Call for Workshops: APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit

The Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Spoken Word & Poetry Summit is welcoming workshop proposals for our 5th annual convening this summer, July 30 – August 2, 2009 on the UC Berkeley Campus in the San Francisco Bay Area.

LAST DAY to apply to APAture Runway

Today is the last day to apply to APAture Runway. Details are on the KSW blog here.

Celebrate new Civil Defense Poetry titles!

[Please distribute widely via your social networking tool of choice!]

From Maiana Minahal:

Click on image to enlarge:

Please join Civil Defense Poetry in celebrating its newest releases!

Danielle Montgomery's The Woman You Write Poems About and
Maiana Minahal's Legend Sondayo

These amazing works of poetry will be available for sale at the event. Dani's book has some of the best insights into class we've seen in a long time. Maiana's book is a fantastic remix of a Filipino folk tale, updated with a queer sensibility for today.

Both authors will be reading from their books, joined by Tara Jepsen, Meliza Banales, Ananda Esteva and James Tracy. Leroy Moore and Cameron McHenry are co-emcee's, with Elitrea spinning music.

THURSDAY JULY 2, 2009, 7-9pm
Etiquette Lounge, Market Street at 7th (near Civic Center BART and MUNI bus lines), San Francisco
Donation to CDP requested - free event.

Alleluia Panis in IBIG: PULSE OF DESIRE (SF)

From KULARTS:

If you missed Al Robles' Memorial Celebration at SOMARTS in May, then the last time you saw Alleluia Panis dance was over EIGHT years ago . . . Well guess what, folks? If you've been missing you some Alleluia, then all your dreams are about to come true! Witness our fearless leader pirouette, extend her legs, kick her heels and roll around on stage to tunes like Jimmy Hendrix's "Angel" in the World Premiere of her newest dance theater work, IBIG: Pulse of Desire July 18-19 as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival!

Don't miss this monumental performance, directed by Sean San Jose, which includes the soul-bending vocals of Dwayne Calizo, the graceful athleticism of Philippine Martial Artist, Gregory Manalo, the flight and fury of ballerina extraordinaire, Alexandria Diaz Defato, evocative prose and vocals by Kyle de Ocera, and the passionate strumming of multi-instrumentalist, Ron Quesada!

IBIG: PULSE OF DESIRE
Sat-Sun, Jul 18-19, 2009, 1-2PM
Yerba Buena Gardens
Esplanade (in front of MLK Waterfall)
FREE!

The world premiere of the newest dance theater work by director/choreographer Alleluia Panis, in collaboration with director Sean San Jose, and vocalist/composer Dwayne Calizo, featuring works by Pilipino-American poets/storytellers Bayani Mariano and Oscar Peñaranda. Combining the physicality of contemporary dance, the exquisite articulation of traditional dance, and the muscular grace of eskrima, Alleluia Panis creates the heat and passion of forbidden love based in the life and work of iconic 1970's Pilipino American poet Bayani Mariano.

Enshrouded in mystery, Fate (Alleluia Panis), the angel of grace, hovers bearing witness as lovers, Eli (Alexandria Diaz Defato) and Bayani (Gregory Manalo) -- lonely and displaced, thrown together in San Francisco's urban landscape of invisible immigrants -- become mentally unhinged by the forceful and relentless pulse of life's desire.

The music is in the traditional Pilipino kundiman style, with the 70's sounds of R&B, Gospel, and jazz. Dwayne Calizo's exquisite voice evokes the sounds of the times with snarling ferocity one moment then wrenchingly sorrowful the next.


Performing Artists:
Alexandria Diaz Defato (Eli)
Kyle de Ocera (Bayani - Vocals)
Gregory Manalo (Bayani - Movement)
Alleluia Panis (Fate)

Music Performed by:
Rachael Bouch (percussion)
Dwayne Calizo (vocals)
Ronald Quesada (guitar)

In Partnership with YBGF

Tonight! Eth-Noh-Tec Live on KPFA 94.1 FM Radio

Tonight!

June 25, 2009 - 7pm
Eth-Noh-Tec Live on
KPFA 94.1 FM Radio

Salon Invitation

Join us…

Night of tales: Traveling through Asian and Indian villages of storytellers, the performance duo Eth-Noh-Tec tell of peace-making & creation through the power of stories. Hear about our journeys, including a performance at Obama's Inauguration, and projects mixing myth, message and action. Tales, music and more.

Hear us tonight on KPFA 94.1 FM radio or streaming live at kpfa.org

Eth-Noh-Tec is funded in part by San Francisco Grants for the Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission, National Storytelling Network, Target Stores, Asian Arts Foundation, and private donors.

Eth-Noh-Tec is an official San Francisco Green Business.

Craig Santos Perez reviews Doveglion

In a photograph taken at the Gotham Book Mart on November 9, 1948, Edith and Osbert Sitwell are surrounded by many important writers of the time: W.H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Marianne Moore, Delmore Schwartz, and Randall Jarrell, to name a few. Among them is a writer who remains less well known today than many of his contemporaries: José Garcia Villa.

Villa was born in Manila, Philippines in 1908. He traveled to the United States in 1929, paying for his passage with prize money he won in a short-story competition at the University of the Philippines. In 1930, he attended the University of New Mexico where he started a literary magazine, Clay. Scribner’s published his short story collection in 1933, the first to be published by a Filipino in the United States. Viking Press published his first collection of poetry—Have Come, Am Here—in 1942. Villa settled in New York, taught at the New School, and held informal workshops in his apartment. He became known as “The Pope of Greenwich Village.”

Despite Villa’s undeniable presence in the American literary scene and Sitwell’s championing of him as one of “the world’s greatest contemporary poets,” Villa remains a largely neglected poet. Doveglion: Collected Poems by José Garcia Villa (Penguin Books, 2008), edited by John Edwin Cohen with an introduction by Luis H. Francia, marks an important moment for the resurgence of interest in Villa’s oeuvre—though, perhaps, less important than the publication of The Anchored Angel: Selected Writings by José Garcia Villa (Kaya Press, 1999) edited by Eileen Tabios with an introduction by Jessica Hagedorn. While the Collected Poems is necessary for anyone interested in Villa’s work, the Selected Writings provides various essays on Villa’s life and work.

Read more.

Pinay Jazz at 7 Mile House

From Carlos Zialcita:

Hey everyone.

Just a reminder that there will be a GREAT show Tuesday night at the 7 Mile House in Brisbane. It's a cozy little club that features music on most nights. It's Filipino owned - so you already know they love to party - and got the food!

Jazz master Al Molina hosts a week jazz performance on Tuesday nights at 7pm. This week - his special guest is jazz vocalist Charito - who is based in Japan and has numerous recordings. She constanty tours and is making a rare Bay Area appearance. Visit her at www.charito.com. Join other supporters of Pinay Jazz and the SF Pinoy Jazz Festival at the 7 Mile House! They are located on Bayshore Blvd @ Geneva in Brisbane. See you there! www.historic7milehouse.com

Tickets for the 2nd Annual San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival are now available at the Yerba Buena Center of the Arts website at www.ybca.org and at their box office at 415-978-2787. The concert is Saturday August 8th at 5pm at The Forum. The outdoor performances during the 16th Annual Pistahan will be on Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th. These are at 1pm and are free to the public. Bring the family! Visit us on the web at www.sfpinoyjazzfest.com. We appreciate you support.

Mabuhay ang Pinoy Jazz!

Carlos

07/11/2009 Literary Reading at SFPL: Randall Mann, Kristin Naca, and Debbie Yee

[Please distribute widely.]

The Filipino American Center of the San Francisco Public Library in association with Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc. presents:

Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc. Literary Reading with

Randall Mann, Kristin Naca, and Debbie Yee

Saturday July 11, 2009
2:00 -4:30 pm
Latino Hispanic Community Meeting Room B



Randall Mann is the author of two collections of poetry, BREAKFAST WITH THOM GUNN (University of Chicago 2009) and COMPLAINT IN THE GARDEN (Zoo/Orchises 2004), winner of the 2003 Kenyon Review Prize; and co-author of the textbook WRITING POEMS, Seventh Edition (Pearson Longman 2007). He works as an editor and lives in San Francisco.

Kristin Naca's poems have been published in Indiana Review, Prairie Schooner and Octopus Magazine. She recently graduated with a PhD from University of Nebraska, and MFA from Pitt. Her book Bird Eating Bird was selected by Yusef Komunyakaa, for the mtvU National Poetry Series Prize. It will appear with Harper Perennial in September.

Debbie Yee is a trusts and estates attorney and Kundiman fellow. Debbie's poems have appeared or are forthcoming in 32 Poems, OCHO, Fence and The Best American Poetry 2009. Debbie blogs irregularly at www.debbieyee.com.

All programs at the library are free.

San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street (@ Grove)
sfpl.org

KUTTIN KANDI HONORED FOR PIONEERING WORK AS A WOMAN IN HIP-HOP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2009 Jollene Levid, Gabnet Secretary-General secgen@gabnet.org
Tel: 323-356-4748

GABNET'S KUTTIN KANDI HONORED FOR PIONEERING WORK AS A WOMAN IN HIP-HOP

New York: The Hip-Hop Association and the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs of the New York University will pay tribute to Kuttin Kandi, world Hip-Hop dj champion and incoming chair of Gabnet of the Mariposa Alliance. In a reception called Womanhood Passage Reception, on June 25, 2009, at the NYU Kimmel Center, Chair-elect Kuttin Kandi will be honored for her pioneering work as a woman in the Hip-Hop music revolution.

One of only a handful of female dj's who "battle" – i.e., compete in dj tournaments – Kuttin Kandi has a huge following among Hip-Hop enthusiasts, her name recognition extending well beyond the Filipino-American community. Kandi co-founded R.E.A.C.Hip-Hop; she is a member of the champion dj/turntablist crew 5th Platoon. She also helped bring together Anomolies, one of Hip-Hop's all female Hip-Hop group, and recently started her own band "Kuttin Kandi & The Heart." She has used Hip-Hop to teach young women and men to empower themselves through expression and creativity. She has also launched campaigns to divest Hip-Hop of anti-woman lyrics and antics.

Kandi has been a member of Gabnet of the Mariposa Alliance since 2000. Despite her celebrity status, Kandi has not been reticent about engaging in Gabnet-led mass actions, marching with the members of the New York/New Jersey chapter. She has also lent her musical and poetic talents to many GabNet events. She is now based in San Diego, Ca.

GabNet members are thrilled by the new award and tribute to Kandi. The Gabnet NY chapter eagerly awaits Kandi's presence in the Big Apple. -- ##



--
Jollene Levid
Gabriela Network (GABNet)
Email: secgen@gabnet.org
Website: www.gabnet.org
--
"Working women of all countries, unite! You have nothing to lose but your double chains!" - Comrade Parvati

Culturebot.org: Five Questions for Patrick Rosal

Poetry and all its affiliated efforts are my work.

I love reading, writing, performing, and teaching. I’ve been blessed to experience the success I’ve had, to travel to many small towns and big cities, both here and abroad, to meet thousands of people and to have laughed with them – made them laugh even. What’s better than that?

Look, I’m a middle child, born out of the illicit affair between a farmer’s daughter and a priest who broke his vows, both of whom survived American and Japanese occupations of their homeland – and they managed to sing to us as children. I grew up in the geographical punchline of the most powerful nation on the planet. I lived on an all-white street whose block-long backyard fence I jumped every afternoon to hang out with my friends who lived on the nearly all-black street of our neighborhood. There seems to be no border, no language, no religion or political ideology that makes any real sense to me. And above all, I’m a bad jazz pianist. So what else could I do, but write poems?

Read more.

Photo credit: Peter Dressel

Philippine News: Photographing the Filipino veteran, his heart and soul

Photographing the Filipino veteran, his heart and soul
By Mauro Feria Tumbocon, Jr.

In the cover photo of Rick Rocamora’s new book of photographs, “Filipino World War II Soldiers: America’s Second Class Veterans,” Pablo Dungo in the photo entitled, ‘$1.50 uniform,’ dons a uniform purchased at the Salvation Army. This he plans to wear when he dies.

The photo also shows Mr. Dungo looking to his right away from the camera, sitting on his bed; behind him is a clothesline where a shirt, a jacket and a towel are hung, among his few possessions in a small room. The presentation is tight and compact. The portrait is framed to Mr. Dungo’s left by what appears to be a blanket that serves to keep his private space separate from another bed.

Rick Rocamora has appropriately chosen this particular photo as the book’s cover to be representative of 51 other photographs – both portraits and journalistic shots - that highlight the sorry state of Filipino veterans, now in their senior years, in the United States, in particular, San Francisco. In this one photograph, Rocamora has shown the quiet dignity of his subject, an elderly Filipino WWII veteran in his hapless state: poverty, alienation and unhealthy living condition.

Read more.

Philippine News: Out of the closet and on stage: ‘Rolling the R’s’

Out of the closet and on stage: ‘Rolling the R’s’
By Andrea McPherson

IN THIS ELECTRIFYING atmosphere of change and emergence, rises R. Zamora Linmark. He is called to be an agent for change for Asian/Pacific Islanders involved in the entertainment industry, both on screen and on stage. Linmark’s “Rolling the R’s,” could not have come at a more fitting time. In light of the historic events that took place in this past November 4th, it seems that progress and revolution on all fronts are in order.

Due to the economy’s current pitfall, change seems to be traipsing clumsily and sometimes gracefully upon every aspect of American life, except for one particular area: Tinsel Town. In its present state, Hollywood has yet to serve as breaking ground for Asian talent. Aside from the sprinkling of recognizable faces that appear every once in a while in obscure and often stereotypical roles -- there is Lucy Liu, Jet Lee, Sandra Oh, Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan -- the Asian Pacific Islander community has yet to put its stamp on Tinsel Town.

Read more.

06/24/09: Prometheus Brown, “The Resistance of Philippine Cinema” coming to Daly City

Here's something I highly recommend. Click on image to enlarge for more info:

From Prometheus Brown:

Daly City’s KALAYAAN SCHOOL FOR EQUITY proudly welcomes Seattle, WA hip-hop icon and cultural critic, Geologic aka Prometheus Brown, as he shares his overview of Philippine Cinema. Special emphasis is placed on films and filmmakers who have used the artistic medium as a tool to address the socio-political conditions of the country. Geologic will share many examples of Philippine cinema as sites of resistance and lead participants in discussions regarding the history and present state of Filipinos in the film industry.

Film clips screened include the works of Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Kidlat Tahimik, Lamberto Avellana, Mike De Leon, Auraeus Solito, Brillante Mendoza, Laurice Guillen, Marilou Diaz-Abaya and several others.

This presentation kicks off the KALAYAAN SCHOOL FOR EQUITY’S summer workshop series offering the local community free programming to explore Filipino community issues, history, artistic traditions, and culture.

For more information on this event or upcoming Kalayaan School for Equity events, please call (650) 641-2891 x573 or email LKCrobledomaderazo at gmail dot com.

Got Facebook? Check the Facebook Event Invite:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=655567653&ref=ts

Thursday: Art, Politics, and Sculpture with Susan Almazol & Lorraine Bonner

The Joyce Gordon Gallery is proud to present

Landscapes of Our Souls
Conversation with the Arists
Thursday, June 18, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Susan Almazol and Lorraine Bonner

Activist art . . . Political change . . .
Personal exploration . . . Art and healing . . . Transformation

Join sculptors Susan Almazol and Lorraine Bonner for a lively discussion of how these issues informed their exhibit, Landscapes of Our Souls, which continues through June 29.

Share your own ideas and experiences of how the current societal landscape of conflict, turmoil, and change are affecting your inner landscape and those of others.

Artist Talk: Thursday, June 18, 6:00-8:00 pm
(Light Refreshments served)

Landscapes of Our Souls
Lorraine Bonner & Susan Almazol
Lower Gallery

" A thought-provoking view to emotions, history and healing"
- Sue Kwon, CBS-5

The Joyce Gordon Gallery is a commercial fine art gallery located at 406 14th Street Oakland, California. The gallery exhibits art and photography that reflects the social and cultural diversity of the Bay Area and international artists. The aim of the gallery is to respect the creative pursuits of the individual and seeks to make such work accessible to a broad audience. The gallery is open to the public Wednesday through Friday 12pm - 7pm and Saturday-Sunday 1pm-4pm. The gallery is also available by appointment for private events and showings.

http://www.joycegordongallery.com

Review of "Banana Heart Summer" BY ALLEN GABORRO

TITLE: Banana Heart Summer
AUTHOR: Merlinda Bobis
PUBLISHER: Random House, Inc.
257 pages
novel

First-time novelist Merlinda Bobis’s “Banana Heart Summer” is characterized by a radiantly sensual plot and narrative that are prescribed by themes familiar to Filipino audiences: romantic yearning, mouthwatering cuisine, and family relations. At the center of Bobis’s story is Nenita, a twelve-year old girl--in a family of six--who has a zest for life despite her impoverished circumstances in the Philippines.

Indispensable to the world of Nenita’s being is its gastronomical complexion. Indeed, it is impossible for the reader to escape food as a subject-matter in the book. Food is a ubiquitous presence throughout “Banana Heart Summer” as it plays an important cultural and psychological role in the book. Bobis also sets food against the background of love as a human emotion. From Bobis’s literary perspective, love and food--or should we say “hunger”--are two sides of the same coin as she demonstrates in the title of her first chapter: “For those who love to love and eat/For those who long to love and eat.”

The scourge of hunger makes an indelible mark on Nenita’s soul and psyche. Rather than delegate the topic of hunger to the margins, Bobis explores what it is in a social context: “Hunger we all experience. Hunger is the greatest leveler of humankind, if it wishes to be leveled. But how and whether we appease it always restores the social order.”

“Banana Heart Summer” is packed with signs and metaphors that never fail to arouse the senses. For example, it would appear that any and every mention of food is suggestive of something else. Like how Bobis forms a correlation between the deep frying of the Filipino delicacy “turon” (jackfruit and plantain wrapped in a spring roll) with the sound and smell of happiness. Or when Nenita surmises that the devil ate her father’s tongue by cooking it in mushroom sauce, which happens to be the same way that the Spanish cooked ox tongue.

Amidst the throng of metaphors that are strewn throughout Bobis’s novel there is an overriding metaphorical theme that does not immediately appeal to our senses, but rather, to our intellect. This involves the strange synthesis of cookery and human interaction. In creatively symbolic fashion, Bobis does for us what other food novelists like Laura Esquivel and Peter Mayle have done in the past with their respective works. They attempt to establish a literary continuity between food preparation, consumption, and human relations. As the reading audience, we will be called on to stretch our imaginations and accept for the duration of Bobis’s novel that human relationships can be creatively explained and understood in terms of food.

Nenita’s love for luscious repasts reflects her desire for a different life that is both fulfilling and happy. The lovely and urbane figure of the eighteen year-old Violeta Valenzuela becomes a sort of patron to Nenita as “Miss VV” hires her to work as a maid in her household. This turns out to be a stroke of luck for Nenita for she not only becomes VV’s bosom friend, but, as a measure of VV’s love and trust, is brought along for their eventual life in America.

While the economic poverty that Nenita and her family live through is impossible to overlook as much as any other theme in the novel, the matter of poverty as a whole is two-tiered in “Banana Heart Summer.” In the book, material poverty coexists alongside spiritual poverty as a dual affliction for its characters. On the grim side, several of Bobis’s characters are semi-pathetic individuals who are eternally searching for an inner balance or an inner peace they can anchor their being onto in the midst of a difficult existence. Nenita herself is not above this backdrop of simmering angst for her character is fairly defined by her endless pursuit of maternal love. Even Miss VV’s persona is beset by feelings of emotional isolation.

There are other thematic aspects latent in “Banana Heart Summer” worth mentioning, but its main source of success lies in it being a stimulating food novel. As a firm believer in the value of the culinary arts, Merlinda Bobis articulates what is a moving and sentimental story and immerses it in the language of food. This language abets the novel in reaffirming the passion and perseverance of the Filipino in the face of life’s many challenges.

ALLEN GABORRO

Manilatown Heritage Foundation: 06/13 EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION on FIGHT, NO FLIGHT: Women, Community & Power

Come out this Saturday to our next EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION on FIGHT, NO FLIGHT: Women, Community & Power from 4-6 pm at the I-Hotel Manilatown Center. Diana Diroy and Aisha Heredia will be present to share their project with you and show a short documentary piece on women community leaders. So, join us for this special event.



recent projects by Diana Diroy + Aisha Heredia & Jenifer K. Wofford co-sponsored by Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center & funded in part by California Arts Council

APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit

is a gathering of spoken word artists, poets, writers, musicians, thespians, activists, organizers, and artists throughout the world who convene based on the commonality of their Asian American, Asian, and/or Pacific Islander identity. Since 2001, the Summit has gathered every two years in a different city in the United States, and for a span for four days engage in workshops, performances, and discussions directed toward the upliftment of the APIA arts and activism community. In the past Summits have occured in Seattle (2001), Chicago (2003), Boston (2005), and New York City (2007).

This year, the 5th APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit will take place in the California Bay Area from July 30 to August 2.

Click here for details.

Willing the Will: when mind, body, and spirit are weak:

From Rashaan Alexis Meneses:

Whether its a terrible night’s sleep, a mishap at the day job, or some mild illness that dulls the spirit and mind but leaves enough strength for the body to attempt some scribbling, everyone has their off days. How does one conjure an artistic spell if the thoughts are clouded, the body, impatient, and the will, barely existent? Should one simply discard a precious writing day if the mind can barely scratch a sentence together? After all, many of the greats were plagued with sickness; how did they endure and press on during all those years of consumption (Keats) gout (Wilkie Collins) Tourette’s (Samuel Johnson) or bi-polar (Woolf)?

Read more.

Sneak Preview of SF FilAm Jazz Festival

COUNTDOWN
5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...1

THE SNEAK PREVIEW IS HERE!

A CONCERT TO BENEFIT THE 2nd Annual S.F. Filipino American Jazz Festival

featuring

RAQUEL: http://www.raq.com/

ANN MARIE SANTOS: http://www.singasongwithpassion.com

LITTLE BROWN BROTHER: http://www.littlebrownbrother.com
&
ANNA MARIA FLECHERO: http://www.myspace.com/amflechero

also featuring The Larry Vann Quartet: Terry Rodriguez, piano; Tim Landis, guitar; Rustee Allen, bass & Larry Vann, drums http://www.larryvann.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2009
CLUB ANTON: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Oakland&state=CA&address=428+3rd+Street&zipcode=94607&cat=club+anton
428 - 3rd Street @ Broadway
Jack London Square, Oakland
Cover $12

Doors Open 7PM
Show 8-10PM
Raffle 9:30PM
DJ Mz. Emily 10-12MID

Purchase TICKETS @ Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/69062

THE RAFFLE
$5 per ticket

TAHOE WEEKEND ($325 value)
ONE NIGHT'S STAY AT THE DONATELLO HOTEL IN S.F. ($250.00 value)
DINNER FOR 2 AT THE ZINGARI RESTAURANT ($135.00 value)
TWO (2) THE INTRAMUROS RESTAURANT LUNCH OR DINNER CERTIFICATES ($25.00 value each)
TWO (2) $25 CASH PRIZES ($25.00 value each)
&
MORE

Raffle Tickets On Sale at Club Anton Prior to 9:30PM
Proceeds to Benefit the
2nd Annual S.F. Filipino American Jazz Festival

Proud Sponsors of the San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival: BART, ABS/CBN Global, FANHS SF Bay Area, Filipino American Arts Exposition, Jazz Phil USA, Sherman Clay, PAWA Inc., Pistahan, SFFCC

THANK YOU

PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND MAKE IT A DATE TO ATTEND THE SNEAK PREVIEW ON JUNE 12TH @ CLUB ANTON!

Filipina Writers Part 1 Broadcast

From Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor:

Last year, I was privileged to read with a group of incredible pinay writers at the Pagdiriwang 2009: Words Expressed event. Writers Workshop Co-chairs Maria Batayola, Robert Francis Flor and Dale Tiffany have put together a terrific program, and promoted it incredibly well. The event was recorded for future broadcast.

PoetsWest on The Road Home from Everett, WA will broadcast today, Wednesday, June 10 at 4:30 p.m., PoetsWest #132 featuring Filipina WritersPart I.

If you are out of range for this station, the broadcast is available worldwide via streaming by going to KSER and following the Listen Live links.

PoetsWest #132 Program:

Excerpt from When the Elephants Dance (novel) — Tess Uriza Holthe
Mail Order Bride (poem) —Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor
Excerpt from Yellow is for Luck (short story) —Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor
Manyan Child (poem) —Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor
First Visit (poem) —Toni Bajado
Neighbor Child 17 (poem) —Toni Bajado

The broadcast may be archived at the AudioPort website under SERIES in the future. I'm unable to confirm. Edit - yes, it's available now, but only to pacifica affiliate stations.

Next week, the second part of the program will be broadcast.

Read more.

APAture Happy Hour Special: FREE submissions June 17

From Kearny Street Workshop:

JUNE 17, 7-9pm
KSW @ PariSoMa
1436 Howard St., SF

Are you applying to APAture? Join us for APAture Happy Hour Special, where artists are invited to drop off their submissions for FREE. Grab some food and drink, and mingle with the friendly APAture staff and organizers.

NO SUBMISSION FEE ON June 17

Apply to APAture on June 17, and your $10 submission fee is waived. That’s right, all submissions hand-delivered, postmarked or internet time-stamped on June 17, 2009 are FREE. Then come join us for happy hour!

Already applied? Good for you! You deserve a drink. Come to APAture Happy Hour!

For more info and submission guidelines, visit kearnystreet.org/apature

J-Town Tribute to Al Robles 06/27/09

Click on image to enlarge, for more information:

Sulu Series: The NYC APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit Benefit

From Hanalei Ramos's blog:

Please forward far and wide!

The Sulu Series proudly presents:
The NYC APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit Benefit
Sunday, 6/21 at 8 pm // $8 General Admission, $5 for Students
@ Bowery Poetry Club (http://www.myspace.com/suluseries)
308 Bowery (Between Houston & Bleecker St.)
F train to 2nd Ave, 6 to Bleecker

The APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit is a gathering of spoken word artists, poets, writers, musicians, thespians, activists, organizers, and artists throughout the world who convene based on the commonality of their Asian American, Asian, and/or Pacific Islander identity. Since 2001, the Summit has gathered every two years in different cities across the United States, and engages in workshops, performances, and discussions directed toward the upliftment of the APIA arts and activism community. The proceeds from the June SULU Series will benefit the 2009 APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please visit http://apiasummit.com/ for more information.

Featured artists include KOBA, Elijah Kuan Wong, Regie Cabico, Jenny Lares, Juan Kanagui, Justin Woo, Lolan Buhain Sevilla, Taiyo Na, YaliniDream, Marlon Unas Esguerra, Ed Menchavez, Kelly Tsai, and Magnetic North! Guest curated by Hanalei Ramos, and music by DJ BOO!

Manilatown: Items Needed for Boutique Sale June 28

From Nancy Hom of Manilatown Heritage Foundation:

Dear Members and Friends of Manilatown Heritage Foundation,

On Sunday, June 28 th, Manilatown Heritage Foundation will host a Boutique Sale from 11 to 3 pm at the Bayanihan Community Center, 1010 Mission Street (between 6th and 7th Streets) in San Francisco to raise funds for our organization.

We invite you to donate quality items to the sale. They must be in very good condition (new or just like new). We encourage original arts and crafts, gift items, jewelry, accessories, and books in very good condition (please be selective). We discourage used clothing, appliances, or worn-out items. This is NOT a garage sale.

Here is a list of possible things you can donate:
· Small original art or sculpture
· Digital archival art prints or cards of your artwork or someone else's
· Unused candles, frames, boxes, baskets, vases, etc.
· Books and other media (CDs, DVDs) in very good condition (Please be selective.)
· Scarves, jewelry, bags and other accessories
· Ethnic items, such as indigenous items from the Philippines or other Asian country
· Small potted plants, floral arrangements
· Boxed sets of teas, bowls, cups, soaps, whatever. Group similar items together.
· Other tasteful gifts and treasures you have that you've never or hardly ever used
Items should be valued between $5 to $100+. Bring your donations, along with suggested prices, to one of two drop-off points before the sale.

San Francisco:
Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny Street (bet Washington & Jackson Sts.), between 1 and 6 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays AND
Manilatown Heritage Foundation office at the Mint Mall, 953 Mission Street, Suite 30 (bet 5th & 6th Sts.), Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays, between 11 and 5 pm.

If you can't make those drop-off times, please email Nancy at nancyhom@sbcglobal.net for other arrangements.

You can also bring your items to Bayanihan Center on the day of the sale between 10 and 11 am (let us know in advance). All items will be considered a donation to MHF and will not be returned. If you wish to have your donation back if it is not sold, come to the sale and claim it at the end of the event at 3 pm. We will leave promptly at 4 pm.

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on June 28th.

Sincerely,
Manilatown Heritage Foundation
Office: 415-777-1130 (Mondays,Tuesdays & Thursdays)
Manilatown Center: 415-399-9580 (Tues – Sat, 1-6 pm)

Filipina Women's Network:"SHEroes Monologues - Celebrating the Women of the Philippine Revolution" Honoring Philippine Independence Day | June 28 @ Po

Filipina Women's Network cordially invites you to the SHEroes Monologues

A Celebration of the Women of the Philippine Revolution Honoring Philippine Independence Day

@ the Filipina Salo Salo

Filipino Attire Requested

June 28, Sunday, 5:00 pm
Poleng Lounge
1751 Fulton St
San Francisco, CA 94117

RSVP online @
www.FilipinaWomensNetwork.org/Events
or call 415.278.9410

(early bird until June 22)
FWN members $35; NonMembers $45
Join FWN and take advantage of member rates.

(after June 22)
FWN members $70; NonMembers $90

Not much has been written about the Filipina women of the Philippine Revolution.

Mostly mothers, wives and/or children of the Katipuneros, they risked their lives on the battlefields and/or aiding the revolutionists in more conventional ways to advance the cause of freedom.

No More. Come to the Filipina Salo Salo on June 28 as we celebrate the SHEroes of the Philippine Revolution.

Hear the life stories of these incredible Filipinas

Teresa Magbanua (1868-1947) - first woman general in the Visayas. An excellent horserider and sharpshooter, she fought many battles against Spain.

Agueda Kahabagan - fought in the battlefield of Laguna "dressed in white, armed with a rifle and brandishing a bolo (machete)." The 1899 roster of generals listed her as the only woman
general of the Philippine Republic.

Marcela M. Agoncillo (1860-1946) - made the Filipino flag in five days

Gregoria Montoyo (1863-1896) - led 30 rebels in the Battle of Calero in Dalahican, Cavite

Glicera Marella Villavicencio (1852-1929) - refused to name the Katipuneros and divulge secrets about the Katipunan even if it meant release of her husband from prison

Melchora Aquino (1812-1919) - also known as "Tandang Sora" because she was 84 years old when she joined the revolution.

Gregoria De Jesus (1875-1943) - founder of the women's chapter of the Katipunan. Married Andres Bonifacio, the supremo of the Katipunan.

Agueda Esteban (1868-1944) - journeyed the mountains of Cavite to Manila to buy saltpeter, copper, lead and other materials needed by the revolutionary army to make bullets and ammunitions. Was arrested by the Americans and accused as encubridora de rebelion (concealer of the rebellion). Married General Ricarte when he was in exile in Hong Kong.

Hear more at the "SHEroes Monologues" on June 28.

Register now.

Allan Manalo @ Eth-Noh-Tec 06/13/09

Attention: If you’ve been wishing, intending, hoping to come to one of the Salons someday…better come to this one June 13. It’s our last of the Winter-Spring season as we take a break for the summer and present again in the fall. This line up is a fine array of literary, storytelling, singing and physical theater artists.

Where
Eth-Noh-Tec Studio
977 South Van Ness
San Francisco, CA 94110
between 21st & 20th Streets
close to 24th Street BART

When
Saturday, June 13
7pm Show

Admission
$5-$15 sliding scale
Reserve Now!

contact@ethnohtec.org
(415) 282-8705

Featured Artists:

Al Manalo, Fil-Am Stand up Comedian:
Back from Metro Manila malls, killer punch lines in the form of Mongolian throat singing, he’ll perform feats that have never been attempted…until now!

Elaine Muray, Storyteller:
Beneath the cloth, behind the mask: one body, one thousand characters.

Nanci Gaglio, Screen/Playwright:
“Jose Comin’ This Way”. It’s about a hurricane, Jesus and who saves who?

Gary Lapow, Singer/Songwriter:
From the deeply moving to the hilarious, from the New York folk music scene, to SNCC Freedom Singers (Civil Rights Era), to Malvina Reynolds, Gary offers a musical perspective of an older, seasoned lover of life.

Eth-Noh-Tec, Kinetic Story Theater
Ancient metaphor, modern messages.

Eth-Noh-Tec is funded in part by San Francisco Grants for the Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission, National Storytelling Network, Target Stores, Asian Arts Foundation, and private donors. Eth-Noh-Tec is an official San Francisco Green Business.

Luis Francia, NY: STOP MAKING SENSE! Poetry Workshop

Wednesday June 10th to July 15th -- NYC

STOP MAKING SENSE! Poetry Workshop

Mean without meaning to. Chance upon delight, mystery, paradox, and other linguistic revelations as, given free rein, words can lead you to broad and unexpected spaces/places. In approaching the writing of a poem, this workshop emphasizes play, lyricism, and an openness unbeholden to narrative. Worry not about the latter: its texts are indelibly written in the everyday. Worry not, therefore, about your grandmother, your sexuality, your roots. They will never leave you.

For those seriously beginning to write poetry. Limited to twelve participants.This workshop with NYU A/P/A Studies instructor and award-winning author Luis H. Francia (Eye of the Fish: A Personal Archipelago) will emphasize play, lyricism, and openness in writing poetry. Intended for beginners. More info and registration here.

Wednesdays (six sessions)
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Asian American Writers' Workshop
16 West 32nd St, 10th floor, New York
$225 general / $200 members

Mythic Women-Small Presses: Ching-In Chen and Maiana Minahal 06/16/09

		June 16 Mythic Women-Small Presses Maiana Minahal/Ching-In Chen LGBT Center, Ceremonial Room 7:30pm Tickets: $12-$20 Buy Tickets on-line: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/66000
Ching-In Chen Photo by Sarah Grant	Maiana Minahal Photo by Leilani Nisperos

Celebrate the release of Maiana Minahal's Legend Sondayo (Civil Defense Press) and Ching-In Chen's The Heart's Traffic (Arktoi Books/Red Hen Press) and these independent presses nurturing the voices of queer women! Gathering an exuberant range of voices, aesthetics, and thematic concerns, this creative showcase featuring the work of Robyn Brooks, Ching-In Chen, Ananda Esteva, Judy Grahn, Eloise Klein Healy, Vanessa Huang, Danielle Montgomery, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Maiana Minahal, Rajasvini Bhansali, and Aimee Suzara is a celebration of the possibilities of queer women poetics, incorporating other poetic languages to reflect on the power of myth, lineage and history to expand/ limit our vision. Civil Defense Press, local activist and collectively-run press, continues to publish work that wouldn't otherwise find a home in the mainstream publishing world. Arktoi Books seeks to give lesbian writers more access to "the conversation" that having a book in print affords.

Aimee Suzara: Poetry in the Park

From Aimee Suzara:

Poetry in the Park
A writing/performance workshop with Aimee Suzara
Saturday, JUNE 20, 2009
2-5pm | Park near Lake Merritt, location TBD

What will we do?
This workshop will draw from the unique geography of the Oakland Lake Merritt area to generate writing. We’ll use PLACE to elicit POETRY. From the texture of a tree trunk to the crevices in the concrete - from the downtown Oakland skyline to the lines in your palm - from the lattice of maple leaves above to the meeting of soil to asphalt. There’s nothing like the Lake Merritt area in Oakland for the meeting of nature and metropolis. We’ll activate our senses & bodies to generate writing through guided exercises. And we’ll close our three hours together by performing our words.

Who is this for?
Writers, non-writers, performers and non-performers, artists in other forms. If you need a boost for your summer writing, this is for YOU. If you’ve never taken a poetry workshop, this is for YOU. If you’ve always wanted to take a workshop in a non-competitive setting, this is for YOU. The types of exercises and the small class setting will enable me to tailor the exercises to your skill level.

ENROLL BY EMAILING: booking@aimeesuzara.net

$30-50 sliding scale. Enroll with a friend and pay 2 for $50!
Limit 12 participants.

What workshop participants are saying…

“Aimee is a performer…she brings her authenticity and connection as a performer with her even as she is transferring that knowledge and experience to her students. Always embodying her art - I think this is what makes her a strong, vibrant instructor.”

“Aimee Suzara is an incredible teacher, mentor, and performer. Through this class, she shared her knowledge in writing, capturing, describing, and telling stories that moved me to write and perform in ways I had never done before. I highly recommend taking a class with her, regardless of one’s level of training. Aimee worked with me 1-on-1…and allowed the writer in me to emerge.”

“My skills in writing and performing changed for the best. I have more confidence in myself as a writer and performer; and the warm up exercises in particular were great because they helped me relax and get focused both during the workshop sessions and final performance.”

BIO: Writer/performer/educator Aimee Suzara completed her M.F.A. at Mills College. Her play, Pagbabalik (Return) in 2007 was selected for APAture, Emerging Performance Festival and other festivals. Her poetry collection, the space between. was published by Finishing Line Press (2008) and her writing appears in several journals. Currently, she is in collaboration with Deep Waters Dance Theater and choreographer Frances Sedayao. Her workshops and workshop series have been hosted at Kearny Street Workshop, Epic Arts, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and schools and venues nationwide.