Night Owl, Not Insomniac

I was tempted to say that I've been suffering from insomnia but that's not true. I don't suffer from insomnia. I am simply a night owl, have been since I was a kid. I've always found it interesting that I get chided for waking up late--which makes since when you figure that I don't to bed until way after everyone else does--but no one every says, "Wow! You're amazing. You can stay up later than everyone else."

Anyway, I've just been thinking about how the world--by this I mean my family, the 9-5 work life, school, etc.--has been forcing people like me to conform to their schedules, their ideas of what is normal. But, after 30 years, my body won't change it's rhythm so I have to embrace this.

So, being up late, there's not that many options of things to do. This morning, I was still awake at 6 AM, so my husband and I drove down to the St. Paul Farmer's market and looked around. The weird thing is that I've lived in St. Paul since 1988, but I've never been to the Farmer's Market because--get this!--I never wake up in time. But today I got there as booths were getting set up. Had a really great time just walking about. The sky was interesting. It looked gray as if we were about to approach twilight but the world was so quiet, you knew that this could not be so.

So, cool sky light above me, I checked out booths, had some breakfast, and re-discovered some things I had forgotten. For example, the smell of Hmong cilantro reminded me of lady bugs. As a kid, I remember seeing lady bugs all over the cilantro.

For my husband, nostalgia came in the form of crap apples that were surprisingly sweet as well as tart. Neither of us had eaten crap apples in years. I attribute this to the fact that we haven't been around parens who just randomly stop on the side of the road to pick them from trees.

Anyway, the reason why I'm posting this rant is this: If you have any ideas of things a person can do late at night, let me know. These are things I'm familiar with:

* Going to Denny's or Perkins
* Going to Mickey's Diner
* Going to Walmart in Eagan
* Going to the casino


At home, I'm either reading, watching a movie, baking, cooking a 2 AM dinner, playing video games, or chatting on facebook. HELP ME WITH MORE OPTIONS!

Some Confessions

So, I guess I really am a lazy Hmong woman--so lazy I've only made 2 entries since I started this site. So, a couple of updates:

1) We had a really good run of Sia(b) this past June, and I will put this wish out itno the world: I'd love to tour the show nationally, so if you know anyone who'd like to bring the show to your city, hit me up.

2) I've been working on a one-woman show. It was at first going to be called "The Sex Lady" but now it may be changed to "Ten Reasons Why I'd Be a Bad Porn Star." It's fun and humorous and explores porn, romance novel fantasies, teaching sex, talking about sex in Hmong among other things. I'f I'm in the mood, I might post the story I'd originally written called "Ten Reasons Why I'd Be a Bad Porn Star." Stay tuned...I'd love to see this show mounted in a year.

3) Lastly, I've been attempting to work on a memoir that has been in the works for a very long time. Being a little stuck, I started experimenting with some magic realism fiction this past Friday and found--to my surprise--that it was quite fun to shift gears. What's this magic realism piece of fiction I speak of? I'm still trying to figure things out, but I think it's about a family of women who are cursed. One woman makes a deal with a monkey in Laos and when she goes to the MN Zoo, she is faced with a promise she must keep. One woman has escaped drowing in the Mekong only to drown in Mississippi River. Another woman talks to ghosts. (Yeah, I've come to realize now I've got a thing for ghosts.) Anyway, I'm not sure where this piece is headed or if it has a future, but that's the point of writing, right? To explore.

Sia(b) premiers at the end of this month!

For the last two years, I've been working on a play, which now has the name of Sia(b). It began as first an exploration into body parts and how they connected to my life. After much writing, workshopping--and, hey, even a one-act version of this show, the full-length version of Sia(b)is premiering in Saint Paul, MN.

If you're interested in quirky plays about self-discovery, come!
If you're a fan of The Legend of Zelda, come!
If you're a fan of empowering Hmong women, come!
If you're a fan of empowering Asian American women, come!
If you're a Twin Cities nerd of color, come!
If you're a nerd of any color from any city, come!
If you're a fan of the 1980s, come!
If you're a fan of wrestling, come!
If you're thinking, "Is this just another show about Asian women bitching?" the answer is, "No" but come anyway!
If you want to learn more about the Hmong culture, hey, come too!

I've been fortunate to have the support of Kaotic Good Productions and the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT) as local presenters. After our St. Paul run, it's off to Anchorage, Alaska for a run in August. So, check it out if you can.

Oh, show description and more info...that would be a good idea.


Sia(b): a Journey for the Hmong Heart
Written by May Lee-Yang
Performed by May Lee-Yang and Katie Ka Vang
Directed by Robert Karimi

On a journey for the discovery of her own siab, May Lee-Yang takes us on a humorous and emotional voyage through multiple characters, karaoke music, voices of Hmong community members, and images of Hulk Hogan and Nintendo games. Though conflicted between her love for pop culture and her own Hmong culture, she ultimately learns that regardless of location, home is where the siab is.

Saturday, May 30 at 8pm
Sunday, May 31 at 4pm
Wednesday, June 3 at 8pm (Pay-What-You-Can)
Thursday-Saturday, June 4-6 at 8pm

For ticket reservations, please call the Center for Hmong Art (CHAT) and Talent at 651-603-6971

$15 Adults, $12 Students/ Seniors/with 2008 Fringe Festival button, $10 Groups of 10+

Welcome to my blogspot!!

Well...two years after initiating my first blog site, I'm finally blogging--yay!

I have lots of news to report:

1) I have a new website. Check it out at www.mayleeyang.com to find out more about me, my work, and upcoming events.

2) I got a new haircut. It's super short, bringing me back to my senior year in high school. I'll need to post a more updated photo so you can compare notes.

3) Even as I'm writing, I'm preparing for an awesome but sure to be exhausting weekend. Tomorrow, I'll be heading off to the Hmong National Development Conference (HND) in Appleton, WI. If you happen to be there, check out a sneak preview of my show Sia(b),which will be showing on Friday, April 3.

On Saturday, April 4, Katie Vang and I will also be facilitating a workshop called "Transforming Community Through Theater" from 1:30-3 PM.

On a more personal note, those who know me will know that I have an affinity for funny kid quotes, so these were some things I heard this week:

Shawn (a 4 year-old) said to Ashley (a 15 year-old), "You're evil like May, huh?"

For the record, I'm not really evil. I just played someone who was semi-evil and I guess she left some imprints on me.

Another quote from another 4-year old: "When I get home, I'm going to use my puddle boots to stomp in puddles." I didn't know there were such things as puddle boots, but, hey, you learn something every day.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What's the deal with your name?

If you really want to hear about it, read my poem "How I Lost My Name." Here's the non-literary version: My full name is May Moua Gao Lee-Yang. If you look up some of my past writing, you'll most likely see me listed as May Lee. Sometimes as May M. Lee (because I thought about making it look more complicated) and as May Lee-Yang (because I finally legally changed it to reflect my husband's last name). You can call me May for now.

2. What's your writing background?

I've been writing since I was in junior high school. I first started out writing mystery suspense thrillers and have since then branched out into creative non-fiction, poetry, and playwriting. I graduated from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) with a B.A. in English. I've also been involved in some local writer's programs such as the Loft Literary Center's Mentor Series in Creative Non-Fiction, the Playwright Center's Many Voices Program, and, most recently, Mu Performing Arts' New Performances Program. I also had a two-year stint as a member of the spoken word group, F.I.R.E. (Free Inspiring Rising Elements).

3. Why do you have a blog?

Because I don't know how to create a website.


4. Where are you from?

I call St. Paul, Minnesota home but was born in Ban Vinai, Thailand. Do I have loyalties to Thailand? Considering that I'm not Thai (I'm Hmong) and that I only lived there for nine months of my life, the answer is no.

5. What is Hmong?

When I have more energy, I'll take care of this question. For now, my answer is, "Google it."

Welcome!

Welcome to Slanted Dandelions. Why Dandelions? It's not just because I'm Asian. I've always been fascinated with dandelions, the way society typically views them as weeds. But did you know that dandelion comes from the French for "dents de lion" -- or lion's teeth? It's amazing to me that these "weeds," though considered simple and sometimes a nuissance, are actually beautiful when you see masses of them in a large field. What's more, though they seem harmless and simple, they have a bite to them.

And what about the slanted part? Read my poem.