I am so proud of angels Andra Palchick, Heidi Ratanavanich, and Connie Yu for putting together this gorgeous project and am honored to witness and be part of it from the start!
FORTUNE in the Year of the Pig 2019 was a Philadelphia-based publication project, assembled by and for queer Asian publics. Each of 13 monthly issues combines letterpress and risograph printing, features multiple contributors, and is released through community gathering.
1: NEW YEAR — celebrating lunar, dumpling-folding, blessings by Miss Piggy Lee
2: CORRESPONDENCE — studio nite @Andra's, postcards, italian sausage bao
3: ABOUT — wait for it —
4: TECHNOLOGIES — big-screen presentations (Noemi! Eva! Quinha!) at the round table, self-spinning lazy susan, livestreamed karaoke, fruit service by Pear Ware, Eva's lightboxes @High Tide Gallery
5: BLOOM — picnic, passing sticky rice, badminton by the Southeast Asian market @FDR Park
6: SWEAT — work & play @Truelove Seeds Farm, lettuce-bearing ritual, how to save seeds, sudden rain
7: SOURCE — beach day send-off, strong wind and sand, warm water, fish snacks @Mike's
8: HARVEST — potluck @Heidi’s, debut khao man gai, shepherd’s purse wontons, shoyu cured eggs, biore nose strips for all
9: GARMENT — clothing swap @Andra's, sew jobs, egg drop ribbons, pig blanket hallo-weenies, many treats
10: CHANCE — BYO game @Connie's, wheel of fortune: a scratch-off, mahjong, cards, mystery egg rolls
11. TAKE CARE — hotpot :-) byo ingredient, dinner steam, marbled nails, warm dessert soup
12. WANING — A LUNAR NEW YEAR PARTY @The Rotunda in collaboration with Sarah Kim; jubilation, grace, variety
13: WAXING — returning home — potluck @Heidi’s, DIY buffet & karaoke, our hearts will go on
Early in the year, Feini Yin shared a Topic article with the group: “The Forgotten Zine of 1960s Asian-American Radicals,” which featured this amazing photo of Gidra zine staff posing in protest of the exploitation of Asian-American women, taken sometime in the 60’s in California. Seeing this photo inspired me to facilitate a re-make with everyone who showed up to one of those early gatherings at Heidi’s spot in West Philly, to the right. I hope this photo helps to remind us of legacy of radical activism we inherit and build upon. The emergence of this group has been so special to me and may be the first time in my life I've had the experience of being in a room full of API peers, which is an inexplicably special and healing feeling. I know I'm not the only one of us that feels this way too! For this I am indebted to Fortune. Collage version here.
(from left to right) back: Eva Wǒ, Khristina Acosta, Carol Zou, Shreya, Fèini Yǐn, Miki Palchick, Sophie Sarkar, Elaine S Holton; middle: Kirby McKenzie, Ankit Rastogi, Ila Krishna Kumar, Meesh, Lisa Pradham, Marria Nakhoda, Quinha Faria; front: Oki Sogumi, Heidi Ratanavanich, & Connie Yu
