Celebrate our common humanity and the unique beauty of diverse experiences during this community festival where friends from Maryland, California, India and the Philippines share stories about facing life’s challenges and their experiences with and reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suggested donation: $10. Make a donation at bit.ly/aacc-donate

Thursday, October 21, 2021. 7pm (ET)

Confronting Life’s Challenges

• Hanns Scheewe (Tandag City, Philippines) “A Love Letter From Space”

• Miyo Yamauchi (Los Angeles, CA) “I Know It All”

• Anila Kumari (Silver Spring, MD) “The Wind Under Me”

• Renu Narayan (Chennai, India) “Ambi Finds a Home”

• Maria Solita Zaldivar-Guzman (Aklan, Philippines) “The Little Star”

Thursday, October 28, 2021. 7pm (ET)

Coronavirus Chronicles

• Christine Marie Magpile, Cris Macazo, Katrina Saga & Patricia Marie Dizon (Manila, Philippines) “My Mother’s a Health Frontliner”

• Golpo Nodi (Kolkata, India) “Piu and Her Explorations”

• Hyunsuk Erickson (Rockville, MD) “My Father’s Shelter vs. My Shelter”

• Aya (Philippines) “Newton’s Third Law of Motion

About the Stories and Storytellers

Thursday, October 21, 2021. 7pm (ET)

Hanns Scheewe (Tandag City, Philippines) “A Love Letter From Space”

Hanns Scheewe is a 19 year-old aspiring filmmaker. Since lockdown started in the Philippines over a year ago, they have been experimenting honing their animation skills with the goal of creating films without a camera. "A Love Letter From Space" is a story about making the difficult choice between one's dreams over their relationship with their significant other.

Miyo Yamauchi (Los Angeles, CA) “I Know It All”

Born and raised in Japan, Miyo Yamauchi brings a unique perspective and sense of humor to storytelling. Her insatiable curiosity about life, people, and the world leads her on many adventures which results in delightful stories. She regularly performs at the Fanatic Salon Theater, Strong Words, The Otter Story Hour, StoryMasters, and other spoken word events. During the day, she works as a computer programmer for UCLA, writing narratives for computers to perform.

Anila Kumari (Silver Spring, MD) “The Wind Under Me”

Anila Kumari is an eminent Kuchipudi dancer, choreographer, writer and storyteller. She serves as Associate Director Sutradhar Institute of Dance & Related Arts in Maryland. Anila has performed on stage and on television in the United States, India, Kenya, and Iran. The Washington Post wrote that her dance was “hauntingly beautiful” while the Hindu Times (India) described her as “gifted with rare charisma and technical virtuosity.” She relates a story —accompanied by Kuchipudi dance—told through the lens of the monkey god, Hanuman, a story her grandmother shared with her when she was going through a legal and health crisis. The memory brought strength to deal with things and move forward.

Renu Narayan (Chennai, India) “Ambi Finds a Home”

Renu Narayan a professional storyteller, storytelling trainer, and storytelling festival host. She presents “Ambi Finds a Home,” the story of a mango seed which has to faces many challenges and eventually finds a forever home.

Maria Solita Zaldivar-Guzman (Aklan, Philippines) “The Little Star”

Maria Solita Zaldivar-Guzman is a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas with a B.S. Psychology. She is the editor-in-chief and the publisher of Raven Magazine, Aklan’s eco-tourism and lifestyle magazine, which was established in June 2013. She previously worked as a columnist for Informer and has a weekly column entitled Cloud Watching. Maria relates a story is about a little star that learns about life through the help of a wise moon.

Thursday, October 28, 2021. 7pm (ET)

Cris Macazo, Christine Marie Magpile & Katrina Saga (Manila, Philippines)

“My Mother’s a Health Frontliner”

Cris Macazo, Christine Marie Magpile, and Katrina Saga are all musicians from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Cris is a violinist and musicologist with an interest in photography and film. Christine is a writer, musician, and Philippine Studies graduate student. And Katrina is soprano with the Philippine Madrigal Singers, educator, and Voice graduate student. They relate a story about a mother and daughter during the COVID-19 crisis. The two are separated, because the mother is a nurse working on the front lines. The mother has sent her daughter away so that she would not get sick. The narrative is inspired by the true story of Alyssa Marie Pantangco-Saludes’s. Narrative written by Christine Marie Magpile. Video and music by Cris Macazo. Vocals by Katrina Saga. Photos courtesy of Alyssa Saludes. Patricia Dizon also reads the narrative.

Golpo Nodi (Kolkata, India) “Piu and Her Explorations”

Golpo Nodi is an 11 year-old with Gen-Z dreams flying high but feet well-grounded with strong roots in their place and people. They especially like to write fantasy and fiction stories for children. Golpo has been a featured teller in multiple Storytelling+Theatre+Arts Festivals and cultural exchanges with tellers/performers from around the world. Their dream space is a simple but cozy library and a cramped writing corner, adjoining a beautiful garden. “A Stitch in Time Saves Nine” a story about an elephant family, is inspired by the hardships the people of Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, have endured as the result of the “double whammy” of Super Cyclone Amphan and COVID-19.

Hyunsuk Erickson (Rockville, MD) “My Father’s Shelter vs. My Shelter”

Hyunsuk Erickson is an artist, educator, and graduate student whose work has been exhibited in consulates and galleries across the United States, Korea, and Japan. “My Father’s Shelter vs. My Shelter” is a personal story exploring the effects COVID 19 on people’s lives throughout the world, from trying to understand it and protect against it to illness, loss of loved ones, and community support. She explores the cultural shifts resulting from isolation in the realms of work, businesses, education and shopping, and more. Hyunsuk shares childhood memories and how her shelter and her father’s shelter provide a sense of comfort and security in these uncertain times.

Aya (Philippines) “Newton’s Third Law of Motion”

Aya is an incoming fourth year Communication Student, a writer, and public speaker at heart. They share spoken word poetry expressing how certain laws during the pandemic are not suited for all people.