Part II: An Insider’s Look at Revolutionary in New York: a reading, talk, Q&A with Su Beng

With the spotlight off of me, I was ready to turn it over to Su Beng and to start my Q&A with him. Right about that time, the translator, Professor Ching Lee walked in. And so he took over for Catherine as the translator for Su Beng.


Photo credit: Corky Lee

I’d prepared a long list of questions for Su Beng and I actually managed to ask most of them.


Photo credit: Corky Lee


Photo credit: Corky Lee


Photo credit: Corky Lee

Sensing that it would be a good time to take a brief intermission, and to relieve the audience from the unbearably hot sauna-like conditions in the room, I looked over at Ed, who seemed in agreement and indicated that I should wrap things up. It was definitely time for an intermission and to get some much needed refreshment!

And some autograph signing


Photo credit: Corky Lee

You wouldn’t have known it if you where there, but there was an air conditioning unit in the back corner of the room. Someone at the event said, it felt like we were in Taiwan, which I think was a very nice way to say it was @#$% hot in the room! Even so, most of the audience stayed after the intermission for the audience Q&A session.


Photo credit: Corky Lee

The event rounded off with a screening of the trailer of Victoria Linchong’s documentary film ALMOST HOME: TAIWAN. However, when it came time to play the DVD on my MacBook, somehow it wouldn’t play, and so Victoria who had already said a few words to introduce her film, was stuck standing in front of the audience stalling for time. The DVD of Su Beng from April 26th had been played on the MacBook but now it wouldn’t play the DVD of the trailer for ALMOST HOME: TAIWAN.


Photo credit: Corky Lee

Earlier that day I’d somehow suddenly become paranoid about things that could possibly go wrong at the Revolutionary in New York event. What could go wrong, really wrong? If for some reason there were technical issues with the AV equipment and we couldn’t play the ALMOST HOME: TAIWAN trailer- that would be a disaster! The AV equipment set up at the venue was the one thing that I’d struggled with in preparing for the event. Everything else I pretty much had under control. There was nothing else technical about the event besides the video cameras that would be there to record the event. By noon I was frantically trying to find someone who could bring an extra PC laptop computer to the event as a back up,” just in case.”

And it’s a good thing that something (call it my gut) told me to bring a backup computer (namely one of the “PC variety” just in case something went wrong with the connection to the MacBook). So in the end, a bigger crisis was averted, as I booted up the extra PC laptop computer I’d brought, connected it to the projector and inserted the DVD. Finally, after some fiddling around, we were able to play the trailer. Phew!

Now let's watch that trailer!

Photo credit: Corky Lee

Indeed, I have a lot to be proud of. Incredibly, I was able to put everything together for this event in less than a month! The venue wasn’t booked until July 6. With seating for 50, I initially just hoped that I’d be able to fill all of the seats. But just a few days before the event, I realized that I’d need to have extra seats brought in. And in the end, about 60 people attended the Revolutionary in New York event that I hosted for Su Beng on July 22.

Stay tuned for video footage of the Revolutionary in New York event, which will be uploaded to YouTube. You’ll be able to hear me read my excerpt and see some of the Q&A portion from the event. Please be patient. There are some technical issues that are still being worked out in order to get this done.