Preview: Interview with spoken word artist Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai

Last month, Pacific Ties had the opportunity to attend the 2009 Campus Progress National Conference in Washington D.C. In addition to listening to awesome speakers like Bill Clinton, Van Jones and Nancy Pelosi, we also got to experience an amazing performance given by Chinese-Taiwanese spoken-word artist, Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai.

Who is Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai? She’s only one of the best Asian-American spoken word artists on the East Coast! Here’s a short bio for those of you who don’t know:

Photo by Berman Fenelus

Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based, Chinese Taiwanese American spoken word artist who has performed her poetry at over 350 venues worldwide including three seasons on “Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry.” Winner of a 2007 New York Foundation for the Arts Urban Artist Initiative Award, she was listed as one of Idealist in NYC’s Top 40 New Yorkers Who Make Positive Social Change in 2008 and AngryAsianMan.com’s “30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30” in 2009. She has shared stages with Mos Def, KRS-One, Sonia Sanchez, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Amiri Baraka, and many more.

Pacific Ties recently had the honor of interviewing Kelly, who gave her thoughts and insights on her beginnings as a spoken word artist, what inspires her to speak out in the Asian-American community today, her take on Asian-Americans in the media, advice for up-and-coming artists such as herself, and much more.

Here’s a short preview of the interview, which will be featured in Pacific Ties’ Fall 2009 Issue. Make sure to check it out both online and in print!

Photo by Katie Piper

Pacific Ties (PT): How did you first get into spoken word poetry?

Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai: I’ve always been into writing and performing ever since I was a little kid. I even found these stories I’d written in third or fourth grade at my parents’ house that were all about these little girls who wanted to become writers.

When I was in high school, I had a cool English teacher who was and still is really involved with the national grand poetry slam. The original poetry slam was a competition where you’d get six poets who would compete during the course of the evening; there would be five judges and then all the poets get scored from 0 – 10 (0 being like the worst thing you’ve ever heard and 10 being the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard). These competitions actually started in Chicago with Marc Kelly Smith who started running competitions in all these bars. My teacher would bring my friends and me there to see these poetry slams and I got into poetry slam very early on.

PT: What do you want audiences to get out of your poetry, particularly Asian-American audiences?

Kelly: I think in terms of Asian-Americans, it’s just way past due for us to speak out. Our community is so diverse – linguistically, culturally,  and in terms of our history and socioeconomic backgrounds. Our community is so diverse, and we need as many of our voices out there as possible. I hope that by articulating these things, by unpacking what’s going on in my every day life, it helps other people articulate what’s going on in their own lives. That’s definitely a big thing that I hope audiences get from my work. Another thing that I hope audiences get is just a pure emotional experience – whether it’s thinking about a place, person, or event in history.

How do you feel the performing arts and creating social change are connected, particularly in the Asian American community? Do you feel that there is a direct connection between spoken word and politics?

Kelly: I think there is naturally, inherently a connection. In any kind of art-making, you’re making a statement and you’re making the choice to speak out. Now whether or not artists decide to be conscious about the statement they’re making, I think is a different question… I think all art is inherently political, but I think what determines a political artist from a non-political artist, so to speak, is whether or not they’re conscious of that.

In the Asian-American community, it’s really interesting that at this point in time (and I think this will be rapidly changing over a couple of decades), if we don’t create artistic expression – if we don’t have the outlets and the venues that we build ourselves – we won’t have them in mainstream media. We definitely have a lot more than we did when I was a kid, but we’re still at the point where if we don’t make it, we don’t necessarily have it. In that way,  artistic representation and politics are connected in a lot of ways.

PT: Do you have any advice for young people looking to break into the same field as you?

Kelly: I think something unfortunate that I see right now is that I think a lot of people get really focused on the business side of arts and entertainment much too early… Sometimes I talk to different emerging artists and they’ll be worried about not fitting in, about not doing the current style, and trying to get an agent and this and that. And I’m like hold on a second; you haven’t even talked to me about your actual artwork yet. You’re talking about all this other stuff but what about the writing? Do you care about it? And it’s not even so much “Screw you if you don’t care about it” but “Do you care about it and is it doing something for you?” Is it giving you all that you can get from it? Because I believe that writing is one of the most liberatory things you can do in your life; as is expressing yourself. So let’s not forget that.

PT: What are your future plans? Any upcoming shows?

Kelly: I’m working on a bunch of stuff right now. I’m working on stuff for my tours in 2009-2010. I’m also working on a short film version of my poem “Real Women I Know,” which is going to have a huge, huge viral component. And I’m also working on my show, which is called “The Grieving Room” and deals with the different issues of grief and the difficulties of letting go, as well as the difficulties of not letting go and about how it’s important to honor your experiences and move on. I’m always working on a bunch of different projects, but those are the big ones.

Interested in spoken word poetry? Make sure to check out one of Kelly’s upcoming shows. If it’s anything like what we heard in D.C., it’s bound to be a blast:

Upcoming shows

August 30 – NYC-TV Ch. 25

September 140 Bellingham, WA

For more information, check out Kelly’s website: www.yellowgurl.com

-posted by Shirley Mak

Celebrating Asian American Studies Center and Nakanishi, a Visionary

Words by Malina Tran // Photos by Claudia Li

During his speech, Nakanishi thanked several individuals for their contributions to the Center.

After 19 years under Don Nakanishi’s leadership, the UCLA Asian American Studies Center bids farewell to its longest-term Director and Professor, who will receive Emeriti recognition. On Saturday, May 16 the 40th anniversary celebration of “the Center” was a tribute to Don Nakanishi. Nakanishi plans to return and help advance his hometown, East Los Angeles.

In the span of four decades, “the Center” has established a record of achievements: tenure for Director Don Nakanishi, a department with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Asian American Studies, scholarly literature such as Amerasia Journal which was established by Nakanishi as an undergraduate and AAPI Nexus.

The celebration was an echo of the community: Angela Oh, Professor Keith Camacho, Vice-Chancellor Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, Elsie Osajima. From Koreatown’s Freedom Sounds to multi-generational faces in the audience, the collective recognition of Don Nakanishi resonated throughout the plaza.

“Many of us consider Don as a visionary, but also as a personal friend and mentor,” said UCLA Professor Tritia Toyota. “His tenacity has made us a viable Center with students who are very committed.”

Professor Paul Ong of Urban Planning and Asian American Studies attributed Nakanishi’s leadership abilities to his success. “Leadership is about mobilizing people and I know no one else who can do that better than Don Nakanishi.”

“He is a true visionary,” remarked geography professor Cindy Fan, who notes cohort Nakanishi as “gentle and humorous, yet not [hesitant] to stand his ground.”

Freedom Sounds of Koreatown opened the ceremony, and represented the celebration of culture and commmunity.

Amid the speakers, members of the audience were also moved by Nakanishi and the role of the Center in their lives.  “As the first journal in Asian American Studies, issue we covered have become significant, for example the first sexuality issue,” said assistant editor of Amerasia Journal Stephanie Santos. After attending graduate school in New York, Santos seized the opportunity of working at the Center.

Jih-Fei Cheng received his M.A. in Asian American Studies at UCLA and is currently pursuing his PhD at USC. In New York, Cheng was a board member of FIERCE (Fabulous Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment), which was created for and by queer youth of color. FIERCE has battled gentrification especially in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.

A transfer from Mills College, Yuka Ogino is an Asian American studies student and event volunteer with several others. “[Being an Asian American studies student] I was able to see how powerful student voice is, which also inspired me to be involved in and run for leadership position in Asian Pacific Coalition.” Ogino will serve as next year’s Academic Affairs Coordinator for APC.

“Being in [the Master’s] program had a big impact on the way that I work with students, the people within the University and communities,“ said former graduate student Thomas Tsutsumoto, whose thesis on Pacific Islanders in higher education was overseen by Nakanishi. “Don helped me by challenging me to look at different ways of thinking.” Tsutsumoto currently works as a counselor at the University of Hawai’i.

Despite Nakanishi’s departure, the tone was not somber. The overcast sky and chilly weather clouded over Dickson Plaza; nevertheless, good spirits persevered throughout the ceremony.

The ceremony was draped with banners and decorated with framed photos as centerpieces.

“I think that under the stewardship [of Don Nakanishi] that eternal question of whether or not the Center is connected with the community,” said Assemblymember of the 55th district Warren Furutani, “has been a resounding yes.” Furutani’s longtime friendship with Don started in Yale, during the time of Amerasia’s conception. “Even though you are wearing the same glasses you wore at Yale, you have come a long way, brother.”

“There are two Don Nakanishis,” said Assemblymember of the 49th district Mike Eng, “The one you call Dr. Don Nakanishi and bow humbly to [and is] recognized by people like President Bill Clinton and the Smithsonian Institute. The other Don I want to talk about is one whose just plain Don, who inspired me to conceive the first course for Asian Americans in law.”

Eng reminisces of how, likewise, there are two Asian American Studies Center. The first is recognized for its establishment of academic chairs, endowment of more than six million dollars, the only university-based press to publish on Asian Pacific Islanders, the departmentalization of Asian American Studies.

“The second center is the Asian American Studies Center in my heart,” said Eng, “The Center that was against male chauvinism, against imperialism, against our communities [being] victimized in neglect, the Studies Center that protested institutionalized racism of a society that we did not belong to. It was not defying what we were against; it was the Center that we came to understand what ideals and values we were for…peace, justice, intellectual honesty, and yes, for love.”

In recognition of the past, the prospect of the future lingers nearby. For the Center, the Amerasia Journal archives have recently become accessible online, allowing the history of writing from scholarly activists to be preserved. Podcasts of Asian American authors are in the process of being developed. This past year has moreover been focused on finding a new Director for the Center. For Nakanishi, returning to unincorporated East Los Angeles is coming to a full circle. For both the Center and Nakanishi, great changes are bound to come in future years.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee detained in North Korea

Asian Pacific American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee  were detained on March 17 and will be tried  in North Korea for “illegal entry” and “suspected hostile acts.”

A Swedish diplomat has met with them on the behalf of the U.S. but at this time there are no details about their meeting, nor North Korea’s reasons for detaining the women.  It is possible that the detainment is related to North Korea’s plans to send a satellite into space between April 4 and 8 despite the objections of other countries.

News courtesy of the Huffington Post, March 30.

– posted by Debbie Chong

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle joins Obama administration

Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, who was recently appointed to head the White House Office of Health Reform. Photo from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/02/nancy-ann-deparle-white-h_n_171131.html

Thanks, my fellow Pac Ties bloggers, for commenting on my “Remember the (API) Ladies” post and bringing to my attention that a third woman has been appointed a prominent role in Obama’s administration.

On March 2, President Obama appointed Nancy-Ann Min DeParle to lead the White House Office of Health Reform.  She is only 36 (relatively young for such a high-ranking position) but already has a lot of relevant experience.

Read more about her in this article in The Huffington Post.

– posted by Debbie Chong

Being comfortable in our own skin

When I was young, I spent countless summer days playing in my backyard. But the thrill of baking mud pies and burying time capsules faded as soon as I came into the house.  “Look how dark you’ve gotten,” my mom and grandma scolded.

In high school and college, my Caucasian classmates complimented each other on their tans and told me I was lucky that I tanned so easily.

Asian cultures value fair skin, while American culture praises tanned skin.  Where does that leave Asian Americans?

While my complexion may not be fair or tan enough to meet the beauty ideal on either side of the Pacific Ocean, it is good enough for me.

When it comes to issues of the skin, my top concern is health.  One of my biggest regrets from childhood is that I spent all those hours unprotected from UV rays.  Yipes!

So if you see me slathering on sunscreen or taking out my hat, you’ll know it’s at the advisory of the surgeon general, not the beauty industry.

–posted by Debbie Chong

Hepatitis B: do you know your status?

According to the American Liver Foundation, “Hepatitis B is a serious disease that affects one out of ten Asian Americans and their families. Among immigrants, the prevalance can be as high as one in seven.”

Sounds scary, huh?  But we college students got the vaccinations in high school, so we don’t have to worry, right?

Maybe not.

One of my Asian American peers was vaccinated for the virus before college but recently found out she has chronic Hepatitis B. How did this happen?

Her mother had passed along the virus to her, and because she did not receive the vaccination until later in life, it was too late.

At checkups I’ve never asked my doctor what she looks for when she takes my blood sample. Has she been checking for Hepatitis B?

Next time I plan to ask.

–posted by Debbie Chong

Swatting the WASPY.gov

We featured Don Nakanisi, director of the Asian American Studies Center last quarter in our feature story: Activism Through Education.  Nakanishi has a great interview in an AP story on Salon.com titled: Asian-American Political Profile Rising in the U.S.

“Many people of Asian descent have stepped beyond their national identities to develop a pan-Asian perspective, giving both money and votes to Asian-American candidates who might not share their national origin, according to Don Nakanishi, director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center.”

More immigrants are granted citizenship, registering to vote, and participating in local, state and federal government.

“After Obama, it’s not unthinkable that a guy like Jindal could become president some day,” he said. “There is still a lot pioneering going on, but Asian-Americans are really becoming an even more viable and visible actor in American politics.” Read more.

Really? Jindal? But political affiliations aside…this is a great time for minorities in politics and it’s going to get even better.

Look out for Pacific Ties’s story on APIs in politics in our next issue with an exclusive look at Obama’s cabinet.