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BIPOC Reading Series – May
This monthly reading series is intended to prioritize the safety, creativity, and stories of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color.
Come listen to our featured readers, or sign up to share your work in our open mic. Readings will be followed by a short community discussion. Hosted by Kyle Yoshioka and Jessica Meza-Torres.
The featured readers for May are Jen Shin and Shawon Shorter, and the theme is “Release”.
This event is open to everyone, but only people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color will be invited to read. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Meza-Torres at jmezatorres24@gmail.com or Kyle Yoshioka at kyle.yoshioka@gmail.com.
Jessica Meza-Torres
Jessica Meza-Torres is from San Jose, CA. She is a co-host at the BIPOC Reading Series, sometimes writer, sometimes designer, and always Mexican. She writes about the light at the end of the tunnel.
Kyle Yoshioka
Kyle Yoshioka thinks and writes a lot about belonging. He is the founder and editorial director of Provecho, a publication about the intersection of food and identity, and co-hosts the BIPOC Reading Series at Literary Arts. His writing projects have been supported by the Independent Publishing Resource Center, the McCormack Writing Center Workshop (formerly the Tin House Workshop), and the Andy Warhol Foundation's Precipice Fund. Kyle is working on his debut novel about a multigenerational Japanese American family that explores whether inheritance is destiny.
Jen Shin
Jen Shin is a Korean American writer, baker, and mental health advocate with more than a decade in recovery from alcoholism and bulimia. She is currently at work on Bad Magic, a coming-of-age addiction memoir which examines how we return to our true selves after reality and illusion become one. She is a 2023 Periplus Fellow and has received support from Anaphora Arts, Fish Trap, Stove Works, and the Regional Arts & Culture Council. In 2021, she published Have You Received Previous Psychotherapy or Counseling? through zines + things and her essays can be found in The Rumpus, Memoir Magazine, Oregon Humanities, and elsewhere.
Shawon Shorter
Shawon Shorter is a lifelong writer whose journey began with journaling creative nonfiction and personal essays in blogs. In 2022, Shawon seized the opportunity to further their education and hone their writing skills at Portland’s Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC), completing the Prose program with distinction in 2023. Beyond writing, Shawon finds inspiration in learning how to DJ, exploring esoteric and spiritual practices, and gliding along on their longboard. These diverse passions along with familial influence shape Shawon's creative expression, influencing the stories they weave.
