Festival Event
with CRYSTAL HANA KIM and GINA CHUNG
Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 7:00 - 8:30PM EST
at Akwaaba, NYC
We’re overjoyed to present THE STONE HOME (William Morrow) by critically acclaimed author CRYSTAL HANA KIM at Akwaaba on Wednesday, September 25th, 7PM - 8:30PM EST.
Join us as we watch her words come to life with a dance performance created by Ballet Hispánico (BH) choreographer Rodney Hamilton and BH dancer, Bria Vainqueur. Gina Chung, author of SEA CHANGE (Vintage) which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, will moderate the conversation.
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
We will be livestreaming the event for those who are not able to join us in person!
RSVP at events@kwelijournal.org
Please note: For security purposes, please register with your full name and the full names of your guests and specify if you are attending virtually or in person. Thank you.
Kweli Journal is excited to partner with Akwaaba to present this special #KweliLitFest24 festival event.
ARTISTS
CRYSTAL HANA KIM
Crystal Hana Kim is the author of The Stone Home (April 2024) and If You Leave Me (2018), which was named a best book of 2018 by over a dozen publications. She is the recipient of the 2022 National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award, nominated by Min Jin Lee. She is also a 2017 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize winner. Her work has been published in The Paris Review, Guernica, ELLE, and elsewhere. She is a contributing editor at Apogee Journal and lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.
GINA CHUNG
Gina Chung is a Korean American writer from New Jersey currently living in New York City. She is the author of the novel Sea Change, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a 2023 B&N Discover Pick, an APALA Adult Fiction Honor Book, and a New York Times Most Anticipated Book, and the short story collection Green Frog, which was a Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick. A recipient of the Pushcart Prize, she is a 2021-2022 Center for Fiction/Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow and holds an MFA in fiction from The New School. Her work appears or is forthcoming in One Story, BOMB, The Kenyon Review, Literary Hub, Catapult, Electric Literature, and Gulf Coast, among others. She is a faculty member of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Lasell University.
RODNEY HAMILTON
Rodney Hamilton began his training in his native St. Louis at several schools including Carr Lane V.P.A., the Center of Contemporary Arts, and Alexandra School of Ballet. He also studied with Ms. Katherine Dunham and joined the chorus at the MUNY where he performed for seven years. After arriving in New York City, he graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School and joined Ballet Hispánico where he was a principal dancer and assistant rehearsal director for 10 years. Mr. Hamilton holds an MFA in Dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has taught ballet, modern, and Dunham technique all over the world. Mr. Hamilton is happy to be returning home to Ballet Hispánico as a faculty member at the School of Dance and to take on the role of BHdos Rehearsal Director.
BRIA VAINQUEUR
Bria Vainqueur was born and raised in New Jersey. She began her studies in dance at three years old and is currently a part of the Pa’lante Scholarship Program at Ballet Hispánico. “The Pa’lante Scholars initiative is an innovative, full-tuition scholarship for professional studies training designed to bridge the gap between the pre-professional and professional stages of a dancer’s career. Ballet Hispánico is answering the need for more career centered programs that build artistry and leadership for our communities, without the financial burden often tied to professional development.” Bria is in her second season with Pa’lante.
KEY EVENT INFO:
Performance, Reading & Conversation feat. Crystal Hana Kim with Gina Chung
A #KweliLitFest24 Festival Event
Date: Wednesday, September 25th, 7PM - 8:30PM EST
Location: Akwaaba (347 MacDonough St., Brooklyn, NY 11233)
A Look Back | #KweliLitFest23 at Ballet Hispánico
with
Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ingrid Rojas Contreras
