The Mexi-Asian Persuasion

Enchiladas. White Rice. Revolution. Chalupas. All the ingredients needed to concoct a truly amazing night of poetry. David Romero has a way of putting some of the most diverse poets together, and hosting one-of-a-kind, memorable shows. "David A. Romero Presents...A Night of Poetry at Cha & Cafe" was a celebration of different cultures, various backgrounds, and diverse styles, to say the least, fusing together to create something extraordinary: poetry through many voices. How appropriate it was to be set at a Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant, the delicious and delectable Cha & Cafe. Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the night was when David did his famous "Enchiladas" piece, and I followed with a piece called "White Rice," a half spoof and half asian parody on his latino-inspired masterpiece. I enjoyed mimicking one of the most well-known comedic performers of our time...how often do people get to do that? Of course headlining with Matt Sedillo was awesome. Matt is widely known as the hardest, most controversial poet in LA, and he never fails to shock members in the audience, particularly ones who are are new to slam poetry. The prestigious Paul Mabon was the reigning king of the night. Def Jam Poet and actor, this man almost needs no introduction. Featuring in a show with him was surreal, and hanging out with him afterwards with handful of other artists was such a good time. SuperB was also there that night, although unexpected, but always welcomed! And the crazy talented DJ Mike Sincere was the musical stylist of the night. Thank you to everyone who was there last night, it was truly a night to remember; thank you to Cha & Cafe for allowing us to invade your establishment, and thanks to all the poets during the open mic portion of the night, and all my friends who came out and supported. To old friends and new friends, Cheers! Here's to the Mexi-Asian Fusion Revolution!

baby, you're a firework.

Last night Spit in the Mud had the privilege of featuring at Yorba Linda Friends Church "SHINE" Winter Fest... what. a. blast. Hundreds of Jr. High and High school students flooded the campus complete with three stages, four bounce houses, and a phenomenal set of musicians and artist. I was blown away by the caliber of the set and aesthetics used to make this event really... shine.

Nathan & I performed solo pieces, "Fearless" & "These Little Lights," and after the event in the main building, the crowd moved on over to the Roadhouse Room where renowned Illusionist Danny Ray was to put on one of the most brilliant shows we've ever seen.


The whole SITM team opened up for him with a piece called "It's Magic," featuring guest lyrical maestro, Jay Hewitt. The all-night event (seriously, we were there from 5:30pm to 12:30am, and we left early) was exhausting, yes, as Jr. Highers usually are, but it was worth all of the energy that was sweeping all over Winter Fest. We got to hang with truly amazing bands and artists backstage, have our minds blown by the most incredible magic shown we've ever seen, and of course, do what we love. Thanks YLFC. That was magical.

this birthday goes to the Boots.

Today is my birthday. What a pleasant feeling. I went to bed last night after a wonderful dinner with friends, rested my tired eyes amidst fresh, clean sheets and woke up this morning to Mumford & Sons and a cup o' tea. It's not even 8am, the sun is shining upon my southern california room covered in windows, and my fuzzy socks are particularly comfy this morning. My friends have a fairly full week planned for me, but this right now might be my favorite part... my me time.
Alright, enough birthday butterflies. Smiles off. This is important. For various reasons, this birthday is particularly special for me, and for those same reasons, it's important for me that my birthday festivities give back this year. I have a piece called "Crazy & Wonderful" that's about living out poetry instead of merely speaking it sans action. After performing it a couple months ago, I started thinking about "Vintage Boots," the piece that took me places, the story that changed me, the nick name that still makes me smirk. I wanted to do something with it. With so recognizable a piece, how could I use that to give back in a way that means something to me?
This upcoming February, my best friends and I are putting on "Beyond the Boots," an open mic benefit for foster children homes and programs. It will be held at Monkey Business Cafe in Fullerton on Feb. 25th at 7pm. The event includes headliners David Romero, Matt Sedillo, and Francois, and features visionary poets KasiTeYana, Alex Alpharaoh, Danny Sugimoto, Nathan McWherter, Nghiem Le, and Gavin Thomas Gordon Topper. Many of the features are paid poets who are donating their time to this show for the cause. On top of the extraordinary poets, we are also featuring two good friends of mine who are also amazing musicians, Samantha Parks and Joy Oladokun. It is looking to be a night of inspiration, good laughs, and an overflowing amount of musical and poetic talent that i'm sure will be seeping through the doors of that homey, red-walled cafe. If you are in the area, I urge you to try and stop by. Admission is $5, and 100% of profits will go directly towards Hart Community Homes, a non-profit organization that seeks to heal, educate, and empower at-risk youth to become healthy, productive, and self-sufficient adults in the community. Monkey Business Cafe is a product of HCH, and I am "beyond" excited for this upcoming event.



It's no longer just about my boots. It's beyond that.
Come celebrate life with us.

Smiles back on.

let's Cha.

There’s a sea of events coming around the bend, but I’d like to highlight one in particular that’s quickly approaching. On January 30th, def Jam poet Paul Mabon, Matt Sedillo, and I will be headlining for David A. Romero Presents... A Night of Poetry at Cha & Cafe. Matt Sedillo and David Romero are not only some of my funniest, most ridiculous guys I know, they are also some of the most incredible, passionate poets I know. Featuring at one of David’s events is a privilege, as is spitting alongside David and Matt at any given day. Paul Mabon is also a highly esteemed and very experienced artist, and featuring with this incredible def Jam poet is an honor, truly. I’m pretty excited. I’m doing four pieces, three which are fairly new. The flyer’s attached if you’d like to stop by : )

Recently, this year...

Recently, a friend of mine asked me if I thought it was possible to blog consistently about all past and upcoming events. At the time I said yes, but now I have realized I completely lied. 'Tis impossible a task. Thirteen days into the new year, and there have been so many amazing shows I've been privileged to be a part of, new artists and poets I'm so glad to have met, and exciting events coming up in the near future. Of course, that will be on top of finishing college, having three jobs, and maintaining a personal life :) I wouldn't have it any other way.
Recently, I was able to spit in Boedekker Park in San Francisco (my hometown, what what!) alongside Calvary Street, at Lifehouse Covenant (also in SF), Sunnyvale Art Gallery's "The Canvas" (alongside my friend Nathan), Cal State Fullerton's marketing seminar, and a night of music and poetry at the M Bar in Los Angeles, hosted by BA poet, David Romero. David's also hosting a night of poetry at the end of this month that I'm excited to headline along with def Jam poet Paul Mabon, and poetic beast Matt Sedillo. There's much to come, so stay tuned. 2011 is looking to be quite the adventure.





Photos by Justin Duke Floro & Ally Novell

a new year with Donaldina Cameron

Donaldina Cameron House has provided faith-based support to Asian women and their families for over 135 years. This New Year's day, fellow SITM member Nathan and I spit underneath it's roof and ministered to a new generation of Chinatown's asain community. My friend Joel has been working at the Cameron House for a few years now, and when he invited me to spit on this special occasion, kicking off the new year, it was such a privilege. Nathan was in town and he was glad to join in as well. The people were very welcoming and we had a great time meeting the children and adults now serviced by Cameron House. Afterwards, we took a tour of the 5 story building, complete with an amazing view from the rooftop, and the heart-aching site of an underground tunnel used to hide refugee asian woman from the government. It was an experience that I'll never forget, as Donaldina Cameron's story quickly became very personal to me. She's one of the most inspirational woman in history, particularly in San Francisco, and to merely walk down walls that her vision built was moving. I encourage everyone to take the time to read the house's history, which I've copied and pasted from the website. Thank you Joel, and the rest of the staff at Cameron House for allowing us to share our hearts at a place where our lives have been changed.

(From CameronHouse.org) "Started by the Presbyterian Church as the Occidental Mission Home for Girls in 1874, it's initial purpose was to intervene on behalf of young, Asian, immigrant females who had become vulnerable upon arrival into the United States.

These women and girls were smuggled into the United States thereby circumventing immigration laws that excluded them. Asian women were commodities that were bought and sold (even by their own family) as property which became known as the 'yellow slave trade'.

Bogus 'contracts' were created to enforce this system of slavery in which Asian women became domestics or prostitutes. The contractual conditions specified insurmountable recourse for women to purchase their own freedom. There are many thousands of Asian immigrant women who have died in enslaved conditions in San Francisco.





Miss Donaldina Cameron came to the Occidental Mission Home as a sewing teacher; she stayed forty years devoting her life as a missionary creating a foundation assisting Asian women victimized by violence and discrimination.

The mission of Cameron House services has evolved over the years resulting in an agency that is a comprehensive family service organization serving low income, Asian immigrants, youth and families in San Francisco.

Recent events in Asia and the Pacific Rim indicate that the influx of immigrants from those areas, particularly into San Francisco and the Bay Area, will steadily increase. The Cameron House reputation throughout the Asian community is one of an organization that is culturally and linguistically accessible to those encountering life crises.

Cameron House is committed to enter the new century in a state of readiness to meet the challenge of assisting new immigrants and others assimilate into a new society and culture."

For more information, visit CameronHouse.org today.

Necessarily speaking...

(Taken from SpitInTheMud.com) “Six poets, one band, one painter, and a handful of wonderful friends joined forces to put on a night of poetry, music, and community. Over 200 people came together on November 5th at Eastside Christian in Fullerton, CA to support Spit in the Mud's benefit for Solidarity, a non-proft organization that sets to build relationships that impact communites through holistic transformation. The Necessary Project featured guest poets KasiTeYana, Ian DiOrio, and professional slam poet, Francois. Hundreds of dollars were raised for Solidarity's after school programs and teen center.”


It happened. ‘Twas amazing. My first big project to head up couldn’t have had more of a windy road to get through. Luckily, I had hired my best friends Kasey & Ally to help coordinate the project, and essentially co-host it, and of course I had Nathan and Danny of Spit in the Mud to help out whenever they could.


Having said that, all the hard work paid off. After the show, there were stories upon stories of people who came who related to our stories, who had something change in them, who from that night on decided to make a difference. Really, that’s what it’s all about. Though we want to promote the art of spoken word as a whole so others know they have this outlet available, we also want to be effective in our own outlets, leaving insights to human nature, the world, and change. It was truly an incredible night, filled with unexpected surprises and newfound friendships.


If you were there, thank you. If you weren’t, no worries. We have five pieces online, plus full-legnth DVDs :)
Watch a promo here.
Go to Spit in the Mud’s website here.