I’ll Be Teaching a Series of Spoken Word Workshops!

egana:

egana:

So thanks to my company, Pacific Child and Family Associates, I have been given the opportunity to teach a passion of mine: The series is entitled, “Introduction to Spoken Word Poetry.” For ages 13 - 17, this will be suitable for beginners and novices. There will be fun and creative exercises to encourage self-expression in a safe and open environment. Participants will learn to develop their voices as young poets. If you haven’t heard of spoken word and want to know what it is or if you have and want to try it out or if you just want to write and perform, then come check out this series! To enroll, please visit:

http://www.burbankparks.com/registrationmain.sdi

Search the activity #2571.305.

This summer as part of the Burbank Recreational Program I will be leading from June 20 - August 18 at the McCambridge Recreational Center. It is $78 for residents and $83 for non-residents. It will be held on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.

One has registered so far. There are eight open slots left. There needs to be a minimum so please come through and help me spread the word to all who you feel may be interested. Classes begin on June 20, but the last day to register is June 28! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message me. Thanks!

Correction on my part: the activity # is 2571.305, not 2571305. Thank you so much for your help! Here is the flyer! Gotta love that beatnik image they picked out for my class. Haha.

During my latter high school years, I got involved with the Pilipino Youth Coalition (PYC) of Southern Alameda County in Union City. To this day, I am thankful for everything this organization gave me as a youth of the Filipino community. They taught me community leadership skills, raised my awareness of political and social issues, and gave me a home to express myself freely.

The first time I shared a poem at an open mic was with friends I made through PYC. It was after a meeting and there was an open mic being held right down the block at Paddy’s, our local coffee shop. So I had a poem… and yes, it was written about a girl. (Let me remind you that those adolescent feelings were at their pinnacle.) Anyway, I was very shy. I wrote poems, but rarely shared them with anyone. But thanks to the support of the organizers and friends I’d made at PYC, I was able to build enough courage to get on the mic that night and share.

I’ve been an avid optimist of self-expression ever since. From telling that girl you like her to shining the spotlight on cases of injustice to bring about justice, I learned that the art of self-expression is a positive medium to connect with the world. Honestly, I feel that PYC was a huge influence to my development as an artist with forWord.

On that note, Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ) recently received a notice from the Alameda County Behavioral Healthcare Services that they will no longer be funded beginning next Friday on March 30th. Thus FAJ’s programs, such as the youth services they provide through PYC, are in danger of being terminated.

Although I am only one person with a testimonial, I wholeheartedly believe their programs do make a lasting impact on the community. With too many programs actually doing good for the community being cut nowadays, please help spread the word and make a stand! Support FAJ and PYC!

For more info:
www.filipinos4justice.org

To donate:
https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=2374

- Eddy M. Gana Jr.

Register Now for the My Own Story Writing Workshop!

As part of VAALA’s Cycles of Life Art Exhibition currently running through April 1, 2012, we’d like to invite community members to register for the My Own Story (MOS) Creative Writing Workshop.  Co-presented by VAALA and Common Ground Open Mic Series, MOS is a writing/storytelling workshop facilitated by critically acclaimed performer/teacher Alex Luu. MOS participants will come into a creative space to explore elements that make up their own unique voices/stories. Through fun, non-traditional/interactive games/exercises, participants will be able to unearth, discover, write, and express their own autobiographical stories.  The workshop will be held at VAALA Cultural  Center, the location of the Cycles of Life art exhibition.  The MOS workshop will culminate in a special reading showcase by workshop participants along with music by Common Ground Open Mic performers,  Pratiti Renee Mehta and Nina Rae.

• When: Saturday, March 31st from 12-5pm Sunday, April 1st from 12-4pm and followed by Reading Showcase and Exhibition Closing reception from 4-6:30pm
• Where: VAALA Cultural Center (1600 North Broadway, Santa Ana, CA, 92706)  
• Who: Open to anyone high school age and up (Youth strongly encouraged)  
• Fee: $5 Registration includes lunch and refreshments  
• Note: Participants must be present for both days of workshop 

Register soon as there are only 25 spots in the workshop!

***ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST REGISTER***

Email Julie at julievo@vaala.org to register or with any questions about the workshop.

About Alex Luu  

Alex Luu is a critically acclaimed solo performance artist, workshop facilitator/teacher, and independent filmmaker who graduated from UCLA’s School of Film/Television.  Luu has been performing and facilitating/teaching the MY OWN STORY (MOS) workshop nationally since 1989 and 1997, respectively.  Luu’s autobiographical “performance theater” work addresses themes such as identity, racism, body image/politics, family dynamics and the overall under representation of People of Color (especially Asian American males) in mainstream media & culture.  

Based in Los Angeles, Luu combines performance art, monologue and physical movement in a kenetic no-holds-barred style and presentation that is at once hilariously-over-the-top and heart-renderingly poignant.  Luu’s works have been seen at Highways Performance Space, Boston Center for the Arts, Strand Theater, Japanese American Cultural Community Center, Asian American Writers Workshop, Tremont Theater, Asian American Theater Center, Los Angeles Theater Center, East West Players, Rude Guerilla Theater and college/high school campuses.   

About Common Ground Open Mic Series

common ground connects communities through creative expressions. We are a collective of community members, artists, and activists committed to cultivating positive and safe space for artistic growth and community empowerment. Occurs on the first Thursday of every month. www.facebook.com/commongroundoc

About VAALA & Cycles of Life exhibition

The mission of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture.  VAALA’s spring art exhibition entitled “Cycles of Life,” features 24 artists of Vietnamese descent from different generations, and their work offers for examination whether aspects of culture (Vietnamese, American, other) have influenced the artists’ understanding and interpretation of this theme. Simultaneously, it aims to show how the artists themselves belong to larger cycles of artistic influence. In positioning one generation of artists adjacent to another generation, the exhibit asks whether there are threads of stylistic, cultural, and thematic influence or continuity between artists and artworks. The exhibition is curated by artists Ann Phong, Barbara Thomason, and James Dinh.  The gallery will be open from 12pm-5pm (and by appointment) every Saturday and Sunday for the duration of the exhibition. The exhibition is free and open to the public. www.vaala.org

https://www.facebook.com/notes/vaala-vietnamese-american-arts-and-letters-association/register-now-for-the-my-own-story-writing-workshop/347484001959344

Common Ground is an amazing organization providing an open space for creative expression in Orange County and we are thankful for the diligence in supporting the arts. On Sunday, April 1st, they are hosting this wonderful  workshop so if you want to turn those creative writing gears this workshop is for you to start revving up!

When I first started writing seriously about 3 years ago, I would try to write everyday. I soon found that that creative process was too distracting. I had difficulty beginning a new poem when I my mind was still lingering on the one I wrote yesterday and the day before that. I think living in a capitalist society, there is a great anxiety to constantly produce in order to feel productive and proactive. There is a sense of guilt and insecurity when one doesn’t produce “like everyone else”, and I think this is very harmful to the creative process. At least for me, experience requires time in order to be filtered and formed into some sort of wisdom. Only once thoroughly absorbed do I feel an experience or idea is ready to be made into a poem. I think poems are like pregnancies, the more time you spend in nurturing them, the more promising they will be. So I try my best not to go into labor until they are ready. For some reason this results in 4-5 poems a year. I don’t plan on that number but that’s just how it happens.