This year, the UCLA Asian American Studies Center honored traci kato-kiriyama and Tuesday Night Project with the UCLA AASC Nishida Distinguished Lectureship. We were very honored and excited to receive such a recognition that provided for an interactive workshop between TNP staff and UCLA students, a lecture for Professor Victor Bascara's class, and generous honorarium for traci and TNP.

The overarching theme that traci chose for the series was Creative Wellness: Solidarity, Love and the Long Game and the staff (including Lauren Moon, Linda Wei, and Quincy Surasmith) created a workshop specifically around this theme for their visit on March 2nd. traci continued the following week on March 9th with a lecture contemplating wellness and solidarity and her journey through a life path as an artist and organizer, which culminated in the students writing "pledge poems" for the world and to themselves. All in all, we had a blast!

In their invitation for the lectureship, Professor Bascara expressed, "you and TNP are and have been so vital to the cultural life of Los Angeles and Asian/Pacific America, and we are excited at the prospect of hosting you at UCLA." We, in turn, were thrilled to be able to gratefully and wholeheartedly accept the honor. Our great thanks goes to David and Tina Yamano Nishida, Professor David Yoo of UCLA AASC and IAC, Professor Victor Bascara, Barbra Ramos, Irene Soriano, Betty Leung, Mary Uyematsu Kao, Melany De La Cruz, and Meg Thornton of the UCLA AASC!

Photo credit: Quincy Surasmith