Grab a snack and favorite beverage, turn on your computer, and sit back to enjoy a beautiful hour of BIPOC adoptee voices, community, and Palestinian solidarity.
- Date: Sunday, October 25
- Time: 3-4pm PST / 6–7pm EST
- Cost: Minimum $5
- Format: Virtual
The Zoom link will be sent right before the event; closed captions will be enabled. This will NOT be recorded or distributed.
AUTHORS
SUSAN KIYO ITO (she/her) is the author of the memoir, I Would Meet You Anywhere, published by the Ohio State University Press. It was a finalist for the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award, shortlisted for the Saroyan Prize for International Literature, and named a best book of 2023 by the Library Journal. She co-edited the literary anthology A Ghost At Heart’s Edge: Stories & Poems of Adoption. Her work has appeared in The Writer, Hyphen, Literary Mama, Catapult,The Bellevue Literary Review, Agni, Guernica, and elsewhere. She has been awarded residencies at the MacDowell Colony, The Mesa Refuge, Hedgebrook and Blue Mountain Center. Her theatrical adaption of Untold, stories of reproductive stigma, was produced at Brava Theater. She teaches at the Mills College campus of Northeastern University.
MIRELLA STOYANOVA (she/her) is a therapist, writer and international adoptee from Bulgaria of both Bulgarian and Iraqi origins. Her writing work has appeared in HuffPost Personal, Business Insider, and Write Or Die Magazine, among other places. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband and son. Find her @mirellastoyanova on Instagram or on her website, mirellastoyanova.com.
CAROLINE J SUMLIN (she/her) is a writer, speaker, and educator dedicated to helping people break free from toxic cultural norms and reclaim their self-worth. She’s the author of “We'll All Be Free: How a Culture of White Supremacy Devalues Us and How We Can Reclaim Our True Worth”, a contributing writer at The Everygirl, and dedicated homeschool parent to her two daughters. Caroline's work invites us to unlearn harmful societal conditioning and embrace a liberated, authentic life. When she’s not writing, speaking, or mumming, you can find her perfecting her at-home barista skills or playing tennis as if she’s training for Wimbledon.
***You can buy their books at the BIPOC Adoptees online bookshop.***
MEET THE FAMILIES
Tamara Abu Dayer and the Abu Dayer Family: The Abu Dayers are from Jabalia, a densely populated refugee camp in northern Gaza that has been destroyed. They have been displaced numerous times during the genocide, and thier large family has been separated to various locations. Over the past year, Tamara has become one of our closest dearest friends. To learn more about Tamara and life under occupation, here is a zine that Lisa MM Butler made to illustrate Tamara’s experience. Also, read Joon Ae’s essay, “A Debt of Gratitude” that connects Korean adoption to Palestine. Click HERE for her main fundraising page and consider setting up automatic monthly donations for sustained support.
Nida was a 23-year-old student - about to complete her degree in computer engineering - when her home was bombed. A home she shared with her parents and 6 younger siblings. After the bombing, Nida's father was taken hostage by the Israeli occupation and has yet to be heard from or released. Nida's mother suffers from chronic health conditions - made worse by the occupation's denial of food and medication in Gaza. Nida promised her father she would care for her siblings and she carries this burden alone. Her family relies on the support of others outside of Gaza to survive. Check out this cartoon that Lisa made to help amplify Nida’s story! Here is Nida’s main fundraiser page.
Stay tuned on our Instagram pages. This series goes all the way through the end of November! We will announce upcoming dates and authors when they are confirmed. Thank you!!!!
HOSTS
Joon Ae Haworth-Kaufka and Lisa MM Butler
Contact Joon Ae with questions at joonae@ajumamaworkshop.com