"POETRYSILOG: ulam. For Your Rice" a Sol y Soul Production

Sol & Soul Presented, “POETRYSILOG: ulam. For your rice, a feast of Filipino American poetry and Performance,” at the Josephine Butler Center to a packed and enthusiastic audience. The evening began with the Filipino American Cultural Society (FACS), a collective of students from Salem High School in Virginia Beach, VA. They use performing arts to anchor Filipino American youth in the history and culture of their community. Their work as an ensemble cast was impressive and polished. They blended spoken word, theater, singing and multi-part a cappella harmonies as a powerful medium to confront hard-hitting issues about race, ethnicity and society. YLSN spoke with FACS about collaborations in media and performance after the show. The second half of the performance featured poet, activist and playwright Reggie Cabicco. He lived up to the program description of “fearlessly diving into the chaotic glop of pop culture, sexual politics and the outsider experience, leaving no stone unturned.” The packed audience included several members of his family, adding to the energy that had already been lifted so incredibly with the FACS performance.