Originating at Northwood in 2021 as an Asian American open mic, AA Lit has transformed into a fleshed-out summer program complete with mentorship from professionals, culminating in a powerful final showcase event.
AA Lit began as an extension of Northwood’s Book Club, and was initially a reading event titled “Introduction to Asian American Literature,” incentivizing students who participated with extra credit in most Honors European Literature classes. About 50 students and parents attended the first AA Lit event, held in the Media Center.
After becoming a separate event and branching away from the book club into its own entity, it received the Asian American Youth Leaders Community Engagement Fellowship from the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association in February, a $1,800 jumpstart.
The fellowship made it possible to expand the event to include visual art, and to pay for mentors such as professional author E.L. Shen, who helped performers refine their pieces and practice. Additionally, this funding went towards prizes, including up to $75 in cash, custom tote bags and a copy of Shen’s novel “The Queens of New York.”
“We started off with no money and no mentorship,” AA Lit publicist senior Emily Hill said. “Then we got monetary support, and with that support, we were able to create something on a larger scale. In the past, it’s just been held at the Northwood library, and our vision was to have something that benefits all the participants too.”
This year, the board incorporated new aspects that elevated and expanded the entire experience while still retaining the original essence of the event, including the intimacy and comfort felt by participants, according to logistics manager senior Niharika Mahesh.
“We wanted to keep it the same as how we felt with [founder Tanvi Garneni] during our freshman year,” Mahesh said. “We felt really inspired by all the people around us, and so our vision was to keep serving those people. Since then, we’ve involved artists, we’ve had films. We’ve gone from just speaking about different literature to people making all types of different mediums to explain their identity.”
This year’s theme, East Meets West: A Mosaic of Journeys in the Asian American Experience, encouraged performers to creatively think of ways in which their heritage intersects with Western customs and the society they live in.
“Even though we live in Irvine and it’s pretty Asian-dominated, not many Asian people actually talk about whether it’s positive or negative, so I wanted to share my experience,” performer sophomore Ashley Zheng said. “I moved back to China after a long time this summer, and during that time, I experienced a lot more people thinking I wasn’t Asian enough, and so I thought, me being technically Westernized and going back, it can be hard sometimes.”
AA Lit held its first showcase on Aug. 1 at the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center, with a strong turnout of nearly 80 attendees. With its ever-growing reach, AA Lit is slowly transforming the representation of the Asian American community at Northwood and beyond, one voice at a time.
Learn more about AA Lit on Instagram @aalitvol4 or on their website, aalitverse.com.
Disclaimer: Courtney Lee, editor in chief of the Howler, is the project manager for AA Lit.