This week’s Persephone Pioneer is comedian, writer, and co-founder of the Dis/orient/ed Comedy tour, the first all Asian American female standup comedy tour, Jenny Yang.
What can I say about Jenny that I haven’t already said about her? She’s funny, intelligent, brave, and an all-around amazing person.
I met Jenny last year when she came up to Seattle for a Dis/orient/ed Comedy show. I posted something briefly about it on my blog and then out of nowhere, she messaged me on my blog and on Facebook thanking me for helping promote the show and asked if I’d like to meet up while she was in Portland. She then became a mentor for me both as a writer and as an organizer. She challenged me to face my anxiety and convinced me that there’s more to life than just constantly appeasing my family’s expectations of myself. Then last October, I co-produced the Portland show for Dis/orient/ed Comedy, which was my first experience in coordinating a show from start to finish — all on a zero budget. It was a gutsy and risky move, one that I would ordinarily never do, but in the end, I was so, so grateful for the opportunity.
So, we’re doing it all over again this year!
If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, come out to the Mekong Bistro on Saturday, October 18 for Dis/orient/ed Comedy!
To learn more about Jenny Yang and the tour, listen to our interview.
