Connecting with our Ancestors’ Narratives: Dec 3 book talk in Oakland

When Kenneth Tan started this oral history project for his Asian American Studies class at UC Berkeley, he had no idea he would ultimately create a memoir and art book with his grandmother, Crescenciana Tan. In Crescenciana, Kenneth weaves together their artwork, conversations, and memoirs to tell his grandmother’s life story. With heart and humor, he recounts Crescenciana’s childhood antics in the Philippines, her fall on black ice outside of a church in Canada, and her show-stopping civics test performance that earned her citizenship in the United States. At the same time, he revisits her memories as a survivor of World War II and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, and he reflects on his own continuing grief since her passing.

Crescenciana is an art book and memoir about carrying and commemorating your family’s stories. It’s a book about moving forward without leaving your loved ones behind. Join us for an event at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center on Saturday, December 3, 2022, 2-3:30pm, celebrating intergenerational connection and ancestral narratives with author Kenneth Tan, a Q&A moderated by Harvey Dong (Eastwind Books of Berkeley, AAADS Lecturer), and a musical performance from performer/writer Conrad J. Benedicto and his Kulintang band, Kulintang Dialect.

For more information about the event, visit here .