop tour raising awareness about the prison system. She teaches nationally- everything from tap to writing to community activism and performance- with a focus on the lower east side of nyc. She studies with Savion Glover, Jason Samuels, Jimmy Tate, and Charles Goddertz, among others. She was recently published in Arnal's Anthology: Spoken Word Artists and will be seen in Ladyfest South this coming October. *I dedicate all my work to my kids.*
Jill Aguado is currently a senior undergraduate student at University of Illinois at Chicago, with a double major in Communications and English-Writing and a minor in Law in Society. She is involved in student and women's rights organizations on campus, as well as community activities thru The Asian American Arts Collective. As she nears her post-graduation crisis, Jill is thankful to be surrounded by such a strong female network of creative Mango juices and the amazing talents of her sisters in the struggle (and in the smoke!). Above all, Jill wants to encourage women to continue fighting violence within their communities and to always be heard.
Jona Mercado was born on the southside of Chicago twenty-seven years ago, raised in "da sticks", and higher-learned on the northside at Loyola University of Chicago. Recently selling out to the corporate grind for the mere bribe of a promotion, she actually finds self and smiles in her work as manager/mama to Chicago-based groups I Was Born With Two Tongues, the PACIFICS and Typical Cats. She continues to do the dayjob thing by weekday, and frolick about the country by weekend with the Yellow Technicolor and Urban Architecture 606 Tours. As an independent pinay constantly surrounded by the testosteroni of hip hop, she treasures the sistahood of the mangoes. She has no idea where she'll be a year from now (but you'll be able to find her online).
Kelly Tsai is the daughter of Taiwanese and Chinese immigrant parents. Born in the Chicago area, her work attempts to explore the idiosyncrasies of growing up as an Asian American in the Midwest, where cultures and communities are seldom static entities. She is a co-founder of Sirenz (a multicultual women's spoken word group) and an individual spoken word artist. She has been a feature performer at the Green Mill, Guild Complex, Insight Arts, Mental Graffiti, Women Outloud, the Insight Arts' Women's Performance Jam, Ladyfest Midwest, and with the Polyrhythmic Arts Collective.
Lani T. Montreal is a Filipina playwright/poet/cultural worker currently based in Chicago. Her fourth play, Sister OutLaw- about a queer love triangle about friendship, family, and 'pre-arranged marriage'- was produced by Pintig Cultural Group and Women in the Director's Chair on Dec 13-16 at the Preston Bradley Theatre. Lani's work has been published in magazines and journals in the Philippines, Canada, and the US. She is on her second year of MFA studies in Creative Writing at Roosevelt University, where she won the 2001 Ostrowsky Award for her memoir, "Summer Rain."
Marian Yalini Thambynayagam is a Queer Sri Lankan Tamil American art.rebel.warrior livin in Brooklyn who believes in tearing shit down and buildin shit up through love n revolution. She was co-founder and producer of the University of Texas's theater company of color Drive By Players with whom she produced, performed in, coordinated, directed and/or choreographed over 40 productions. She was also the co-producer of an all womyn's multimedia performance company En Route Productions. In Texas she was an organizer for the Asian American Relations Group (AARG!), Trikone Tejas, the Anti Racist Organizing Committtee (AROC) and campaigns against the death penalty and prison expansion. Marian has spoken at rallies, workshops, and conferences on topics ranging from arts & activism, expanding community, student movements, and Asian American women's issues. She's hit up the stage spiitin poetry, bustin songs n dancin magick--havin opened for hip hop groups such as Spearhead to winning slams at the Nuyorican to putting up plays at the Frontera Fringe Festival. She is currently a member of the YSS collective and SAWCC (South Asian Women's Creative Collective) as well as an anti-war activist. Marian has performed with Diaspora Flow, Women in Motion, and Sister Overpass. Most Recently she appeared in Desecendants of Freedom --A Futuristic Queer Hip Hop Odyssey. "sick of bouncin' between in betweens, i'm hopin to move to the borderlands where poetry, song, theater, and movement intersect. am lookin to reshape reality through consciousness raisin' and heart release. i seek peace through justice in the lands of earth, psyche, spirit, and dream. thanx n much luv to alla those who feed my inspiration and help me unlearn my education."
Marie Chris Castro just graduated from Michigan State University with a BFA in Studio Art/Graphic Design. Graphic Design, Art, Music and Dance are her main passions. She has been breakin' for a little over a year now. B-girlin' is her only true release. When she dances, she feels powerful and creative. Learning new moves can be frustrating at times, but the result is more than rewarding. A member of the all- female Breakin' crew, Shatterproof, Marie Chris has performed at various events in Lansing and Detroit Michigan and hopes to perform in Chicago - her new home town. She has also helped set up and organize quite a few shows in Lansing, including a Women in Hip Hop Benifit Show at Vinyl Addict Records in East Lansing last April, where there was an open discussion about the struggles of women in Hip Hop, as well as performances by female Breakers and Deejays and graffiti pieces by women. All proceeds went to various women organizations. Marie Chris's heart and mind is open to anything-and as she says, "I love new adventures and I love to challenge my creative soul."
Michelle Alba is an artist who is currently dedicating whatever time/space/money/braincells that haven't been sucked in by the 9-5 to her love of photography. A jill-of-all-trades, Michelle has contributed drawings, photographs and paintings to the literary journal and various shows of the Asian American Artists Collective since 1995, co-edited MONSOON in 1998, performed in the Collective's Re: 911 show this past February, and is happily giving props and snapping away backstage for Mango Tribe. Michelle is also proud to be a creative mentor in the Redmoon Theater's Dramagirls program, where the girls seem to "school" her more than she does them.
Micole Los Baøes is a 22 year old woman with a youthful spirit, born and raised in Chicago. She is enthused about life and eager to learn everything it has to offer. She is currently working towards her doctorate in Pharmacy and is trying to find that delicate balance of juggling school, 2 jobs, her family, and other extra-curricular activities, remembering to breathe each time. As a true Filipina at heart-with a hint of flava n' soul, Micole has a strong sense of spirituality. She hopes that she can share her personal experiences and struggles with others to help provide guidance and courage for other young women on a similar journey. Micole joins in this journey of self-discovery with other Asian American women and hopes that through this production and with the help of God and her loved ones, her search will be complete and her purpose in life will be manifested.
Phloe was fortunate enough to have her stars align at the right time in chicago, illinois. such an alignment caused her to to utilize the arts by taking accepted amerikan norms and traditions of the caricature juxtaposed with hip hop culture to express her take on social, political, race and gender issues. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and a Masters in Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, California. Her current projects include being the featured artist and only woman in the premiere publication of the Los Angeles-based, hip hop magazine RHIME and a contributor to the also LA-based Disorient journal. She spends the rest of her time trippin on vacuous art forms while also being able to stare in humbled awe at the good stuff. Phloe presently resides in Southern California.
Pradeepa Jeevamanoharan is the co-founder of a non-profit arts organization dedicated to providing a forum for artists of color and facilitating connections between artists and youth. She is also a dancer with Women in Motion and has debuted solo work in New York and Minneapolis. She has been involved as an intern with Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Little Earth Residents Association, and Center for Victims of Torture for the last eight years. She graduated from University of Minnesota in 2000. She is currently working with youth focusing on Art and Actvism at Community Learning Program, an altervtive high school in St. Paul.
San Tong San Tong is an artist and documentarian
currently living in New York City. She is part of several art collectives
and likes the communities she has found in New York. She stage-managed
a play called "Cowboy Mouth" written by Sam Sheppard and Patti Smith that
performed at the CBGB Lounge and Surf Reality. She was also stage manager
for a multimedia production called "The Bigger Thing" at the Red Room
Theater. Her visual art includes an origami mobile and 2 video/film installations
for different artshows with Working Artist Meeting Point (WAMP). She has
also done various projects with a film group called Reel Sweet Betty and
her video short "Brooklyn Cityscape" was part of a show organized by AVIATE.
Lately, video has been a medium through which she's been able to do activist
work. She was part of the "OpenHumanMinds" crew that did "How the WEF
was Won" a documentary about the protests against the World Economic Forum.
Currently she works with the 5th Night Screenplay and Short Film Series
at the Nuyorican Poets Cafi and she is also working on a documentary about
women in prison. She will be part of the production crew for a feature
length film called "El Segundo" (where she lost her wallet.) She likes
fiery dragons.
Sharmili Majmudar is a Chicago-based South
Asian writer and social justice activist, the daughter of Gujarati Indian
immigrants. Her writing has been published in Contours of the Heart: South
Asians Map North America and Riksha. She has frequently been caught poetizing
and rabble-rousing with Mango Tribe and other fierce wordsmiths in Chicago
and across the U.S. Sharmili serves on the board of directors of the Asian
American Artists Collective Chicago and of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered
Women's Network and is a proud founding member of Khuli Zaban, a South
Asian/West Asian lesbian/ bisexual/ transgender women's organization.
For her day job, Sharmili coordinates programs for survivors of domestic
violence and children affected by trauma. She’s looking forward
to traveling to Lutsen, Minnesota later this summer where she has been
awarded a residency at the Norcroft Writing Retreat for Women.
Sarwat Rumi is a Bengali American who has been writing since she could read. She has a B.A. in South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. Though Sarwat has only been sharing her work publically since the summer of 2001, she has been making up for lost time, performing often, mostly in a capacity which reflects her activist aspect as a self-proclaimed warrior against violence toward women. She works as a legal advocate at Apna Ghar ("Our Home"), a domestic violence agency which serves primarily South Asian women and their children seeking lives free from violence, which she feels connects her to her community in a constructive way, and uses all of her skills, including her creative approach to educational outreach, and her ability to speak Bengali. Sarwat's self-care consists of writing, performance, dance and drum.
Vanessa De Guia is an American Filipina who rebels against the miseducation of our Asian American youth and strives to empower them in order to unite and create positive change within our community locally and nationally. A teacher in the Chicago Public schools, Vanessa is at heart a cultural activist and an advocate for women and children in Chicago. She graduated with a major in English and a minor in Gender Studies at Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago. She founded the UIC V-Day initiative and produced and assistant directed student-run productions of The Vagina Monologues. She is a certified rape victim medical advocate. She believes that love is the key to freedom and feels blessed with this opportunity to blossom and thrive as a woman vigorously seeking peace of mind. She loves belly laughs and big juicy hugs.
Vivienne Tan is a filipina american woman born and raised in chicago. she is a closet poet, a visual artist that is inspired by the truth of hiphop and by the works of powerful women writers such as jessica haggedorn and bell hooks. vivienne feels privileged to be working with such talented women on this project and through this she hopes that all women recognize their strengths and remain strong in the face of adversity. She is currently completing her final year as a communications major at the University of Illinois Chicago and hopes to pursue further studies in Film and Media Studies.
Yasmeen Shorish "Sisters in the Smoke" marks the first collaboration between Yasmeen Shorish and the Mango Tribe. Yasmeen has designed numerous shows in Illinois including "Romeo and Juliet" and "Assasins," as well as musical acts Lanterna and My Scarlet Life. She is, however, particularly excited about this production. As an Afghan-American woman, Yasmeen is painfully aware of the stereotypes and discrimination that Asian-Americans endure everyday and she relishes every opportunity to demonstrate the realities of Afghan culture in America. She is very thankful to be a part of the intelligent and brave group of women that are Mango Tribe. For her day job, Yasmeen works for a lighting production company.
More about Sisters in the Smoke.
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