boston progress radio

with spring fever in full effect, there’s something in the air.

the past two weeks, there has been a jump in violence among the young people here in boston.  not so unusual for this time of year, as the weather gets nicer, people are finally allowed to occupy the public and push beyond their enclosed buildings.

in my neighborhood of jamaica plain alone, there have been 3 shootings, with one being fatal in the course of a few days, leading youth organizers, social justice orgs, city officials, cops, and residents to gather and dialogue.  as usual, it’s a series of rants of progressive neighborhood adults coming to testify on behalf of the youth, how they are misunderstood, how the cops are ineffective, how only now—when the shootings are creeping into the other side of the tracks—are city officials beginning to pay attention… all good points, but never any suggestions or strategies to address the root of this social violence.  and of course, the cops’ and politicians’ strategies are basic: more cops on duty (meaning more overtime, more money spend in the wrong places…)

the young people were straight up.  they said: “WE HAVE THE SOLUTION, we need more jobs for young people in the city of boston.”  simple. they got to the pressure point of the problem before the outcome of violence. their strategy was not reactive, but pro-active and preventative… but how to make this happen, and in a way that reaches a critical mass to alter the system has been a fight organizers have been tackling for a long, long time.

which brings me down a long winding road to this post and its relevancy to the apia community… with jobs being scarce and in dire need, you take what you can get, but when you have the privilege to choose your path, why take the one that’s “expected” or deemed “more valuable?” within the asian immigrant/refugee community there has always been a divide between jobs and professions, physical and mental labor, blue collar and white collar. 

my question is, where do the jobs with no-collar fit?  those jobs that transcend these old socialized notions of value… the type of work where you are engaged creatively, have no direct social structure of hierarchy or power, craft new programs without borders, invent job descriptions along the way… the type of job where you can’t be categorized and have the freedom to explore boundaries.  i’m talking about the community organizers, the freelance dreamers, the artists, poets, musicians, social entrepreneurs, the innovators, that put their nose to the grindstone day in and day out, but work from such a specialized skill set, it takes a lifetime to perfect.  

white collar vs. blue collar. i’ll take no-collar everyday.

Tags: Boston, Community, social expectations, youth.

with the exception of one month, for three years, every second friday has transformed a tiny bookstore into a magical haven of shared energy—stanzas, lyrics, melodies, rhymes, dances, visuals, fragmented thoughts, reciprocation and appreciation, have been transferred between bodies and spirits.

so i thought it would be fun to take a short look back, in order to look forward.

the bookstore, east meets west, opened october of 2004, with just a small table full of independent apia CD’s and chapbooks. only open on saturdays, the store served as a clubhouse of sorts for boston progress members to catch up, crack jokes, and build together. having an actual physical space available and seeing the potential of our space, it was only natural to program an open mic… but what shape it would take or how it would be actualized, no one really could tell. up to that point, only a few people have actually passed through the threshold of the store and wandered into our world.

in a boba tea spot in the back bay, at a monthly boston progress meeting, the open mic began to form an identity. after several suggestions (ginger-bred, mic-a-saurus rex), vinh the kid said after only a second of thought, east meets words, and the open mic had a name.

first open mic, we had the synchronous fortune of having not just one, but two members of 2 tongues, anida yoeu ali and marlon esguerra, in the northeast. it seems only fitting to have them be the first to bless the open mic as our first co-features. flash forward a year, we had regie cabico telling stories of mini-wooden-penises from men in barrels while humping a stool as a make-shift lover. in between and following, beautiful features from nyc, philly, the bay, LA, minnesota, toronto, chicago, jersee, and locals—all have graced the space.the list of open mic-er seem to be just as illustrious with local poets, musicians, freestylers, youth, passer-byers—all have come thru the space and shared…

to now. we don’t even have to worry about having folks come through… without fail, open mic nights become packed. and the unheated bookstore warms with body heat, which is the only thing that can keep you warm during the cold cold cold boston winters.

on a personal tip, the open mic has opened gates internally, like nothing has before. it’s not just learning the audience banter as a host, or getting over awkward insecurities as an open mic-er, or being brave enough to read from dusty journals as a feature, but i’ve learned that the more i can let go of… speak my mind and heart about, the more room i have to grow… i’ve learned to be open, unguarded—even if just for a few minutes—shed walls and free little pieces of my thoughts with the people. i’ve learned in a deep way the power of words… the unlocking of held breathes i usually choke back, releasing spiritual self into the physical world. even now, three years later, once a month, i still get nervous as i open my black book of secrets and with a shaky voice read out. but i’ve started to see many others, other unidentified poets and writers looking forward, raising their voice at the open mic. in the most obvious way, the open mic was a monthly session to meditate on the state of your union. where would i be if i didn’t have that space… i can’t even begin to assume.

looking back, we realize the open mics really wouldn’t be anything without everyone who supports–reads out on the list, listens in the metal chairs, claps their hands to the beat, yells words to rhyme about, and who shouts—ohhhhhh yeah. so it seems only right to have our three year anniversary feature be east meets words—a super mic of sorts. each and every participant—open mic-ers and audience alike—are the feature.

oh, the only month we did not hold the open mic at east meets west, was august 2005—when boston hosted the 3rd apia spoken word summit. but i guess even then, one can see the community and family showcase as open mics, so yeah, then for three years, boston progress has hosted an open mic, each month… and we’re still holding it down. solid.

Tags: Boston Progress, Commentary, Open Mic.