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Linette Lao discusses the research behind her poem “1893 Cyclone Damage at the Chinese Laundry” about an incident in Ypsilanti history. She’ll talk about the zine it inspired, historiography, the importance of more inclusive local histories, and the interconnectedness of struggles across early Asian immigrant communities throughout the United States, with a focus on the Midwest.
Linette Lao
Linette Lao is a zinemaker, writer, and designer. She co-created the zine Crimewave in 1993 and has since published Slippery Shanty, Bag of Walleye, Rules for Baby, and 1893 Cyclone Damage at the Chinese Laundry. Her poetry has appeared in Caliban, Denver Quarterly, and Many Mountains Moving, and in 2024 she published the book Luck with Caliban Press. She teaches in the interdisciplinary creative writing program at Eastern Michigan University.
Meet a new member of the Ypsi Stories team
Juliet Hinely
Juliet Hinely works in documentary arts. She braids sound and story to explore narratives of place, history, inheritance, and relationships. Juliet’s work exists as place-based audio walks, sound and sculpture installations, audio poems, and currently as long-form audio documentary. She earned her MFA at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design, and her BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Juliet has been awarded artist residencies and fellowships at Monson Arts, Marble House Project, Tofte Lake Arts Center, Elsewhere, Kala Arts, University of Maine Farmington, and the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative at Skidmore College. Outside of her own creative work, Juliet is a freelance sound designer, podcast producer, and radio storytelling teacher. She has produced audio stories and podcasts for Audible, Detour, National Public Radio, Interlochen Public Radio, and a variety of independent outlets, including the Kresge Foundation. Lexington, Virginia is her hometown. Ypsilanti is her home base.
Linette Lao
