Liu dedicates sensory room at arena
Simu Liu, best known for playing Marvel superhero Shang-Chi, wants everyone who attends an event at San Francisco’s Chase Center to feel welcome, comfortable and supported, just as he has been in the five months since opening up about his challenges with anxiety.
The Simu Liu Sensory Room — complete with carpeted walls, lighting features, puzzles and games — provides a quiet space for guests who might feel overwhelmed or overstimulated. The Chinese Canadian actor helped unveil the renovated room before the Golden State Warriors game Monday.
“Pretty neat. It’s simple. It’s perfect,” he said. “What an incredible opportunity that we’ve given so many fans that ordinarily would have only dreamt of coming to Chase Center to watch the Golden State Warriors play.”
Built with support from KultureCity, a nonprofit that advocates for acceptance of those with “invisible disabilities,” the spot also can be used by nursing mothers, complete with a fridge to store milk.
Liu, 33, said it might seem “unfathomable” for people with sensory issues to feel they can come to a game, but that the new calming space could help ease that burden. “There’s an overstimulation of the senses and sometimes you just need a place that’s nice and quiet, and it’s as simple as just coming here for a few minutes, calming down, looking at some of the lights and taking a breath and taking a moment.”
Through therapy and taking note of how he is feeling, Liu has addressed his own mental health and wants to use his platform to advocate and show care for others going through difficult times.
Streisand memoir coming Nov. 7:
Barbra Streisand’s long-awaited memoir, a project she has talked about for years, is coming out this fall. Viking, a Penguin Random House imprint, will release “My Name is Barbra” on Nov. 7.
“Dozens of books have been written about Streisand, and now in
‘My Name Is Barbra,’ she tells her story in her own words,” Viking announced Tuesday.
“My Name Is Barbra” also is the title of a 1965 Streisand album and television special.
Publishers have sought a Streisand memoir for decades. The memoir was first announced in 2015, and scheduled for two years later. A reference to
it on her website, posted in 2015, was later pulled.
Penn to host literary awards ceremony: Kal Penn will host this year’s PEN America Literary Awards. The actor, author and activist will preside over the March 2 ceremony in New
York City. Prizes include the $75,000 Jean Stein Award for the best and most innovative book of 2022, the $15,000 PEN/ Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for essay writing and the $10,000 PEN/ Hemingway Award for best debut novel.
The award nominees range from David Sedaris and Jhumpa Lahiri to Imani Perry and U.S. poet laureate Ada Limon.