Holding the Moment, January 10, 2026: Putsata Reang
WHAT:
Holding the Moment: A New Speakers Series
Featuring: Putsata Reang presenting, “Resisting Erasure Through Storytelling”
When Putsata Reang was eight years old, she didn’t understand why her skin was brown when almost all of her classmates’ skin was white. So she put an eraser to her arm and began to rub, hoping to become white. A decade later, feeling disoriented by the dawning realization that she is gay, Putsata put a razor to her wrist. But ultimately she was too ashamed to end her own life. That’s because when she was a baby, and her family fled war in her native Cambodia, her mother had saved her life.
Today, an increasing number of Americans like Putsata are at risk of erasure because of external forces such as anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and internal forces, such as shame and discrimination. Putsata discusses the dangers of dwelling on differences and encourages audiences to share their personal stories as an antidote to erasure.
WHEN:
Saturday, January 10, 2026
at 7:30pm
WHERE:
Rainier Arts Center
3515 South Alaska St
Seattle, WA 98118
TICKETS:
In-Person
FREE ($15 suggested donation)
Limited Seats—RSVP in advance to guarantee seat
On-Site Box Office: Opens one hour before curtain
Live-Streaming
FREE ($15 suggested donation)
Info & Tickets: mirrorstage.org/events/holding-the-moment-Jan-10-2026
ABOUT HOLDING THE MOMENT
Holding the Moment is a new speakers series featuring artists, educators, journalists, and activists from Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau whose interactive presentations explore identity, memory, politics, and art—connecting personal truth to collective liberation. From confronting anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric to exposing cultural appropriation and reclaiming erased histories, each presentation invites us to resist oppression and build belonging. Free and open to all ages, each 90-minute event includes time for Q&A.
ABOUT PUTSATA REANG
Putsata Reang (she/her) is an author and journalist whose debut memoir, Ma and Me, was awarded the 2023 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association prize for nonfiction and was recognized as a finalist for the 2023 Lambda Literary Award. Her writing has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Ms. magazine, Politico, and The Guardian. Reang has held several prestigious residencies and was a fellow of the Jack Straw Writers program and Alicia Patterson Foundation for journalists. Reang lives in Seattle.
ABOUT MIRROR STAGE
Originally founded in 1991, Mirror Stage is a nonprofit multidisciplinary arts company that believes the power of story and art holds the key to bringing people together in imagining and embodying a better future. We challenge assumptions, bias and prejudice, increasing equity and inclusion while encouraging more thoughtful reflection on today’s issues. Mirror Stage nurtures unique artistic voices, centering those who have been most oppressed by society’s inequitable systems and structures. Mirror Stage gets people talking, as well as thinking. Learn more about the history of Mirror Stage.
Mirror Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of 4Culture, ArtsWA, the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, the EPS Fund, Humanities Washington, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Paul G. Allen Foundation, and the Posner-Wallace Foundation.
Graphics & Images Available to the Media:
Right click to open full image.