Yang Sayang by Jessica Kie McCallum Book Launch

Description

On September 29th, Decentered Studio came alive to celebrate the debut of Jessica Kie McCallum’s poetry collection, Yang Sayang. Friends, family, and community members gathered for an evening of art, poetry, and conversation in honor of this landmark publication from Decentered Press.

The evening opened with live music by Nic Hampton—who also designed the book’s striking cover—setting the tone for what followed. A lineup of powerful poetry readings by Connie Lin, Lilly Shi, and Lorrie Change brought their unique voices to the stage before the spotlight shifted to Jess, who shared selections from Yang Sayang.

The program continued with a lively Q&A featuring members of the publishing team—Rhea Joseph, Liz Cahill, and Ben Draffin—who discussed the book’s journey to publication. The night closed with a book signing, where attendees had the chance to connect with Jess personally and leave with signed copies of Yang Sayang.

Guests dined on Indonesian snacks catered by Dakota (@kamu_siapa_kitchen), and Jessica's famous coconut sticky rice Mia Terracotta captured the warmth and beauty of the evening in her lense. The book is available for purchace here.