forwordcollective:

We, forWord, would like to thank YOU, the reader, for your support! It has been a crazy ride since we first formed our spoken word poetry collective in the Fall of 2010. We would not be where we are now without you all.

Check out our most recent interview at Projekt NewSpeak. Learn a little more about us like why we decided to form forWord, how our group writing process is, behind-the-scenes insight of some poems from our chapbook “Feel What We’re Saying,” what we feel about Asian Latin fusion food, and MORE.

Also thank you, David A. Romero, for the interview!!!

http://projektnewspeak.com/forword/

forwordcollective:

forWord Movement: Projekt NewSpeak Interview by David A. Romero

The Mexi-Asian Perspective: A Latino’s Guide to All Things Latin, Asian, or Both

by David A. Romero

Many vie for the title of hardest working poet (or poets) in Los Angeles. Many claim the title of hardest working poet (or poets) in Los Angeles.  Every year sees the rise and fall of new venues and new, hungry artists making the rounds to fill them with their passion and drive.

For the past two years, for anyone with both functioning eyes and ears, the answer to which poets were dominating LA with their omnipresence was obvious: forWord.

This four member Asian Pacific American poetry collective could be seen from Hollywood to the Inland Empire, from Long Beach to Downtown Los Angeles and everywhere inbetween. Never before had a collective so effortlessly maintained features with open mic performances, group pieces with solo readings; managing to do all of it while loved by everyone they came across.

forWord members Eddy Gana Jr., Stephanie Sajor, Mark Maza and Susan Diep kicked off this year by performing at the 27th Annual Asian Pacific American Awareness Conference at their UC Irvine.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with forWord after the conference and witnessing their fun group dynamic in action. We had a chance to discuss their newest release, the chapbook Feel What We’re Saying.

How and when did you four poets decide to form the poetry super group forWord?

READ MORE at http://projektnewspeak.com/forword/

We got an interview! Shout out to all those who have supported forWord! Read the full interview here:

http://projektnewspeak.com/forword/

forwordcollective:

On Saturday, February 11th, Stephanie and I of forWord made our way to The Park’s Finest in Historic Filipinotown to join Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB, or Pro-People Youth) and help continue the effort to raise funds for those who were and are still affected by Typhoon Sendong in the southern region of Mindanao, Philippines.

It started off slow, but eventually, it was a PACKED house that night. It is always empowering to see so many people who care together in one room. There was music provided by Mark of KmB and LA Sessions who brought a fresh mix of slow jams to emphasize that LOVE for the people and it was surely felt that night. The Black Noise performed with a full band for the first time and it was a different experience (in a good way) from the two-man set they used to do. Let’s just say it was a hard act to follow. And who had to follow them?

Well, KmB’s Spoken Word Collective composed of Janice Sapigao, Jay Eusantos, Michele Gutierrez, Stephanie Sajor, and I went in on the mic with some poetry. Jay opened it up with a poem, “Let’s Build,” about the typhoon’s destruction and the people’s resilience to start anew, fitting perfectly with the theme for the night. Stephanie and I debuted a new duo piece entitled, “From a Place We’ve Never Been,” about understanding struggle and giving support to those in need. Janice had a poem entitled, “Impossible” about how anything is possible and the importance of being responsible. Lastly, Michelle closed off our set with a poem she read from a poet’s book that spoke about the experience of being in the homeland. So what if you missed this? Will you see this collective again? Most likely!

The night continued with a presentation facilitated by Kristine of KmB about Moro People’s CORE and how action taken in the community helped raise over $4,000 to support those in Mindanao! It was eye-opening to see images of the typhoon’s destruction and also inspiring to see how far the reach of the people can go with enough determination and vigor. Thank you to everyone who supported and continues to support our kasamas back home!

After the presentation, The Fighting Cocks ended the night with a medley of originals about love and the end of the world. This was my first time listening to them live and with their full band. No negatives. Loved their music!

By the way, didn’t I mention that this event was held at The Park’s Finest? You have not tasted BBQ if you have not tasted The Park’s Finest! If you are in the LA area, this is a must-see… must-taste family restaurant. More information here: http://www.theparksfinest.com/

Love for the people was in full effect! More events to come! I just wish I had more pictures… Nevermind, that’s what memories are for!

- Eddy M. Gana Jr.