HOME MADE @ ARTogether is a gathering space for immigrant and refugee writers in the Bay Area. We host readings, panel discussions, craft workshops, and writer meet-ups to connect, cultivate, and celebrate the stories and storytellers from our diasporic communities.
Our events frequently feature performances and intimate conversations on craft, the writer’s journey, and on the questions that inform the poetic practice of immigrants and refugees, including themes of displacement, migration, generational trauma, belonging, and mental health. Expanded from Edward Gunawan’s HOME MADE storytelling project, our gatherings seek to build an empowering and nourishing space for local immigrant and refugee literary artists.
Past readers have included Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Dawn Angelicca Barcelona, Noun Abdelaziz, Zêdan Xelef, and Samantha Cosentino.
Know of a writer whose work will be suitable for our series or have an idea for a future gathering? Reach out to us at michelle@artogether.org. All writers receive an honorarium for their participation.
Michelle Lin (she/they) is a cultural worker and the author of A House Made of Water (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2017) a poetry collection about the inheritance of stories and cyclical nature of trauma. She co-hosts We Won’t Move: A Living Archive, a podcast from Kearny Street Workshop about local Asian Pacific American arts activism. Her poetry has been published in over 30 literary journals, and was anthologized in Bettering American Poetry, a book series seeking to dismantle the gatekeeping, tokenization, and marginalization of poets of color. She is ARTogether’s Artist Support Program Director.
Photo credit: Mish Lapitan
Edward Gunawan (he/they) is the author of two chapbooks: The Way Back (winner of Start a Riot! Prize, Foglifter Press, 2022) and Press Play (Sweet Lit, 2020). As writer, producer, actor, and/or director, he has completed over 25 feature and short films throughout his 15 year+ career. Other publications include TriQuarterly, Aquifer, and Intimate Strangers anthology (Signal 8, 2020). An Indonesian-born Chinese queer immigrant, Edward now resides on Ohlone land in Oakland, CA where he hosts and curates creative community gatherings. More info at addword.com.