Spent Friday night for the first time at the Nyuorican. I made the trek over there for my friend Kelly Tzen Tsai's performance.
How did I find out about Kelly??.....
I was invited to this event for APA Month in City Hall. The crowd was definitely a much older and stiffer than you would find at the Nuryorican. Asian/Pacific American performers included singers and formal poets & then Kelly.
I remember all of a sudden, hearing Kelly busting out lyrics which resembled a form of rap without the music. It definitely woke me up when I caught myself dozing off. Her performance was not only entertaining and moving, but educational. Her pieces are about the Asian American experience.
I have a lot of respect for this girl. Spoken word is a more modern form of poetry that seems to cater to a younger and hipper crowd, yet she's been invited to some of the most main stream events and venues. She's been invited to perform in front of crowds that you would definitely not see at the Nyuorican and move them with the same power.
A small autographed poster of her hangs in my store with a haiku she dedicated to ice cream. It's good to see the charisma of young Asian Americans moving the masses through various forms of art, such as poetry/spoken word.
Kelly's website: www.yellowgurl.com
FYI Her CD and poem books rock!
