“The Things They Said” by forWord

Stephanie Sajor, Eddy M. Gana Jr., and Susan perform their spoken word piece “The Things They Said” at Uncultivated Rabbits Presents Poetry Showcase at their alma mater University of California, Irvine, CA. This piece came from our looming anxiety not knowing whether we will have a bleak or bright future after college graduation.

Interesting Fact: forWord met through Uncultivated Rabbits, the one and only spoken word organization, at UC Irvine. They served as board officers and are Lifetime Rabbits.

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forWord Feature at FilAm ARTS Presents: FPAC 21

On behalf of FilAm ARTS, we’d like to extend an invitation to our family, friends, fans, and wandering nomads to experience the largest annual celebration of Filipino Arts & Culture in Southern California! Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) is a two-day weekend of arts, culture, fun, and community, and yearly audiences of over 25,000 inter-generational and multicultural supporters, representing 21 years of community tradition.

We, forWord, will be performing our spoken word poetry at this year’s FPAC on the Generation Stage THIS Sunday, September 9th at 2:30 PM!

FPAC take places at Pt. Fermin Park in San Pedro. The address is 807 Paseo Del Mar in San Pedro, CA.

FPAC is annually produced by FilAm ARTS, a certified 501 (c)(3) non-profit, community-based organization supported by the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles, and the California Arts Council for over a decade. FilAm ARTS three main programs are: Eskuwela Kultura, the Pilipino Artists Network, and the
Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC). For more information, please visit www.filamarts.org.

Thank you for your support of forWord, FPAC, FilAm ARTS, and the Filipino-American community throughout Southern California. We are so honored to be a part of this weekend celebration! Come celebrate culture with us! We can’t wait to see you at FPAC 21!

forWord Feature TONIGHT: “Pass the Mic: Reclaim Your Roots” at UC Irvine

The Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA) is presenting an annual spoken word and hip hop showcase/workshop event called, “ Pass the Mic: Reclaim Your Roots.” Through a fusion of spoken word pieces and hip hop, we hope that participants and the audience will be reminded of their roots and we hope to give them a space where they can reclaim their identity as Asian Pacific Islanders or People of Color. In addition, we look forward to collaborating with spoken word and hiphop artists from different areas of California. This event is free and APSA invites all students and the community to come out to witness the raw power of self-expression.

In addition we will also have a mini workshop on how to get into spoken word and hip-hop by our special guests and collaboration with Uncultivated Rabbits and Hip Hop Congress.

Special Guests: forWord, Hoodini and King, and many more!

GOING DOWN TONIGHT, APSA of UCI has invited us back to our alma mater! Stephanie and Eddy will be holding it down for forWord. We will be sharing the stage with the one and only spoken word organization that brought us altogether, Uncultivated Rabbits. Previously from APAAC earlier this year, Hoodini and King are back to show y’all their love for Hip Hop!

RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/374572835915410/

Free event at the UCI Cross-Cultural Center from 8 to 10 PM!

Reflection: Kappa Psi Epsilon’s Roots II Reality at CSU LB

On March 15, 2012, Roots II Reality was the first time forWord had ever performed at a college university that was not our alma mater UC Irvine. The lovely ladies of Kappa Psi Epsilon invited us to perform at CSU Long Beach: The Battle of the Beach was no more.

It was quite a journey to get to Long Beach. I left from UCLA by my lonesome. Steph and Susan drove together from El Monte. Mark came from Fullerton. We met up at the Safeway parking lot so we could take one car on campus. Save money for parking!

The event was held outside. There was an array of performers from emcees to musicians to poets. It was a chilly night, but the mic was burning from all the fueling passion spilled on stage. Our friends, Janice and Jay, were there sharing their poetry and holding it down for KmB. We performed late at night so thanks to all those who stayed to support the later performances. Our first time performing at a college university and what a good time it was.

Roots II Reality was beautifully organized and it was not surprise that this was the second show of its kind. We can’t wait for its next show by Kappa Psi Epsilon of CSU Long Beach!

Here’s some pictures of us in the parking lot because we forgot to take pictures during the event. Shame on us, but at least we got this!

- Eddy M. Gana Jr.