Events

Also-Known-As and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop are thrilled to welcome back Nicole Chung, in conversation with Crystal Hana Kim, to celebrate the paperback release of her critically acclaimed memoir A Living Remedy. 

From the bestselling author of All You Can Ever Know comes a searing memoir of family, class, and grief—a daughter’s search to understand the lives her adoptive parents led, the life she forged as an adult, and the lives she’s lost. Exploring the enduring strength of family bonds in the face of hardship and tragedy, Nicole Chung examines what it takes to reconcile the distance between one life, one home, and another—and sheds needed light on some of the most persistent and grievous inequalities in American society.

Books will be available for purchase from our friends at Yu & Me Books. 

This in-person event will also be live-streamed for folks who are outside of the NYC area. RSVPs are required for all attendees, and masks are required for all in-person attendees. 

RSVP Here or using the button above: https://forms.gle/aT9xVzP6mFwY68uH9 [60 in-person max capacity]

Praise for A Living Remedy

“A Living Remedy is a profoundly moving account of one daughter’s love for her white adoptive parents and a damning indictment of the healthcare system that failed them. Nicole Chung writes with nuance and empathy about what it means to be ill and economically insecure in America today. She transforms her rage and anguish into luminous prose on the page, and the result is one of the most devastating portraits of a daughter’s grief I have ever read.” —Julie Otsuka, author of The Swimmers

“Like the best memoirs, Nicole Chung’s A Living Remedy is both an excavation of the self and the people who sustain it—but also, at its core, a work of art undergirded by a tender, forgiving, and awe-filled gaze at what it means to live and hurt in the human world. The result is a bone-deep enactment of love in all its valences.” —Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

*RSVP by Friday, April 19*

🥟 Did you know that there are over 160+ notable types of dumplings around the world? These yummy pieces of dough heaven wrapped around unique cultural fillings make anyone abundantly happy and full. Join us as we learn to fold jiǎozi (饺子), or Chinese dumplings with the one and only, 👩🏻🍳 Hope Johnson and sip at TapHaus33!

You probably know 👩🏻‍🍳 Hope from her time serving on the Board of Directors, her delicious food you may have tried before, or trying to catch her on the sports field.

Join us in April as adoptee leaders discuss their experiences volunteering with children in the social welfare system within their birth country. Aspects covered will include:

✔️ Why they got involved

✔️ Overall considerations to think about as an adoptee

✔️ What to look out for

✔️ The emotional toll this kind of effort may take for adoptees

RSVP for this in-person event here or using the button above.

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Thanks to our speakers: Also-Known-As founding member and current treasurer Mark Fermi, former Also-Known-As president and current Advisory Committee member Mike Mullen, former Board of Directors member Lindsay Fasano, and Janie Mortell.

We’re pleased to team up with Lost Lit Writing Workshops and writer/founder Lynne Connor to co-host a reading of Susan Kiyo Ito’s new debut memoir, I Would Meet You Anywhere, this spring!

After the reading, Susan will be in conversation with Alice Stephens, author of Famous Adopted People.

Please note seating is very limited. RSVPs will be honored on a first come, first serve basis.

Wondering how to incorporate your identity as an adoptee into a more meaningful way of life? Join us for this virtual event to hear from inspiring figures who have intentionally embraced their experiences as adoptees in their work and personal narratives, propelling them toward a path of purpose.

Featured guests Angela Tucker and Dan Matthews (danAKAdan) will exemplify what it looks like to parlay one's adoption journey into a life and/or career of meaning and impact. In a group interview/discussion, each will share their story and insights into how they turned their experiences into personal and professional progress.

Bring in the month of March like a lion with an Also-Known-As Happy Hour! 🦁🌱

😁 No RSVP is required! We welcome new and returning faces!

💲 Pay your own way

Also-Known-As is thrilled to welcome back Dr. LiLi Johnson!

Where does “adoptee” fit in the politics of identity? And how have contemporary “identity politics” shaped how adoptees understand their own relationship to intersectional issues like racism, oppression, and privilege? This adoptee-only discussion will explore these questions and more. Together, we will situate the positionality of Asian adoptees within the historical and cultural contexts of identity politics and solidarity building.

‍Lili Johnson. Ph.D. is a Chinese adoptee and an assistant professor of Gender & Women’s Studies and English at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her research focuses on Asian American family and kinship, racial formation and multiculturalism, and visual culture. Her book project titled Technologies of Kinship: Asian American Racial Formation and the Making of Family analyzes the role of different technologies, like photography and government bureaucracy, in Asian American family formation from the twentieth century to the present. She was previously an assistant professor of Asian American Studies and Gender & Women’s Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.

🥘 One of the best ways to learn about, or reconnect with, a culture is through its cuisine. Join us on Saturday, February 24th, from 12pm-2pm as we explore Pier57’s Global Food Market which covers food from China, Japan, India, Thailand, Mexico, Italy, and more. In honor of Lunar New Year, we will be handing out mooncakes 🥮 and small treats (on a first come, first serve basis). Let’s travel the world and bridge cultural gaps one bite at a time. 🌎

Graphic design by: Angela Antonio

It’s okay to not be okay. Let’s start the year off by making mental health a priority. In this educational forum event, several adoptee mental health professionals will share their advice for checking in with yourself, seeking out support through therapy and community, and overcoming some of the most common obstacles to finding an adoptee-sensitive therapist—then getting the most out of the counseling experience.

Together with experts Tate Benson, LMSW; Jessica Kim Gruber, LMFT; and Cam Lee Small, MS LPCC, we’ll create a safe space to recognize and validate challenging emotions specific to adoptees and discuss healthy ways to move forward.

As we wrap up 2023, mark your calendars for our first event in 2024. Also-Known-As is kicking off the new year with a Happy Hour!