Talk Stories: An Asian American/Asian Diaspora Storytelling Show

A night of storytelling, improv, and music by performers and community members of Asian descent in Chicago. Co-hosted and produced by Ada Cheng and Archy Jamjun.

Join Talk Stories: An Asian American/Asian Diaspora Storytelling Show for a night of storytelling,
improv, and music by performers and community members of Asian descent in Chicago. The title, Talk
Stories, takes its name from the work of author Maxine Hong Kingston, known for her book The Woman
Warrior, which is heralded as one of the first books to innovate the non-fiction genre. For the August
show, we have a fantastic lineup that includes one musician, five storytellers, and an improv group that
will improvise based on stories told during the show. It will be a night of deep reflections, laughter, and
community-building.

We hold the show at The National Cambodian Heritage Museum because it is the only museum outside of
Cambodian dedicated to the history of the Cambodian Killing Fields genocide (1975-79). This museum
has provided healing and cultural preservation for many of the survivors and their children through art,
music, and dance. It is an important part of the Asian American history here in Chicago and across the
United States.

Ada Cheng and Archy Jamjun, co-producers and co-hosts, invite conference participants to visit the
museum, explore the history of Cambodian Americans, and join local community members for Talk
Stories show on Thursday August 16 th .

Co-producers and co-hosts:
Ada Cheng is a professor-turned storyteller and performing artist. She has been featured at storytelling
shows in Chicago, Atlanta, Cedar Rapids, New York, Asheville, and Kansas City. In 2017, she performed
her first solo show, Not Quite: Asian American by Law, Asian Woman by Desire, at National Storytelling
Conference, Capital Fringe Festival, Minnesota Fringe Festival, and Boulder Fringe Festival. Her solo
show received a great review from The Washington Post. She debuted her second solo show, Breaking
Rules, Broken Hearts: Loving across Borders, with Fillet of Solo Storytelling Festival at Lifeline Theatre
in January 2018. She will be bringing this performance to The Exit Theater in San Francisco in June and
the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York in October 2018. Ada is the producer and host of the show
Am I Man Enough?: A Storytelling/Podcasting Show, where people tell personal stories to critically
examine the culture of toxic masculinity and the construction of masculinity and manhood. In addition,
she is the co-producer and co-host of Talk Stories: An Asian American/Asian Diaspora Storytelling
Show, along with Archy Jamjun, a show where they showcase Asian/Asian American storytellers and
performing artists. Her motto: Make your life the best story you tell.

Archy Jamjun is a storyteller and writer from the suburbs of Chicago and the co-curator of Outspoken, a
GBLTQ Storytelling Show. He won The Moth Grandslam in both 2015 and 2018 and has performed in
various theaters in Chicago including Steppenwolf and the Chicago Podcast Festival in 2016. His writing
has been published by The Rumpus and The Coachella Review. Archy is a graduate of Second City's
Writing Program and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Roosevelt University.