Contributor Bios

Fiction Contributors

Geri Lipschultz (Wong) earned her M.F.A. from the University of Iowa and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts. She has been published in numerous literary journals, including but not limited to: the North Atlantic Review, Kalliope, College English, The New York Times, Adelina Magazine, and Black Warrior Review. Professor Lipschultz currently teaches English at the State University of New York, Suffolk County Community College as part of the university’s adjunct faculty.

Heidi Kathleen Kim is a doctoral candidate in the English department and an adjunct faculty member of the Asian American Studies Program at Northwestern University. She graduated with B.A. in Biochemical Sciences and Foreign Language Citation in French from Harvard University. While Ms. Kim has published numerous works of non-fiction and scholarly research, “To Herself” is her first fiction publication.

Kim Hoang Nguyen is a broadcast journalist who has worked as a producer at ABC News in both Los Angeles and New York City and as an assignment editor for San Francisco’s KRON-TV. Ms. Nguyen has also worked previously on “Good Morning America,” CBS Entertainment-Television Network, KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, the Orange County NewsChannel, CNN, and the Metropolitan News Company. She is a graduate from the University of Southern California and affiliated with the Asian American Journalists Association, the Minorities in Broadcast Training Program, and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “Final Bouquet” is her first fiction publication.

Poetry Contributors

Elaine Low is the 2007-2008 Ford Fellow with the Japanese American Citizens League, the nation's oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization. She graduated summa cum laude from Dominican University with a journalism major and a philosophy minor. Her work has appeared in several Asian American news publications, including the Rafu Shimpo in Los Angeles, CA and the Hokubei Mainichi in San Francisco, CA. Ms. Low currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai is a Brooklyn-based spoken word artist who has been featured at over 250 shows world-wide, including three seasons of “HBO Def Poetry.” Her publications include: We Don’t Need Another Wave: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists (Seal Press), We Got Issues! A Young Woman’s Guide to a Bold, Courageous, and Empowered Life (Inner Ocean Publishing), and The Spoken Word Revolution Redux (Sourcebooks, Inc.). She is a Kundiman Fellow and recipient of a 2007 New York Foundation for the Arts Urban Artist Initiative/NYC Fellowship. For more information, see Ms. Tsai’s website at http://www.yellowgurl.com.

Eddy Zheng is an activist based in Oakland, California, who was incarcerated at the age of 16 and served 21 years in prison. Eddy and his family immigrated to Oakland from China when he was 12 years old in 1982. At 16, he and his friends participated in kidnapping to commit robbery; he was arrested and pleaded guilty. Charged as an adult, eddy as sentenced to 7 years to life with the possibility of parole. He earned his college degree while in captivity, participated in youth and religious programs, organized San Quentin State Prison's first poetry slam, written and published two magazines and articles on his experience as an Asian American prisoner, the importance of Ethnic Studies classes, and Buddhism. After receiving parole in 2005, Mr. Zheng was transferred into an immigration detention facility by the Department of Homeland Security, which now seeks his deportation for the crime he committed as a teenager. He currently works for the Community Youth Center in San Francisco and visits schools to speak with and counsel at-risk youth about the importance of education, self-respect, individual responsibility, and community awareness. For more information, see Eddy Zheng’s website at http://www.eddyzheng.com.

Non-Fiction Contributors

Kim Nguyen is a college senior at the University of Texas at Austin where she double-majors in Advertising and Asian American Studies and minors in Business Administration. She is a recipient of a Senior Fellowship in the College of Communications Honors Program. Ms. Nguyen currently resides in Austin, Texas.

Xiaochen Su is a college sophomore at Yale University where he serves as Associate Director of Advertising for the Yale Herald newspaper and Director of Finance for the Yale Politic magazine. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including but not limited to: the Change a Life Foundation Scholarship, Reuben Jeffery 1911 Scholarship, President’s Volunteer Service Award, Presidential Freedom Scholarship Award, and the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarship Award. Xiaochen Su is probably best known for his controversial article in the Yale Daily News, titled “U.S. cannibalizes self by enabling immigrants, poor,” which incited national controversy.

Lesley Arca obtained her B.A. from Northwestern University, double-majoring in Asian American Studies and Biological Sciences. She is the first person to graduate from Northwestern University with an Asian American Studies major for which she has been recognized with the Asian American Studies Program's Outstanding Achievement in Asian American Studies Award. During college, she was highly involved in numerous organizations and academics. Ms. Arca currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Art Contributors

Wynne Leung is an Asian Canadian who obtained an H.B.A. (Honours B.A.) in New Media and Visual Performing Arts at the University of Toronto. As a painter, her main medium is acrylic, and prefers to paint on large canvases. As a young artist, Ms. Leung has already been featured in major publications, including the University of Toronto Press, and Eye Weekly Toronto. In addition, the Student Annual Jury Show at the University of Toronto selected and showcased her paintings. Ms. Leung currently works in arts and media for YTV & Discovery Kids (a Canadian channel). For more information on Ms. Leung and her work, please visit her site at http://www.wyninspires.com.

Gayle Wheatley is a professional artist who specializes in fun, fashionable, and irresistibly glamorous illustrations and vibrant, dream-like, and delightfully textured paintings. Her artwork is heavily influenced by Asian culture, mythology, feminist thought, and her many globe trekking adventures. Originally from California, she has lived abroad in both Italy and Japan, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. Her work has been widely published and exhibited across the United States, Europe, and Japan and her art can be found in numerous private collections around the world. To view her artwork, visit http://www.gaylewheatley.com.

Jane Geam is currently attending Parsons School of Design for her M.A. in Media Studies/Film Production with an emphasis on Media Management. She obtained her B.A in Cinema and Cultural Studies from Stony Brook University and was a member of the Asian American Journal, a student run journalism club that focused on stories dealing with Asian Americans. She is highly interested in journalism, and making independent short films on a vast array of topics. Up to date her most recent short was a documentary on the revival of burlesque in NYC. She currently works for NBC Universal in marketing and will ultimately pursue making a feature film.

Stephen Hew was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and raised in California. He is a J.D. candidate at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Mr. Hew received his undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering at the University of Santa Cruz, California, where he honed his photography skills in the scenic Bay Area setting. He has been shooting fine art photography since the age of 17, specializing in wedding, landscape, and travel photography. He has photographed Asia, Mexico, and Europe, and locally in the Bay Area. Mr. Hew is actively involved in the Asian American Bar Association, Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, and Equal Justice Society. In addition, he lends his photography skills to various student groups at the law school. For more information on Stephen Hew’s work, please visit his website at http://www.BerkeleyPhotographer.com.

Heewon Sohn obtained her M.F.A. in Design Technology from the Parsons School of Design and her B.A. in Media Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her video installations and other works have been widely featured in art galleries throughout New York. Ms. Sohn's graphic designs have been highly sought after by both large and small companies. She currently works as a project manager at an international furniture design corporation.