Kit Yan: Slamming Asian American Stereotypes

Friday, February 08, 2008



Out on the road with filmmaker Melissa Li as the duo Good Asian Drivers, Kit Yan is helping to break and broaden what it means to be an Asian American:

Two years ago, Yan joined a national slam team and won the world’s largest individual slam competition and he hasn’t stopped since.

Now 23-years-old, Yan is taking his poetry on the road with award-winning composer, singer-songwriter and lesbian filmmaker, Melissa Li. The duo performs under the moniker Good Asian Drivers (goodasiandrivers.com) to confront negative stereotypes. Next month they hit the road on a cross-country tour through 30 states that they hope will raise awareness of queer Asian Americans. Capitalizing on Li’s filmmaking skills, they are also videotaping weekly video blogs, “to sort of take everyone with us,” Yan says.
Read more about Kit and Melissa Li down at the San Francisco Bay Times.