“Song of Myself: A Celebration of Asian-American Poetry”

Maplewood Arts & Culture celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a special poetry performance by Michelle Myers and Anu Mahadev. “Song of Myself” pays tribute to AAPI women’s art and activism.

 MICHELLE MYERS is an award-winning poet and educator. Appearing on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam as a founding member of Yellow Rage, Michelle harnesses her experiences as a biracial Korean American woman to create work that raises awareness and builds community. Her writing has been published in Apiary, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Title Magazine, Brevity, and USA Today. Her work also has received recognition from the Leeway Foundation, Loft Literary Center, Asian Arts Initiative, and Dodge Poetry Program. Michelle currently serves on the Advisory Board of The Berrie Center, and her CCPTV show Drop the Mic has been nominated for six Emmys. Finally, Michelle’s poetry is featured in the NY Times bestseller Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now (Mariner: Houghton Harcourt. March 2022) and is being published in the forthcoming book My Life: Growing Up Asian in America (MTV Books: Simon & Schuster. May 2022).

Anu Mahadev is a left-brained engineer who morphed into a right-brained poet. She is a New Jersey based poet and a 2016 MFA graduate of Drew University. She serves as editor-in-chief of Jaggery Lit - a literary journal for the South Asian diaspora. She is also the poetry editor for the Wild Word and the Woman Inc.  Her poetry collection titled 'a mouthful of sky' is available now from Get Fresh Books - a non profit publication organization. She lives in Maplewood with her husband and son, and loves music, books and walking her dog. 

 Doors Open 7:30PM | Event starts at 8PM