Stand Up Comedy Night to Support Eastwind Books of Berkeley: 20th Anniversary Celebration

Comics stand up for Eastwind Books of Berkeley, a local independent Asian American bookstore, at this 20th Anniversary Celebration showcasing the best Asian American comedians from the Bay Area and LA. A fundraising event and celebration for the bookstore, tickets are $25 in advance and include a drink ticket. Hosted by Irene Tu. Featuring comedians: Jenny Yang, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Andrew Orolfo plus surprise guests! Friday June 3, pre-show mixer starts 7pm (food, drinks, raffle tickets for sale). Show goes from 8-9:30pm at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

Irene Tu is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. She was named one of the “Bay Area’s 11 Best Stand Up Comedians” in 2016 by the SFist and has been featured in numerous comedy festivals including SF Sketchfest. She produces a number of independent comedy shows in Oakland and San Francisco. You can follow her @irene_tu. irenetu.com

Jenny Yang is a Los Angeles-based writer and stand up comedian who produces the first-ever, mostly female, Asian American standup comedy tour, Dis/orient/ed Comedy, and The Comedy Comedy Festival: A Comedy Festival, a comedy festival showcasing the best in Asian American comedic talent. Jenny is a frequent collaborator on viral Buzzfeed videos that have amassed over 20 million combined views. In 2015, she was dubbed one of Los Angeles' "most fascinating people" in LA Weekly's annual "People" issue. Drawing from her former career in politics, Jenny is a regular commentator on politics and pop culture with contributions featured in National Public Radio, The Guardian, NBC News, BBC News, Al Jazeera America, Southern California Public Radio, ISAtv, Bitch Magazine, and Pivot TV. (jennyyang.tv @jennyyangtv)


Dhaka Lakshminarayanan was named one of the “16 Bay Area performers to watch in 2016” by the SF Weekly. The San Francisco Bay Guardian named her Best Comedian 2013 in the “Best of the Bay” Readers’ Poll. Comedy Central Asia crowned her the Grand Prize Winner of “The Ultimate Comedy Challenge” filmed in Singapore. Her list of credits include the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, the Boston Comedy Festival, the Limestone Comedy Festival and Laugh Your Asheville Off. She has opened/featured for or worked with the following: Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron, Greg Behrendt, Jello Biafra, Dick Gregory, Anthony Jeselnik, Maz Jobrani, and Greg Proops. dhayacomedy.com

Andrew Orolfo Long ago, a myriad of earth revolutions around the sun, a man of nomadic origin was thinking about fornicating, at some point, with a woman. Across the world, a woman, a maiden, had dreams of giving birth to a champion of space and time. This man illustrated his intended sexual plans and activities, with a hypothetical woman, in a book he bought from a market place, from a person, in the city of Orolfo. This blank book was from the Philippines and had mystical influence. This wayfarer, after completing his illustrations, in the book, laid down to sleep. During his sleep, he had dreams of fornicating with a woman. Upon awakening, his face, voice, body, mind, and soul had changed, been altered. He toured the world, telling people stories, lessons, and jokes. With his identity changed, the book in hand, he thought of only the city of Orolfo and the person, who sold the book to him in the market place, was named Andrew.

Purchase tickets at Eastwind Books of Berkeley or online: http://www.asiabookcenter.com. Check our website for details on Sponsorship Ticket levels and perks! $25 in advance (includes drink ticket), $27 at the door (drink ticket not included)

Can't make the show but still want to keep Asian American activism alive? Donate to Eastwind on our website: http://www.asiabookcenter.com/author--book-events.html

Eastwind Books of Berkeley has been serving the East Bay providing books on Asian American diverse cultures, history, and literature since 1996. Celebrating 20 years in Berkeley this year, our management brings to the bookstore a history of activism for Ethnic Studies during the 1968-1969 Bay Area Third World Liberation Front Strikes. Eastwind Books of Berkeley’s theme of community bookstore was inspired by the 1970 Everybody’s Bookstore in San Francisco Chinatown-Manilatown International Hotel movement. Please come and support this unique bookstore.

Visit our website at http://www.asiabookcenter.com for more information. Or feel free to drop by the store in person at 2066 University Ave. Berkeley, CA 94704. You can also reach us by phone at (510) 548-2350.

Sponsored by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Eastwind Books of Berkeley