What if the world were tailored toward five-foot-two, tattooed Asian females?
Award-winning spoken word artist Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai asked her audience that question in Salomon 101 Monday night as she recited her poem "Self-centered." The performance was part of a kick-off event for the Third World Center's annual Asian/Asian American History Month.
Born in Chicago to Taiwanese parents and now based in Brooklyn, Tsai has given more than 375 performances internationally and appeared in three seasons of HBO's "Def Poetry," according to her Web site.
The poems she recited at Monday's event spanned several topics, including identity and race for second- and later-generation Asian immigrants, feminism, politics, hip-hop music and family relationships. She drew heavily on her personal experiences, including those of growing up in Chicago, and conversations with family members.
Cheers, claps and laughs from the nearly 50-member audience peppered Tsai's performance, which was a blend of humorous, satirical and occasionally poignant poetry.
In a poem dedicated to her grandfather, Tsai explored the hardships suffered by the Chinese who were exiled to Taiwan and the divide that exists between Chinese immigrants and their American-born children. "Did Mao experiment on your family to create a better world?" Tsai asked. "Did you know communism is not a theory for everyone?"
The event also featured performances by WORD! members Phil Kaye '10, Kai Huang '11 and Franny Choi '11, a Herald editorial cartoonist, as well as Brown's Archipelaga, a group of Filipina students who perform spoken word.
The theme of this year's Asian/Asian American History Month is "Remade in America," a phrase that refers to the way immigrants reshape their identities in the United States.
Many audience members said they identified with Tsai's performance.
Rob Ren-Pang '11, who is also a spoken-word artist, said "I thought it was very close to home … it was very true."
"She was very approachable," Sonia Kim '11 said. "She talked about the issues, but from a perspective that college students can understand."
"She was extremely sincere," John Oakey '10 said.
The event also attracted students from neighboring Hope High School.
"I'm not Asian, but it felt very comforting to me," said Mike Tillinghast, a senior at Hope, who said he enjoyed the event as he would a "home-cooked pie."
Other upcoming events for the month include a "Remade in America" photo competition and a "What is Asian" panel later this week.
