Abundant Diversity at the Feb. 13th East Meets Words
Compiling the data from the surveys we got back, I became more keenly aware of the diversity manifested in the recent East Meets Words Open Mic. In fact, diversity felt like a crucial aspect of that evening. The bookstore space was filled with a range of ages, ethnicities, cultures, genders, occupations, talent, energies and much more. Kicking off the open mic, ChunFai shared a poem describing the diversity of students in his citizenship class at the Chinese Progressive Association, vividly communicating aspects of their personalities, circumstances and concerns. Awesome juxtapositions of perspectives and voices ensued as this was followed by poems of love and a quasi-sci-fi-ish short story of the emotional content of the universe. And the contrasts continued to abound. First-time East Meets Words performer Cindy got a warm welcome and read a poem articulating recent thoughts with potent language and focused, direct honesty. Pedro read some of his on-the-job writings with a low, steady voice communicating emotions intense even — or especially — in the short span of time his words filled. Theresa shared vivid memories of childhood, evoking an ambiance of nostalgia, youthful exuberance and perhaps precocious observation. Victor wrapped up the open mic part of the evening, freestyling powerfully with the mesmerizing, unique instrumentals of the house band.
And then there was our featured artist… Ever since I found out Pen Khek would be the featured artist at East Meets Words, I couldn’t wait until Feb. 13th rolled around. But lacking access to time warps, I had to endure an at times uncomfortable wait, but that was all worth it. Even while crouching behind the register counter, I was completely immersed in Pen Khek’s energetic vibe as he filled the space with a spectrum of emotions emanating from his rhymes. Diversity too describes Pen Khek’s performance; his subjects ranged from Boston Progress, scabs, his family, a close friend, sociopolitical perspectives and plantains. Some had instrumentals from Pedro and Chuck to even more deeply set the mood, whether it was humorous, contemplative or critical. Through these pieces, I could feel the liberating feeling of art Pen Khek had described to me months before when we first sat down to talk about graffiti in the then quiet, empty EMW bookstore, that liberation which I had glimpsed briefly several open mic’s ago when he took the mic with the Open Orchestra, now fully unfurling.
Whether you were or weren’t there, I hope you’ll check out the podcast of Pen Khek’s performance as his performances even in the form of an audio recording have that certain je ne sais quoi that can readily be felt. FYI, in that podcast, I dialed down the wild applause to make the recording a little more headphone friendly, but even with the decreased decibels, the audience response to Pen Khek’s presence is unmistakably enthusiastic.
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