Interview: Kristina Wong & Kirn Kim Making FROM NUMBER TO NAME Work

Performance artist/comedian/ writer Kristina Wong (in partnership with API RISE) returns to East West Players with her new rendition of From Number To Name: Back To Life livestreaming August 5th through 7th. As Kristina described in her last interview with me: "From Number To Name is a devised theater piece created with formerly incarcerated Asian Pacific Islander Americans. The cast is formerly incarcerated APIs, folks with family on the inside and their supporters. It's storytelling we rarely see in our community, from the people who have experienced it."

I got Kristina to say a few words before turning this interview over to Kirn Kim, one of the formerly incarcerated featured in From Number To Name.

Thanks for taking time (again) for this interview, Kristina!

Do you remember your initial reaction to your nomination to being named Pulitzer Prize Finalist?

I sure do. It's actually memorialized in this IG live video. It was a combination of screaming, running through the streets of Los Angeles Chinatown while screaming, and then fielding congratulatory messages from the world... also while screaming. It's still so unreal that a solo show I made about my pandemic sewing group has given me the same level of merit as Tennessee Williams and Thornton Wilder - not that I'm either of them yet!

How did you first connect with Kirn Kim?

I had been attending API Rise meetings as a supporter for a few months and when I first met Kirn I thought it was odd that he was the only guy in the group with no tattoos and no muscles. He also had the reputation of being a bit of a "Jailhouse Lawyer" -- a ton of knowledge on law without an actual degree. I thought, "How'd this nerdy guy make it through twenty years of prison?" After he friended me on Facebook, I googled him and my jaw dropped when I realized "OMG, he's from the Better Luck Tomorrow case." Better Luck Tomorrow was a landmark Asian American movie that came out in 2002, and despite director Justin Lin's denial of it, is clearly based on Kirn's case. It was sort of unreal, like the equivalent of meeting the actual Quaker Oats Pilgrim guy.

Thank you for answering a few of my questions. Will you turn it over to Kirn now?

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Kirn!

What do you remember of your first contact with Kristina?

Kristina showed up at an API-RISE meeting and introduced herself. It's always great to have allies from the API community join our group, as we're combatting the cultural shame that's associated with being API and impacted by the justice system. Usually, people come a bit timid, not knowing what to expect. But Kristina has such a presence about herself that she was hard to not to notice. It was a welcome change, and she brought great energy to our group.

Was it an easy sell to participate in From Number to Name?

When Kristina first mentioned the idea, I was totally for it. The arts are such a strong form of messaging, bringing awareness on a subject of which people may not know.

I never considered myself an artist, but after participating in several major art projects, including the Off-Broadway production Agnus in 2017, I realized how effectively arts could also spread narratives I wished to convey. From Number to Name is definitely helping give exposure on the taboo topic of incarceration among APIs.

Did you have to learn a script? Or is your contribution all your own true story?

Our process is that we have discussions about life inside and outside of prison. The script is derived from those discussions. They're sometimes direct retellings of our experiences. But we also combine pieces of stories to frame a larger narrative.

For example, in last year's show, we had a scene about me making kimchee in prison. Food is such a strong factor in cultural identity, and being Korean, this was one way that I tried to retain a sense of self. But consider that this was before the popularity of Korean culture and cuisine in the US. The prison guards weren't too happy with me decorating the building with the odor of fermenting garlic and would often confiscate it as contraband. So it was a struggle to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

What hurdles did you surmount in setting up API RISE?

The biggest hurdle was the cultural shame that comes with being formerly incarcerated. In our early years, there were many people who refused to come to the meetings because they felt it was shameful to be open about their lived experiences. But as our organization grew, and we built a larger public presence, people were starting to see that there is no need to struggle alone and in silence with the stress of reentry.

What organizations have stepped up to partner with API RISE?

We have partnered with Stand With Asians, Gift of Compassion, The Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Healing Urban Barrios, Chuco's Justice Center, and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

API-RISE helped start the Black-API Solidarity movement in Los Angeles in response to the recent rise in anti-API violence.

We have received funding from the Clara Lionel Foundation, the New Breath Foundation, The California Endowment, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the California Board of State and Community Corrections.

Any one particular achievement of API RISE that you're most proud of?

I'm really proud of our growth as an organization. We started as a small group of people who just took the time to be an informal support network for our members. But because of the hard work and dedication of our membership, API RISE is starting to have an impact on the reentry and crim-migration space. It's our fervent desire that we can help the API community remove the stigma of mass incarceration and accept people for who they are: just people wanting a better life for themselves and their families.

What's in the near future for Kirn Kim?

I recently started a job as a software developer. I had planned to be a programmer when I first came home in 2012, but the opportunity to work in technology didn't exist then for someone with my background. I realized that I could be an effective advocate in the reentry space, so my eight-year journey in the non-profit world began. Today, as justice reform has taken a strong place in California, the timing felt right for me to pursue my original dream of geeking out.

Thank you again, Kirn, and Kristina! I look forward to Zooming From Number To Name.

For tickets for the livestreaming of From Number To Name: Back To Life August 5th through 7th, click on the button below:

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