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In the summer/fall of 2025, the SEA Us Write & Design Fellowship launched its first queer youth circle from the ages 18-24. It was a safe and supportive space to build relationship and develop creative writing and artistic skills through a series of twelve creative workshops. With this space, the youths also learned to navigate and express their personal experiences and voices as Southeast Asian creatives.
These workshops strived to strengthen youth as a SEA and creative individual through creative methods by providing a safe and supportive space, such as:
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Building positive relationships
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Exploring intersecting identities
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Empowering voices
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Fostering individual growth and success
Through this program, the youths grew as artists, writers, and entrepreneurs. At the end of the program, they:
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Curated an exhibition space at XIA's gallery to showcase all of their creative work
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Developed their own creative products to sell at XIA's gift shop
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Together, designed a cover for the magazine
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Wrote beautiful pieces to showcase their creative writing skills in the magazine
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Yellownoise - Where Color Meets Culture: Queer Asian American Art
Pre-order a copy of Agar by the Starfruit Collective today and support our youth program.
The Starfruit Collective is made up of Queer Southeast Asian artists representing Vietnamese, Hmong, Chinese, Filipino and Lao identities. These artists dabble in multiple disciplines of art, from writing, painting to dancing and printmaking. These artists aim to show resilience through their storytelling, protesting colonialism and oppression through their art as well as paying tribute to their cultures through their stories and creativity.
From the mentor Rae Rowe: "A question this group has constantly been circling, has been, how do we bring our full selves to our art? How do we reconcile our Queer and Southeast Asian identities? How can we create in ways that reflect our multi-faceted identity? As we have gone through the process of our creative cohort, I’ve seen this group as they’ve shed their skin, and come out, more ferocious, more tender, shining bright in their ideas. They’ve transformed into artists and creators, who inherently bring their full selves, their full identity, their explorations as Queer and Southeast Asian people to their work. And here are their offerings. Taking up space. Being gorgeously joyful and resilient. Creating new paths that will lead the next generation of Queer Southeast Asian Youth. The snakeskin evidence, our creations, proof we were here. Proof we existed. Proof that we’ve always existed. Proof that we will always exist."
Proceeds will go back to cover the cost of printing the book. After the cost is covered, all extra proceeds will go back to the youths and they can decide whether to donate the funds or use it to support their artistic career.
PRE-ORDER
Agar - A collection by The Starfruit Collective
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Yellownoise - Where Color Meets Culture: Queer Asian American Art
Step into a space where identity, heritage, and imagination collide.
Yellownoise celebrates the bold, tender, and unapologetic voices of queer Asian American artists—through prints, zines,
handmade goods, and stories that refuse to be erased.
Whether you're here to find something beautiful, something healing, or something that speaks to your soul, we’ve got you. Every piece is rooted in lived experience, crafted with love, and meant to spark connection.
Come through, come curious, come as you are.
Friday October 3rd 6-9PM
XIA Books, Cafe & Gallery
New Waves Art Night Market
About the Starfruit Collective
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Founded October 3rd, 2025
The Starfruit Collective is made up of Queer Southeast Asian artists representing Vietnamese, Hmong, Chinese, Filipino and Lao identities. These artists dabble in multiple disciplines of art, from writing, painting to dancing and printmaking. These artists aim to show resilience through their storytelling, protesting colonialism and oppression through their art as well as paying tribute to their cultures through their stories and creativity.
Mentors
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Rae Rowe
no pronouns
Writing Mentor
Rae Rowe (no pronouns/chanh), is a queer non-binary, gender-fluid, Viet-Am, child of a boat person-refugee, writer, movement worker, creator, and future ghost who uses hir work to explore inherited trauma, liminal spaces, auntie whispers, and connect with community.
Rae is a 2025 Periplus fellow and a 2025-2026 Loft Mentorship Series fellow in creative nonfiction. Rae is also the co-founder of The Paper Lantern Project: An AAPI Gender & Reproductive Justice Mutual Aid Fund and Arts Movement which centers care and creating new narratives around these topics while working towards forming new futures of true liberation. Through this work Rae has created and edited Cut Fruit: Creative Offerings, Stories and Art from Future Ancestors (An Asian American Pacific Islander Gender & Reproductive Justice Anthology) and curated two Queer Asian and Southeast Asian art shows, including Alternate Routes. Rae currently lives on unceded, ancestral lands of the Dakota people in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Ngân Elic Huỳnh (she/they) is a Vietnamese illustrator based in Minneapolis. They graduates from MCAD with a BFA degree in Illustration and Advertising minor.
With particular skills in narrative illustration, concept design, creative ideation, and a passion for whimsical and colorful drawings with hidden narratives. The world is enriched with beautiful messages and stories and Ngân enjoys decoding them through her own unique lens of hues and symbols.
When not working away on their tablet or sketchbook, you can find Ngân walking around discovering a new favorite coffee shop or vintage store.
Ngọc Đoàn (she/they) is a Minnesota based comic artist. She currently works at Smart Set, Inc. as a digital print technician helping folks with their printing needs in South Minneapolis.
Ngọc has a passion for telling compelling stories and creating interesting page layouts, from slice of life coming of age stories, to fantasy action adventures. She also enjoys late night snacks.
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Sean Lim
he/him
Design Mentor
Sean Lim 林佳軒 (he/him) is a first-generation Malaysian Chinese American; the eldest child of immigrants, born and raised in Mni Sota Makoce (Minnesota). Sean is a community organizer, artist, and mutual aid practitioner who has spent the past 8 years building community power — from electing historic candidates into office, to passing legislation, and winning monumental issue campaigns. His advocacy centers youth organizing, education, housing, & environmental / climate justice. As a steward of a local Art Collective & studio, his artwork in solidarity with movements helps facilitate rapid response to assist the messaging needs of local organizing efforts, in real time.