Con Dao Island, Vietnam

"Time is the substance from which I am made.
Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river;
It is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger;
It is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire."

                                                   -Jorge Luis Borges
​

Teresa Mei Chuc with Ann Phong
at Kellogg Art Gallery in Cal Poly Pomona
January 28, 2023

So very blessed and happy today to finally meet Vietnamese-American artist Ann Phong in person and see her stunning and powerful art in person at Kellogg Art Gallery in Cal Poly Pomona. Ann is an inspiration and her love for our Mother Earth and Ocean is reflected deeply in her art bringing awareness to the impact of consumer waste on the waters and land. I have known Ann Phong and her work since 2011, her artwork gracing the covers of four of my poetry books. I finally had the honor to meet her today.

University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska -
Anti-War Poetry & Story Sharing with Veteran Poets
December 1, 2022
with Teresa Mei Chuc (Vietnamese boat refugee)
& Doug Rawlings (American Veteran of Việt Nam War)

A Day of Poetry in L.A.: A Special Celebration of Poetry and Community
Saturday, August 13, 2022, 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poem, ¨Quan Âm on a Dragon."

Photo credit: Keith Martin

​Sims Library of Poetry - Asian American Pacific Islander AAPI Show, Saturday, May 14, 2022

Karo Ska, Ravina Wadhwani, Soul STUF, Ellen Webre, Teresa Mei Chuc

Teresa Mei Chuc

​LitFest Pasadena - Pasadena Rose Poets at Vroman's Bookstore Courtyard, Saturday, May 14, 2022

Shahe Mankerian, Teresa Mei Chuc, Gerda Govine Ituarte, Carla Sameth

Thank you Rick Lupert, host of Cobalt Poets, for creating this beautiful broadside of my poem to go along with my feature. Thank you to Jerry Garcia from VCP SoCal for inviting me to feature at the Cobalt Poets reading.

Click here to download pdf of broadside ​http://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/041922.pdf

​La Palabra Poetry Reading at Avenue 50 Studio on Sunday, March 27, 2022
Featuring Alicia Viguer-Espert, Teresa Mei Chuc, and Cesar Avelar. Hosted by Angelina Saenz.

Left to right: Cesar Avelar, Angelina Saenz, Teresa Mei Chuc, Alicia Viguer-Espert

---

L.A. Times article about Avenue 50 Studio
www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-04-14/avenue-50-and-eastside-art-havens-from-gentrification

​​Stories, Poems & Songs: Listening in Place -
Saturday, March 19, 2022 at Rissho Kosei Kai Buddist Center in L.A. 

LA River Public Art Project kicked off their 2022 programming with a very special early evening event March 19, 2022 from 4:00–6:30 PM. Stories, Poems & Songs: Listening in Place at Rissho Kosei Kai Buddhist Center in L.A. Address: 2707 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 The LA River Public Art Project presented an early-evening salon with Tongva culture bearer Tina Calderon, the Regenerative Collective, and poetry readings by Kelly Caballero, Teresa Mei Chuc, A.K. Toney, Rocío Carlos and Rachel Kaminer. Poet, journalist and professor Mike the Poet was host and moderator for the evening. Special screening of LARPAP’s 2021 Lewis MacAdams Prize video by award-winning director Rodrigo Ribera d’Ebre followed. Photo credit: LA River Public Art Project

​Sims Poetry Library in Inglewood, California

Aug. 9, 2021. Libraries hold a special place in our communities. Growing up, the library was a safe and quiet place for me to be, a home. Libraries are also a home for books that are kept for generations to come. I am honored and grateful that the first printing of my book, Red Thread, though now out-of-print, has a home and can be found at Sims Poetry Library in Inglewood, California. Truly, this is where poetry lives beyond our own lives. Please support and donate to Sims Poetry Library, a black-owned library that we are blessed to have in our community. https://www.simslibraryofpoetry.org/

​Los Angeles Poet Society 10 Year Anniversary Party
November 25, 2019 at 7 p.m.

​Woodbury University, The First Annual Page and Stage Conference
​October 25, 2019

Roundtable: Publishing Difference: How to Steward Diverse Content(s)

Woodbury University, First Annual Stage and Page Conference. Teresa Mei Chuc, Founder, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of Shabda Press

​REFLECTIONS/REFRACTIONS - Ten literary artists share their work inspired by a still or moving image from  AT FIRST LIGHT: THE DAWNING OF ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICA in the upstairs galleries of the Japanese American National Museum. The literary works were performed  on Thursday, September 19, 2019 at 7 p.m. Location: Tateuchi Democracy Forum, 111 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, Little Tokyo. Admission: Free to the public. Teresa read her poem, ¨On the other side of the ocean.¨ 
​ https://vcmedia.org/latest-news/reflectionsrefractions

​LitFest Pasadena
Southland Poets Laureate: A Celebration of Literature
Saturday, May 18, 2019, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
at The Stand in Pasadena, CA 

From left to right: Ron Koertge (South Pasadena Poet Laureate), Charles Flowers (West Hollywood Poet Laureate), Teresa Mei Chuc and Hazel Clayton Harrison (Altadena Poets Laureate), and John Brantingham (Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Poet Laureate) 

​
Poetry & Cookies
Altadena Poetry Review: Anthology 2019 
Book Release and Potluck
Altadena Public Library
Sunday, April 28, 2019
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Altadena Poets Laureate Teresa Mei Chuc & Hazel Clayton Harrison

Poets & writers published in the Altadena Poetry Review: Anthology 2019 read their work to an audience of over 100.

​Kalamazoo Poetry Festival
Saturday, April 13, 2019

Kalamazoo, Michigan

This is why I write. I'm so grateful to Jennifer Clark for sharing my poem, "Photosynthesis," with her fifth grade students from Woodward School in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  I am so honored, grateful and moved that these four students were on stage reading my poem, "Photosynthesis," at the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival.  --Teresa Mei Chuc 

Click here to read "Photosynthesis" http://www.moondaypoetry.com/teresa-mei-chuc-2013.html

​Hi Teresa,

I don’t know where to start this story….

I’ve been volunteering this year with two fifth grade boys who requested a “Poetry Club” during their lunch/recess time. They have much going on in their young lives and poetry, as you know, can really be healing. We’ve been meeting monthly over their lunch time and discussing poetry and doing some exercises. They loved a puzzle poem I prepared for them: cut up words from Shel Silverstein’s “The Mask.”  They played with the words and arranged a poem out of it and then we read the actual poem. We had great fun considering how they were similar and different. They decided they wanted to create puzzle poems for their teacher and principal. And then they decided every teacher, secretary and staff in their school should get an egg. And since the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival was coming up, could they do something for that?  

So…it has evolved into quite a project, so much so that we needed to get their 5th grade English class involved with cutting and stuffing the eggs. While the students cut up poems by Shel Silverstein, William Carlos Williams, and Langston Hughes for the elementary staff (that they can use with their classes), they cut up your poem for the festival. I thought your “Photosynthesis” would be perfect (the theme for this year’s festival is “the body”). I read it aloud to the kids as they were cutting it up. I wasn’t expecting the kids to fully get it, but some were visibly moved by your words. They loved thinking about themselves/their bodies as plants. One little boy raised his hand. (The teacher was surprised because he never contributes in class.) He said he liked how “she writes about her son—s-o-n while also writing about the sun—s-u-n!” We also talked about how bad things can happen, people can say mean things to us and hurt our feelings, but we can do as the poet suggests to her son and “Take the waste people breathe out/and make it into something that/will keep you alive, create oxygen…”  Such a timeless and good message to share, especially these days.  

So…….The Kalamazoo Poetry Festival is coming up in two weeks and on Friday night, April 12th as part of the Celebration of Community Poets event, your poem, “Photosynthesis” will be part of it! Underneath 16 chairs in the Civic Auditorium (where reading is occurring) will be sixteen sparkly eggs taped to the undersides, each nesting an individual line and one with the title/your name from the poem. One of the students will explain the project, read your poem (crediting you, of course) to the audience, and invite the egg winners to meet up after the reading to put the poem together.

Thank you for writing such a beautiful poem. I hope you feel good about this. I will take some pictures and send them to you! 

Hope this finds you well,


Jennifer

*   *   *

Hi Teresa,

The fifth graders from Woodward School in Kalamazoo did your poem proud! While the Kalamazoo Poetry Festival doesn't yet have up photos (they had a photographer and videographer for the event) on their Facebook or web page yet, another site, Humans of Kalamazoo captured some of the images from Friday night. As you scroll through the photos, you can see some Shabda Press books on the table hosted by Dean at Michigan News. The photo of the 4 children on stage is when your poem was read. It was one of the hits of the night! People were tremendously moved by both the poem and how well they young man read it. Here's link to those photos:  https://www.facebook.com/HumansOfKzoo/photos/pcb.2138604126256546/2138603099589982/?type=3&theater

All the best,

Jennifer

​A Garden of Verses, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
​Saturday, April 6, 2019
Teresa Mei Chuc reads with the Los Angeles County Poets
​at the Johnson Memorial Oval
hosted by Marcyn Del Clements

​
​Domestic Violence Advocate

On February 24, 2019, Teresa completed a 40-Hour Domestic Violence Advocate Training (California Evidence Code 1037.1) and is a certified Domestic Violence Advocate. ​

​Vice Mayor Kennedy's Annual Holiday Celebration

 Sunday, December 2, 2018 from 3:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at the Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut Street, Pasadena, California. Pasadena Rose Poets were invited to be an integral part of this event to read and enjoy the festivities from 4:45 p.m.-7:45 p.m.

Teresa Mei Chuc with Pasadena, California Vice Mayor John J. Kennedy (District 3) before Teresa's Pasadena Rose Poet reading at Vice Mayor Kennedy's Annual Holiday Celebration

​Rishho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles
2707 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Saturday, November 3, 2018 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Book release reading and party for Invisible Light by Teresa Mei Chuc 

Pasadena City Council Meeting
​Monday, May 7, 2018
Pasadena Rose Poet and Altadena Poet Laureate Editor in Chief
Teresa Mei Chuc reads her "Spring Poem"
​during the Pasadena City Council meeting

Today, I read my “Spring Poem” at Pasadena City Hall Council meeting as a Pasadena Rose Poet and as Altadena Poet Laureate Editor in Chief. This poem is dedicated to the #shedoes movement and our grandmothers, mothers, sisters and daughters experiencing houselessness. I believe poetry is a way of building bridges between people and raising awareness. I talked about the #shedoes movement and the need for affordable housing in Pasadena and the need for shelters for the most vulnerable people living on the streets, our grandmothers, mothers, sisters and daughters. I don’t know the affect of my words but if I could touch the heart of one person in that room, then I am grateful. I’m grateful that after my reading someone came up to me and said repeatedly, “that is a fantastic poem.” I usually don’t pay much attention to feedback but sometimes, as someone who grew up doubting herself and her abilities, it’s good and important for me to hear. This was a public city council meeting and is recorded and archived for anyone who wants to hear the poem read out loud http://pasadena.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=25&clip_id=4301 (My reading begins at 13:07) #shedoes deserve shelter and protection

​Poets Laureate of Altadena (2018 - 2020)
Teresa Mei Chuc, Altadena Poet Laureate Editor in Chief
Hazel Clayton Harrison, Altadena Poet Laureate of Community Programs
Passing of Laurels, Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 4 p.m.
Altadena Public Library
​Altadena, California

https://www.altadenalibrary.org/poetry-altadena-library
​

From Left to right: Altadena Library Foundation Board President Cynthia Carmona, Teresa Mei Chuc, Hazel Clayton Harrison, Pauli Dutton, Elline Lipkin

---

Teresa Mei Chuc, Altadena Poet Laureate Editor in Chief (2018 - 2020)

​A Garden of Verses: Poetry Day in the Garden ​
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens, Claremont, California,
​"A Garden of Verse," Saturday, April 7, 2018

Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry at 2 p.m. at the Johnson Memorial Oval

http://www.rsabg.org/garden-events/1016-poetry-day

A GARDEN OF VERSES 2018 Station Schedule
(Who Reads When)
 Theme: garden/nature/earth/environment
Pasadena Poets: 
Captains: Cathie Sandstrom & Mary Fitzpatrick
Readers: “Round Robin”, a panel of poets reading in sequence of each other.
 
4th Sundays (Claremont Library):
Captain: Karen Greenbaum-maya
Readers: Lucia Galloway, Frances McConnell, Genevieve Kaplan, Karen Greenbaum Maya,
 
 
Southern California Haiku Study Group:
Captain: Debbie Kolodji
 
 
LA County Poets:
Captain:  Marcyn Del Clements
         10:00=Marcyn Del Clements
         10:30=Dale Schafer
         11:00=Ralph Carlson
         11:30=Cathy Henley Erickson
         12:00=Michael Creagan
         12:30=Elizabeth Iannaci
         01:00=Jerry Garcia
         01:30=Kathleen Tyler
         02:00=Teresa Mei Chuc
         02:30=Brendan Constantine

​Pasadena Art Night, Friday, March 9, 2018 - Pasadena Rose Poets Reading 
Teresa Mei Chuc and other Pasadena Rose Poets and guest poets read throughout the evening for Pasadena Art Night at the Pasadena Central Library on Walnut Ave. 

​Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry with the Pasadena Rose Poets and dances hula with Halau Hula 'o Kawahinealiinohoikeanuenue-'elua led by Kumu Mikilani Young at The Huntington Library on Saturday,  December 30, 2017

Halau Hula 'o Kawahinealiinohoikeanuenue-'elua led by Kumu Mikilani Young

Halau Hula 'o Kawahinealiinohoikeanuenue-'elua led by Kumu Mikilani Young

Halau Hula 'o Kawahinealiinohoikeanuenue-'elua led by Kumu Mikilani Young

Halau Hula 'o Kawahinealiinohoikeanuenue-'elua led by Kumu Mikilani Young

Pasadena Rose Poets

Pasadena Rose Poets

Pasadena Rose Poet Teresa Mei Chuc reading her poetry at the Huntington Library

Pasadena Rose Poet Teresa Mei Chuc reading her poetry at the Huntington Library

​Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry with Amy Uyematsu 
and guest musician Taiji Miyagawa 
at the Far East Lounge in Little Tokyo at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2017 

Teresa Mei Chuc and Amy Uyematsu

Teresa Mei Chuc, Amy Uyematsu, Taiji Miyagawa

With my favorite poet and writer,
Deborah A. Miranda,
​at her reading and discussion at U. C. Santa Barbara
on Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 7 p.m.

​Pasadena Rose Poets Celebrates National Poetry Month 
Pasadena Main Public Library, Fourth Floor
Thursday, April 27, 2017, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

​Readings/Stories by Marcia Arrieta, Teresa Mei Chuc, Mel Donalson, Hazel Clayton Harrison, and Gerda Govine Ituarte (Producer/Curator). Honoring Pasadena Trailblazer Poets Rae Ballard, Don Kingfisher Campbell, Beverly LaFontaine and Thelma T. Reyna. Pasadena-based publishers of poetry books which includes Golden Foothills Press, Indefinite Space Poetry/Art Journal, Red Hen Press, Shabda Press, San Gabriel Poetry Quarterly and Spectrum Journal. Opportunity to buy books.

Teresa Mei Chuc & Gerda Govine Ituarte

Gerda with the City of Pasadena's proclamation for National Poetry Month in April.

​Los Angeles Trade Tech College, Mariposa Hall - Library
Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry
​on Thursday, April 20, 2017

Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poems while someone translates them into sign language.

​St. Mary's College of Maryland
Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry at the college library
​on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at 4:45 p.m.​

Library at St. Mary's College of Maryland

​The Writer's Center 
4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815,
Teresa Mei Chuc reads  her poetry at The Writer's Center
​on Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 2 p.m. 

​Pasadena Rose Poets
Pasadena Art Night
at the Pasadena Museum of California Art
Friday, March 10, 2017 at 6 p.m. 

Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry for the Pasadena Rose Poets reading at the Pasadena Museum of California Art during Pasadena Art Night.

​Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms in Our Hands 
Anthology Release Party and Reading
at the Allendale Branch Library in Pasadena, CA 
Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 2 p.m.

Featuring readings by Teresa Mei Chuc (Editor), Khadija Anderson, Heather Bourbeau, Don Kingfisher Campbell, Doren Damico, Michael C Ford, Richard Jarrette, Mariko Kitakubo, Shahe Mankerian,
William Pitt Root, Marc Swan, Pam Uschuk, and Kathabela Wilson.
​Photos by Terry Cannon 

​Sierra Madre Public Library, 
Poetry & Diversity: Metaphor or Misappropriation
Reading & Panel Discussion
440 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA 91024,
Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 7 pm. 

Photo from left to right: Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, Teresa Mei Chuc, James Maverick, Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, Rick Lupert

Teresa Mei Chuc

​AWP 2017 Offsite Reading
Nuclear Impact: Broken Atoms in Our Hands Anthology
Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel 
999 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001, Meeting Room #6
 Release reading, Friday, February 10, 2017 at 7 p.m. 

First row from left to right: Teresa Mei Chuc, Susan Deer Cloud, J.C. Todd, Yun Wang, Mariko Kitakubo, Kathabela Wilson, Rick Wilson. Back row from left to right: Lisa Stice, Britt Melewski, Lucille Lang Day, Deborah P Kolodji, Michael McLane, Joseph Hess.

​CutThroat Journal's Truth To Power Anthology 
off-site reading at AWP, Feb. 10, 2017 from 2-4 p.m. 
at 6th Street Synagogue, Washington, DC.  

Teri Hairston, Pam Uschuk, Joy Harjo, Bryce Milligan and Teresa Mei Chuc at the 2017 AWP Book Fair in DC. All are contributors to the "Truth to Power: Writers Respond to the Rhetoric of Hate and Fear" anthology edited by Pam Uschuk.

Joy Harjo opens the reading with a song at the debut of Pam Uschuk's "Truth to Power: Writers Respond to the Rhetoric of Hate and Fear" anthology. Some other writers who presented at this amazing reading included Aliki Barnstone, Teresa Mei Chuc, Heid Erdrich, Martin Espada, Hady Hedy Sabbagh Habra, Teri Hairston, Cynthia Hogue, LeAnne Howe, Marilyn Kallet, Shangyang Fang, Bryce Milligan, Elise Paschen, William Pitt Root, Abel Salas, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, and others.

Goddard Alumni Gathering, AWP 2017, Washington, DC
​Thurs., February 9, 2017 at 6 p.m.
Featured readers: Teresa Mei Chuc, Drew Dillhunt, Susan Deer Cloud 

​Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica, CA 
“Poetry & the Art of Listening” 
​Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 6:30pm.

Writer-in-residence, poet Dinah Berland moderated a reading with poets Teresa Mei Chuc, Billy Burgos, and Daniel Romo. Following the reading, there was a discussion on the role of poetry in sparking empathy across difference. Photo from left to right: Daniel Romo, Billy Burgos, Teresa Mei Chuc and Dinah Berland.

​5th Annual Allendale Holiday LitFest & Tree Lighting
Allendale Branch Library, Pasadena, California
Saturday, December 10, 2016 from 4 to 5 p.m.

Front row: Vinita Khilnani, Pam Ward, Teresa Mei Chuc, A.K. Toney, Back row: James Cushing, Luivette Resto, Michael C. Ford, Mike Sonksen (missing Khadija Anderson)

​Southern California Haiku Study Group 2016 Anthology,
WHAT THE WIND CAN'T TOUCH, Release Reading
Saturday, November 19, 2016 at 2 p.m.
Location: Throop Unitarian Universalist Church

Teresa Mei Chuc reading her haiku/senryu from the Southern California Study Group 2016 anthology, WHAT THE WIND CAN'T TOUCH. Accompanied by Kathabela Wilson on percussion and Rick Wilson on flute.

Teresa Mei Chuc reading her haiku/senryu from the Southern California Study Group 2016 anthology, WHAT THE WIND CAN'T TOUCH. Accompanied by Kathabela Wilson on percussion and Rick Wilson on flute.

Teresa Mei Chuc reading her haiku/senryu from the Southern California Study Group 2016 anthology, WHAT THE WIND CAN'T TOUCH. Accompanied by Kathabela Wilson on percussion and Rick Wilson on flute.

​Writing to Heal: Reading & Panel
moderated by Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin, 
Flintridge Bookstore
Sunday, November 6, 2016 from 4 to 6 pm. 

From left to right: Nancy Shiffrin, Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin, Teresa Mei Chuc, Chanel Brenner, Jawanza Dumizani

Teresa Mei Chuc

​Bookshow Bookstore
Highland Park, CA
Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 2 p.m.
featuring Gerda Govine Ituarte, Hazel Harrison Clayton & Teresa Mei Chuc

Govine Ituarte, Hazel Harrison Clayton & Teresa Mei Chuc

Studio City Public Library
Sat., August 6, 2016 at 3 p.m.
featuring R.G. Cantalupo & Teresa Mei Chuc​
​

Vietnam War veteran/poet R.G. Cantalupo and Teresa Mei Chuc holding up their peace signs after their Vietnam war poetry reading from the perspectives of a former U.S. soldier in the American war in Vietnam and a boat refugee. PEACE & LOVE

​The New York City Poetry Festival 
​on Governor's Island, Sunday, July 31, 2016 
at the Algonquin Stage

Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry at The New York City Poetry Festival

​Poets House in New York City, Saturday, July 30, 2016
​Coast to Coast Poetry Press Collective Reading
​by poets published by Shabda Press, Many Voices Press, Hummingbird Press, FootHills Publishing

Teresa Mei Chuc at Poets House in New York

Teresa Mei Chuc reading her poem, "Names," at Poets House in New York City

Teresa Mei Chuc reading her poem, "Names," at Poets House in New York City

​Live from the CORE Poetry Series
Santa Maria, California
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry

Photo credit: Doren Damico

Photo credit: Doren Damico

Photo credit: Doren Damico

Steynberg Gallery 
San Luis Obispo, California
Sunday, July 3, 2016
​Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poetry

Wrightwood Literary Festival 2016
June 4 & June 5
​Wrightwood, California
Teresa Mei Chuc leads the poetry workshop "Nature as Metaphor"
and reads during the Rattle Reading featuring poets
Ron Koertge and Lynne Thompson

Day two morning hike

Teresa Mei Chuc reading her poetry during Rattle Reading

morning hike in Wrightwood as part of the Wrightwood Literary Festival 

​​The Sidewalk Cafe, Pasadena, CA
Renew Vietnam film screening
Teresa Mei Chuc reads a few of her poems on unexploded ordnance before the film screening of Renew Vietnam. 
​April 10, 2016

 At Nikola Madzirov's Poetry Reading at Loyola Marymount University
​Monday, April 4, 2016

So honored to hear Nikola Madzirov read his poetry at Loyola Marymount University.

​Teresa Mei Chuc & Yusef Komunyakaa
Saturday, April 2, 2016
AWP 2016 Los Angeles, CA 

I am so honored to meet Yusef Komunyakaa.

​
​AWP 2016 - Los Angeles Convention Center
Bookfair Stage 
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Inheriting the War: Poetry & Prose by Vietnam Veterans & Refugees

from left to right: Teresa Mei Chuc, Nguyen Phan Que Mai, Laren McClung, Philip Metres, Monica Sok, Cathy Linh Che

Teresa Mei Chuc reading and speaking on the AWP panel for the anthology Inheriting the War: Poetry & Prose by Descendants of Vietnam Veterans & Refugees

From right to left: Laren McClung, Teresa Mei Chuc, Monica Sok, Nguyen Phan Que Mai

​With Li-Young Lee, one of my favorite poets 

Meeting one of my favorite poets, Li-Young Lee, who had a great influence on me was a surreal experience. 
April 1, 2016

Mo' Joe Anthology Reading at the Pasadena Central Library
Friday, April 1, 2016

Jules Nyquist, Teresa Mei Chuc, Michael Czarnecki, Pamela Hirst, Gayle Lauradunn, Michael C. Ford, John Roche

​AWP 2016 - Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 408 B 
Thursday, March 31, 2016,
The Asian Face of War -- A Look at WWII, Vietnam, and Korea

Mong-Lan, Gregory Dunne, Teresa Mei Chuc, R.G. Cantalupo, Kyoko Yoshida

Gregory Dunne, Teresa Mei Chuc, R.G. Cantalupo

U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera's Poetry Reading
at the Golden Eagle Ballroom at Cal State University of Los Angeles
Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 6:30 p.m.

Teresa Mei Chuc & U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera

Teresa Mei Chuc with books by Juan Felipe Herrera

​Bolton Hall Museum, Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 4:30 p.m.,
Village Poets Readings featuring Teresa Mei Chuc 

​Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore
Sylmar, CA, Friday, January 22, 2016 at 8 p.m
​Featuring Teresa Mei Chuc

Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodriguez
reads his poetry and speaks to students 
​at Kennedy High School
​on Friday, January 22, 2016 at 1 p.m.

Los Angeles Poet Laureate and author of Always Running, Luis J. Rodriguez, and English teacher/poet, Teresa Mei Chuc, at Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, CA

Spectrum 2 Anthology Release Reading, 
Santa Catalina Branch Public Library, Pasadena, CA,
​Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 3 p.m.

Gerda Govine Ituarte, Teresa Mei Chuc and Beverly M. Collins

Goddard College-PEN Emerging Voices Salon
Sunday, December 6, 2015, 5 to 8 p.m.

Teresa Mei Chuc reads from Red Thread and Keeper of the Winds.

​THE RAPP SALO(O)N, Santa Monica, CA, 
Friday, December 4, 2015 at 8 p.m. 
Poetry reading featuring Cynthia Alessandra Briano
​and Teresa Mei Chuc with music by Matthew Mars. 

Teresa Mei Chuc reads from Red Thread and Keeper of the Winds ​and new poetry.

Bolton Hall Museum, Poetry Reading Open Mic, November 22, 2015

Luis J. Rodriguez  Reading at Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles, CA
November 21, 2015

Teresa Mei Chuc and Luis J. Rodriguez, author of Always Running and 2014-2016 Poet Laureate of Los Angeles.

Teresa Mei Chuc and Luis J. Rodriguez, author of Always Running and 2014-2016 Poet Laureate of Los Angeles.

Red Hen Press 21st Anniversary Luncheon, The Westin
​Pasadena (California), Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 11 a.m.
With the amazing poet and writer Brian Turner 

Teresa Mei Chuc & Brian Turner, author of Here, Bullet.

Wide Open Reading Series at the Sunland-Tujunga Public Library on the 1st Saturday - Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 3 p.m.

​USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California,
Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 2 p.m. 
​drawn to the light: 2015 So. Cal. Haiku Anthology  
Teresa Mei Chuc & other contributors read their haiku/senryu
from the anthology.

Photo by Maja Trochimczyk

Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, Pasadena, CA,
October 23, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.
Mariko Kitakubo & Teresa Mei Chuc read their poetry
in Japanese, Vietnamese and English

http://www.japanesegardenpasadena.com/

Mariko Kitakubo & Teresa Mei Chuc read their poetry in Japanese, Vietnamese and English. Rick Wilson accompanies on flute.

Photos by Kathabela Wilson

​Stories Books & Cafe, Los Angeles, CA, October 20, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.
Teresa Mei Chuc reads two poems, "Immigration"
​and "Cockroaches" at the Open Mic

Photo by Los Angeles Poet Society

Poets & Allies for Resistance, The Sidewalk Cafe, Pasadena/Altadena, CA,
Monday, October 5, 2015 at 7  p.m.  (open mic reading)

​Spectrum: An Anthology of Southern California Poets
Book Release Reading, Monday, September 28, 2015 at 7 p.m. 

​Avenue 50 Studio, Open Mic Reading, Release of 3rd heARTbreak Anthology, Saturday, September 19th, 7 p.m.

Poetrypalooza at the Garden Pavilion in Hollywood, CA
Saturday, August 15, 2015

Los Angeles Poet Society's Writers Wednesday Featuring Teresa Mei Chuc
Sugar & Cream in North Hollywood, CA
Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at 6p.m.

Teresa Mei Chuc - Poetry Reading 
Center for East-West Cultures and Languages, 
Dong Tay Cultural Center
June 12, 2015 at 6 p.m., Hanoi, Vietnam

Teresa Mei Chuc reads from her poetry collections, Red Thread and Keeper of the Winds, as well as new poems at East and West Languages and Cultures Center, Dong Tay Cultural Center, June 12, 2015 at 7 p.m., Thư viện – Cafe Đông Tây, Nhà 11A, Trần Quý Kiên, Cầu Giấy, Hà Nội, Viet Nam. Literary critic and emcee Phạm Xuân Nguyên introduces Teresa Mei Chuc and Poet Dang Than reads the Vietnamese translations of Teresa Mei Chuc's poems.

2015 San Gabriel Valley Poetry Festival, 
Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 3:30 p.m., 
Santa Catalina Branch Library, Pasadena, CA.  

Teresa Mei Chuc

Don Kingfisher Campbell, Adrian Ernesto Cepeda, Teresa Mei Chuc, Sarah Thursday, Patrick Thomas Jeffries, Apryl Skies, ER Sanchez, Raquel Reyes Lopez, Marvin Louis Dorsey, Mary Torregrossa.

Friday Poetry of Caltech's Red Door grew a mini-salon 
on the night of April 17, 2015, 
the meeting and salon at Kathabela's home. 
International Haiku Poetry Day was celebrated with a reading by our local Haiku leader Deborah P Kolodji and an international reading by 
Mariko Kitakubo and Teresa Mei Chuc in English, Vietnamese and Japanese. 

Teresa Mei Chuc and Mariko Kitakubo

Deborah P. Kolodji, Mariko Kitakubo and Teresa Mei Chuc

Photos by Kathabela Wilson

Rattle Reading Series, Sunday, April 12, 2015, 5 p.m. at Flintridge Bookstore, Teresa Mei Chuc reads at Open Mic

Coast to Coast Poetry Press Collective Reading/Celebration, 
Friday, April 10, 2015 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Common Roots Cafe, 
2558 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN

Teresa Mei Chuc

Kellogg Writers Series, University of Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, March 16, 2015, 7:30 p.m. in SC 10

Bolton Hall Museum, Tunjunga, CA
Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 4:30 p.m.
Village Poets Reading featuring 
Teresa Mei Chuc and Ross Canton (R.G. Cantalupo)

Ross Canton and Teresa Mei Chuc

Teresa Mei Chuc - ao dai dress and Teresa, both made in Saigon

Teresa Mei Chuc - Poetry reading at Bolton Hall Museum

Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, 
Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Virginia
Saturday, January 17, 2015

Teresa Mei Chuc in Luray Caverns in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley

Foothills Poetry Festival, Sunland-Tujunga Library, 
Tujunga, CA
January 10, 2015, 3-5 p.m.

Teresa Mei Chuc reads her poems in Vietnamese and in English. 

Levantine Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA, 
Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.
Poets on War and People: 
Poetry Reading and Q & A

Featured readers: 
Morani Kornberg-Weiss, Dima Hilal, Teresa Mei Chuc and Julia Stein. 

Levantine Cultural Center: Poets on War and People
Q&A with Morani Kornberg-Weiss,  Dima Hilal, Teresa Mei Chuc, and Julia Stein

Goddard Literary SoCal Salon, November 29, 2014

Moonday Reading, Sunday, November 16, 2014 at 2 p.m.
(open mic)

Teresa Mei Chuc read her poem, "Names," during the open mic portion of the Moonday Reading.

LIT CRAWL L.A.: NoHo, October 22, 2014 at 8 p.m. 
Vicious Dogs, North Hollywood, CA 

Readings by Goddard College faculty and alumni 
featuring Elizabeta Betinski, Aimee Liu, Lynn Lobban, Teresa Mei Chuc


Photos: Teresa Mei Chuc reads from her new poetry book, Keeper of the Winds.

Moonday Reading, September 21, 2014, Flintridge Bookstore, 
La Cañada-Flintridge, CA  - Open Mic

The features at this Moonday Reading were Mariana Dietl, Marinao Zaro, Doraine Poretz, and Alejandro Escude
Pictured below: Teresa Mei Chuc at the open mic reading her poem, "Ocean in a Conch Shell" 

Photo and drawing by Kathabela Wilson 

Granada Books, Poetry Zone, Santa Barbara, CA 
Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 4 p.m.

Featured readers: John Ridland and Teresa Mei Chuc. 
Teresa Mei Chuc read from her poetry collections Red Thread and Keeper of the Winds

Pasadena Central Library, Donald R. Wright Auditorium, 
Pasadena, CA, July 17, 2014 at 7 p.m. 
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War

Teresa Mei Chuc spoke about the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, her family’s experience immigrating to the U.S. and read from her poetry collections, Red Thread and Keeper of the Winds. 

Keeper of the Winds  by Teresa Mei Chuc 
(Yellowstone National Park, July 2, 2014)

Photo by RG Evans

Grolier Poetry Book Shop
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA

Photos at Grolier, taken on June 20, 2014, posted on June 25, 2014  http://grolierpoetry.tumblr.com/

Wake Up and Smell the Poetry, HCAM Television, Hopkinton, MA, 
Saturday, June 21, 2014, 10:30 a.m.

Featured poets: Teresa Mei Chuc, Elijah Imlay and music duo Ergo Canto. 
Teresa Mei Chuc was reading from her poetry collections, Red Thread and Keeper of the Winds.
Please click on the link to see photos from the poetry reading and event.

Photography by Dan Tappan

http://dantappanphotos.com/2014/06/21/wake-up-and-smell-the-poetry-62114/

Poetry reading at Fact & Fiction Bookstore, Missoula, MT, Downtown, 
Sat., June 14, 2014 at 11:30 a.m.
Featured reader: Teresa Mei Chuc

Lowell Jaeger and Teresa Mei Chuc

Keeper of the Winds  (FootHills Publishing, 2014) 
- my second collection of poetry

Creative Writing Conference
Thinking Its Presence: Race & Creative Writing 

Poetry reading at Shakespeare & Co., Missoula, Montana, 
University of Montana's Thinking Its Presence: Race and Creative Writing Conference, April 11, 2014

Teresa Mei Chuc reads from Red Thread

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN MARYLAND, APRIL 4, 2014, 7:30 PM: ROOM BI 103, LA PLATA CAMPUS, CONNECTIONS PRESENTATION: 
TERESA MEI CHUC DISCUSSES AND READS FROM HER POETRY COLLECTION RED THREAD.

This was a deeply touching reading for me, focusing on the Vietnam War. I am profoundly grateful and honored to be a part of CSM's Connections reading and year-long commemoration of the Vietnam War. I am also deeply grateful to the students and faculty that participated in the round table discussion before the reading. Thank you.  

Poetry Reading, Smith College, Seeyle Hall 106, Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in celebration of the release of the anthology 
With Our Eyes Wide Open: Poems of the New American Century, 
edited by Douglas Valentine

Photo by Floyd Cheung  
From left to right: Douglas Valentine, Adrie Kusserow, Afaa Michael Weaver, 
Martin Espada, Teresa Mei Chuc, and Bunkong Tuon 

 

Teresa Mei Chuc 

Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts

With Our Eyes Wide Open: Poems of the New American Century edited by Douglas Valentine

AWP 2014 Book Fair, Seattle, Washington

Teresa Mei Chuc and Luis J. Rodriguez, author of Always Running and 2014-2016 Poet Laureate of Los Angeles. 

The World Stage, Leimert Park Village, Los Angeles, CA. Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 7:30 p.m., Poetry Reading, Anansi Featured Guest

Rattle Reading Series, Featured Reading, Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse - Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 5 p.m.

Moonday East Poetry Reading, Featured Reading, Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse - Saturday, July 21, 2013 at 2 p.m.

Leimert Park Book Fair Poetry Reading - Poet's Salon, 
Saturday, June 29, 2013

Mariano Zaro, Gerda Govine Ituarte, Teresa Mei Chuc
http://leimertparkbookfair.com/2013-poets.htm

AWP, Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday, March 9, 2013

Multicultural Panel of Poet Activists: E. Ethelbert Miller, Teresa Mei Chuc, Susan Deer Cloud, Francisco Alarcon

Moonday East Reading (open mic), May 19, 2013, Flintridge Bookstore, 
La Cañada-Flintridge, CA 

Rattle Reading (open mic), February 3, 2013, Flintridge Bookstore, 
La Cañada-Flintridge, CA

Photo and drawing by Kathabela Wilson

Moonday East Reading  (open mic), January 20, 2013, 
Flintridge Bookstore, La Cañada-Flintridge, CA 

Photo by Kathabela Wilson

Pasadena Public Library Reading on Saturday, November 24, 2012

From left to right: Milena von Oda, Teresa Mei Chuc, Elizabeth Betinski, and Margaret Medina.

Rattle Reading Series and Red Thread Book Release Reading, 
November 4, 2012, Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse,
La Cañada-Flintridge, CA 

Teresa Mei Chuc reads from Red Thread: Poems

Red Thread, my first full-length poetry collection. 
Release date: October 15, 2012

2012 William Joiner Writers' Workshop at UMass Boston

Photo 1 from left to right: Tran Huy Quang, Nguyen Ba Chung, Teresa Mei Chuc, Nguyen Quang Ha, Vu Thi Hong, Diane Fox. Photo 2 from left to right: Tran Huy Quang, Elizabeth Weber, Teresa Mei Chuc, Nguyen Quang Ha, Vu Thi Hong, and Diane Fox.

Rattle #36  Reading & Release Party on January 15, 2012 at 
The Church in Ocean Park, Santa Monica, California

At the Rattle reading where I read my poem, "Playground," from issue #36.

Commencement: Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont,
Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Sunday, January 8, 2012

I gave my graduation speech and received my Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing diploma.

Goddard College Graduating Student Reading,
January 6, 2012, Plainfield, Vermont

6th Annual Small Press Book Fair at The Church in Ocean Park, 
Saturday, May 28, 2011

Photo credit: Rafael Francisco Jose Alvarado

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, University of Southern California, Saturday, April 30, 2011 and Sunday, May 1, 2011: Many Voices Press featuring New Poets of the American West Anthology and Books by Contributing Poets

Santa Monica Library, Santa Monica, CA, Wednesday, April 13, 2011: New Poets of the American West Anthology Reading and Panel Discussion

First photo from left to right: Teresa Mei Chuc, Jeffrey Schultz, Carol V. Davis, and Lynne Thompson.

Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, Venice, CA, Saturday, 
March 26, 2011: New Poets of the American West Anthology Reading

                           Teresa Mei Chuc

Group photo from left to right: Joyce E. Young, William Archila, Melinda Palacio, Lynne Thompson,
Craig Cotter, Carol V. Davis, Thea Gavin, Teresa Mei Chuc

Barnes & Noble Bookstore - Grossmont Ctr., La Mesa, CA, Saturday, November 20, 2010: New Poets of the American West Anthology Reading

Group photo from left to right: Sandra Alcosser, Karen An-hwei Lee, Teresa Mei Chuc, and Craig Cotter.

Pasadena Central Library, Pasadena, CA, Saturday, November 6, 2010: New Poets of the American West Anthology Reading

Group photo from left to right: Lynne Thompson, Jeffrey Schultz, Teresa Mei Chuc, Carol V. Davis,
and Thea Gavin.

Borders Bookstore, Goleta, CA, Saturday, September 3, 2010: 
New Poets of the American West Anthology Reading

Group photo from left to right: Teresa Mei Chuc, Eve Malo, Thea Gavin, Melinda Palacio, Craig Cotter, and   Lynne Thompson.

From left to right: Lynne Thompson, Melinda Palacio, and Teresa Mei Chuc.

Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA, Wednesday, September 1, 2010: 
New Poets of the American West Anthology Reading

Group photo from left to right: Melinda Palacio, Thea Gavin, Teresa Mei Chuc, and William Archila.

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The Hive Gallery & Studios in downtown Los Angeles, Spring 2009 - reading with Skid Row poets and Rattle.