Asian American Virtual Histories

Asian American Virtual Histories is an intergenerational oral history project. Originally conceived in collaboration with Balay Kreative, the collected interviews of this initiative conducted with recognized trailblazers like Jessica Hagedorn and Leland Wong, and emerging artists alike, illuminate Kearny Street Workshop’s 50 years of community arts dating back to the height of the Asian American Movement. All videos are presented in 360 VR format.

Acclaimed poet and novelist, Jessica Hagedorn, was born and raised in the Philippines and came to the United States in her early teens. Her novels include Toxicology, Dream Jungle, The Gangster Of Love, and Dogeaters, winner of the American Book Award and a finalist for the National Book Award. She frequented KSW's writing workshops in the 70s which is dramatized in her book and stage play, Gangster of Love.

Leland Wong's art has been part of the Bay Area’s Asian American community for more than fifty years. He grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown and joined up with Kearny Street Workshop in the 70s as he came to prominence as a highly regarded screen print designer and photographer.

Vida Kuang was raised by a Toisan matriarch and the streets of Chinatown. She is an artist and educator. Her education comes from growing up in her family’s corner store, her work with youth in San Francisco, and community elders who mentor her growth. As a visual storyteller, her work centers her communities’ stories alongside a legacy of cultural workers, whose labor keeps her communities thriving. Recently her work was featured in KSW's Dreaming People's History exhibition at SFPL.

Rupert Estanislao is an accomplished poet and musician having fronted the bands Eskapo and more recently, Aninoko, and is one of the founders of Aklasan Records. As a poet he's appeared on Def Poetry Jam and as 1/3rd of the spoken word troupe, Suicide Kings. Rupert is a mainstay in the SoMa community as both an artist and organizer.

Son of Paper (SOP) is a songwriter and performing artist that blends Conscious Hip-Hop flows with R&B grooves and East Asian influences, reflecting the rich and diverse cultural heritage of our community. Son of Paper is active in the Chinatown community organizing showcases and workshops and is a featured artist for KSW's annual multi-disciplinary arts festival, APAture.

Joël Tan is a poet, cultural activist and currently the Executive Director of the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. He is the author of three collections of poetry with essays, stories, performances, and visual works published and produced by diverse academic and commercial venues. From 2004-2015, Joel served as the Director of Community Engagement at YBCA and has spent 30+ years promoting Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) in Public Health, the Arts, Education, and Holistic Centers.

Clara Hsu is a Chinese American poet born in Hong Kong. She is a mother, piano teacher, traveler, actor, translator, poet, playwright, purveyor of Clarion Music Center (1982-2005) and Executive Director of Clarion Performing Arts Center (2016 to present) in Chinatown. Clara received the Jefferson Award for public service in 2021.

Mary Claire Amable is a Filipina-American writer born and raised in the South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco. Claire's writing reflects the circumstances of her upbringing; from witnessing the obstacles her immigrant parents face to the struggles of being a minority in the second most expensive city in the US. She hopes her writings resonate and accurately portray the realities of immigrant Filipino families living in the SoMa.