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](https://decentered.org/books). 


Yang Sayang by Jessica Kie McCallum Book Launch

Jessica Kie McCallum's debut poetry book Yang Sayang launched on decentered press. This was also the first solo book published off Decentered Press. 

On an evening in late December the Phoenix Hotel hosted Poolside Poets.

Guests came dressed in their best "Velvet Night"

Think: velvet robes and fuzzy slippers, onesies with sequins, snuggies with combat boots, bathrobes with heels, blanket capes over silk pajamas, fuzzy socks and stilettos, velvet blazers with thermal leggings, cashmere turtlenecks and glitter pants, faux-fur coats over pajamas, silk robes with beanies, oversized cardigans paired with metallic boots, knit sweaters over lace slips, robe + corset mashups, pajama tops with leather pants, shawls and chunky scarves — mix & match: velvet, faux fur, silk, knit, fleece, leather, denim, sequins, whatever kept you cozy and sparkly on the longest night.

Featured Poets: Loke Tamba, Theory, Rhea Joseph, Maya Cowan, Lorrie Chang, Charlie Getter, Hay, Halim Madi, Jacquelynn Kohain-King, Jessica McCallum, Elise Liu, Lilly Shi

Featured Musician: Loke Tamba <https://tinyurl.com/Loke-Tamba>


Poolside Poets December 2023

Cozy poets wrapped in velvet and onesies shared fire-lit verse—guests WORE their softest layers on winter’s longest night.

Lilly Shi

Artist at:

DECENTERED
ARTS