RECAP: sulu series, nyc

my beautiful, beautiful peoples. can’t describe how good it felt to be standing in front of a sea of people who look like me. it’s been a minute since i’ve performed in front of and with API folks. not to mention that i was able to share the stage with some of my heroes in the poetry and spoken word worlds.

despite the gray skies, and the inconstant rain/drizzle, the Bowery Poetry Club was packed! all to support the APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit in the Bay Area.

Koba opened up the night and Kelly Tsai, unflinching in her performance, kept the energy up. Ed shared his passion, Justin delivered unrelenting letters of truth, and Lolan broke the poetic process down. Elijah sang and played the guitar with precision. Regie had the crowd bustin out laughing and hearts aching simultaneously. YaliniDream captivated the audience with her storytelling, poetry, and movement. Juan made his poetic debut. Marlan kept it grounded and real. Taiyo Na soothed the soul. Magnetic North pumped up the crowd at the end of the show with their collabo with Taiyo called “We Belong”, based on a sample from Chris Ijima.

where did i fit in all of this? i was up in the beginning. Hanalei, guest curator and host, started to share a story of when she first met me. it was at the ‘05 Summit in Boston, where i was with two male friends, and we were like the 3 musketeers because we were inseparable. that story took me back! was that really 4 years ago? so who were those two friends? well, none other than Boogie Brown, the ill mind behind this blog, and MV, the heart behind Hip Hop Lives: Traditions of Filipino Performance.

but i digress. about the performance. it was good! i repped DC well (everyone but me and Regie were nyc based), though i thought overall that it was only ok. but hey, we’re our harshest critics, right? definitely should’ve practiced more. correction. definitely should’ve practiced. and done a few more tongue twisters. and slowed the fuck down.

anyway, here’s a video of “Singkit Eyes”, a poem about my father. thought it was appropriate considering it was father’s day.

and the poem, “People tell me I have a Tall aura” makes its debut on youtube! the extended story behind this poem: while taping the video for DOORS CLOSING, there was a running joke on my height cuz whenever we had to line up for a shot, i’d always be in front. so i said, “You know, people tell me I have a tall aura.” Droopy the Broke Baller responded, “You should write a poem about that. With that as the first line.” so i came up with a first draft a week later.

and now it’s become an anthem of sorts. for all “short” asian women. who have tall auras like me.