On Tuesday, May 21, 7–9pm, Feast of Words: A Literary Potluck features a reading and writing exercise led by Andrew Lam, who shares from a collection of newly published short stories. With San Francisco as a backdrop, “Birds of Paradise Lost” (Red Hen Press, 2013) deals with the struggles and triumphs of Vietnamese newcomers to California and with issues of trauma and recovery.

Culinary guest Chris Chung anchors the evening’s potluck. As always, guests can bring a dish, take part in a writing exercise and share the work they have created for a chance to win literary and culinary prizes.

The evening’s theme “Undercurrents” is inspired byunderCurrents & the Quest for Space, a multidisciplinary arts exhibition in the SOMArts Main Gallery investigating the space occupied by Asian America, socially, artistically and physically. Guests may wish to arrive early to visit the exhibition, which is open 12pm to 7pm on the day of the event.

About Chris Chung
If you ever find yourself sitting at Chris Chung’s dining table you know that you’ve been blessed. Chung and his partner, John Mallory, are both well-known home cooks among a wide circle of friends. Their passion for fresh and new ingredients takes them around the country and, sometimes, the world. Chung, who hails from Malaysia, is so passionate about food that he often thinks about his next dinner plan even as he prepares dinner for his current guests. Rain or shine, you can always find Chung and Mallory every Saturday at the farmer’s market at the San Francisco Ferry Building, sampling new vegetables, buying ingredients. Chris, who hates cooking competition, loves trying out new recipes.

“My idea of bliss?” Chung said as he stir-fried Asian vegetables, “eating together with Nina Simone’s ‘My Baby Just Cares for Me’ in the background.” If you’re blessed and invited, expect 6-course meal, with wine pairing; expect culinary delight.

About Andrew Lam
Andrew Lam is the author of “Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora,” which won the 2006 PEN Open Book Award, and “East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres.” Lam is an editor and cofounder of New American Media, an association of over two thousand ethnic media outlets in America.

He was a regular commentator on NPR’’s “All Things Considered” for many years, and was the subject of a 2004 PBS documentary called “My Journey Home.” His essays have appeared in newspapers and magazines such as the New York Times, The LA Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Baltimore Sun, The Atlanta Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Mother Jones, and The Nation, among many others. His short stories have been widely taught and anthologized. “Birds of Paradise Lost” is his first story collection and due out by Red Hen Press in the spring of 2013. He lives in San Francisco.

Pictured top to bottom: Andrew Lam, Chris Chung