Archive for the 'Ishle Yi Park' Category
east meets words meets three years
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.
5 commentsIshle Park Interview Part 2
Ishle Park Interview - Part 2 of 2 [11:43m]: Ishle Park Interview conducted by Theresa Vu
BPR got a chance to sit down with Ishle a couple weeks back after her set at the East Meets Words open mic. Theresa Vu, hot off her cerebral freestyle flows sat in as guest interviewer, and the rest is on tape here for you. I felt very privileged to be part of this chat; the two of them are very, very cool, and chatty too–this interview comes in two parts.
1 commentEast Meets Words 6/8 - Part 2 of 2
Here is Part 2 of last Friday night’s open mic. These clips include some poems by Ching-In, as well as the beat working of Boston Progress’s own David Kong. Theresa Vu from Magnetic North joined the cypher, as well as East Meets Words resident MC Victor (aka doctor skool) and guest MC Amon.
There were kiddies in the audience (including one of bpr’s own babies) so the MC’s tried to keep it PG.
Of the words thrown out for the MC’s to rhyme, parallax was tossed at tVu. I don’t know where that came from, but she broke it down in rhyme. I looked it up and sure enough:
par·al·lax /ˈpærəˌlæks/ Pronunciation Key - [par-uh-laks] - noun
the apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer.
Hotness.
6 commentsEast Meets Words 6/8 - Part 1 of 2
As Long mentioned in the recap, last night’s East Meets Words open mic was fiyerr. For those who couldn’t be there, we’ve got a few of the readings recorded: here’s Part 1 featuring readings by Jessica, Giles, and Febo, and Sofia Snow. Tune in for Part 2 coming soon.
1 commentEast Meets Words Open Mic: Ishle Yi Park
This month’s East Meets Words series featured Ishle Yi Park and an explosive cast of open mic performers. The East Meets West Bookstore was rocking from the beginning and the rocking did not stop until the very last note was sung. The open mic segment started with Vinh, who performed a passionate piece about family, followed by a soothing reading of Jim Knowles. A woman named Jessica was up next as she read two of her recent poems. The night’s host, Giles Li, shared a piece of his own as he rediscovered his love for writing. The pace of the show kicked up as Febo and Sofia Snow each delivered amazing performances shooting straight from their hearts; we in the audience were left in awe. Ching-In Chen then followed with two stories of her own. David Kong, the human beatbox, provided beats for three Emcees: Victor, Amon, and Theresa Vu. All three brought the house down with their individual and collaborative freestyles.
5 commentsJune East Meets Words - Ishle Yi Park
| June 8, 2007 | ||
| 8:00 pm | to | 10:30 pm |
Come see Ishle Yi Park on June 8, 2007 at the East Meets West Bookstore (934 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA). The East Meets Words Open Mic Series happens the second Friday of every month and is hosted by the Boston Progress Arts Collective.
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