Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
A breakthrough?
I have facilitated poetry classes throughout NYC. I have been blessed with some of the most talented students that make my job easy. Yet, I have been thrown into the lions den several times.
Yesterday was my workshop over at the Early Reporting Center and Wilder ave. This is a half way house of sorts for juveniles. I was contracted for 12 workshops and yesterday was my 6th one. Well, it was the breakthrough one yesterday and I am excited.
I brought in a poem by Patricia Smith "Giving birth to a soldier" and we broke this poem down line by line. I gave them an exercise in which they had to "sandwich their poetry with two lines from the poem. I was so excited hearing these kids read their poems with heads held high. They actually wrote and shared their poems. I have been struggling with them to even pick up a pen. For some reason yesterday was the day these kids wanted to work.
Poetry isn't easy. Teaching it is even harder. Teaching it to a bunch of kids who have no desire to learn it makes it near impossible. I guess if you stay the course, you will have results.
Fish Vargas
Yesterday was my workshop over at the Early Reporting Center and Wilder ave. This is a half way house of sorts for juveniles. I was contracted for 12 workshops and yesterday was my 6th one. Well, it was the breakthrough one yesterday and I am excited.
I brought in a poem by Patricia Smith "Giving birth to a soldier" and we broke this poem down line by line. I gave them an exercise in which they had to "sandwich their poetry with two lines from the poem. I was so excited hearing these kids read their poems with heads held high. They actually wrote and shared their poems. I have been struggling with them to even pick up a pen. For some reason yesterday was the day these kids wanted to work.
Poetry isn't easy. Teaching it is even harder. Teaching it to a bunch of kids who have no desire to learn it makes it near impossible. I guess if you stay the course, you will have results.
Fish Vargas
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Humbled on the A train
Yesterday I went to the Urban Word Mentor meeting. They are making attempts at building community by having meetings at least once a month. That is always a good thing.
I was in a really weird place yesterday. I was asked to facilitate a performance workshop for some middle schoolers who are going to perform at a poetry slam on Nov 20th for America Scores. The kids were typical kids and they did well. I won't get into what bothered me. Today is a new day and I am over that.
At the Urban word meeting, we had a good time getting to know some of the mentors who are facilitating classes all around NYC. I knew everyone there so it seemed stale to me. We still engaged in conversation and made some very valid points. I brought to the table how all of us at Urban word get spoiled with workshops who have participants who are willing to write, work, learn, perform. Then, we head over to other places expecting that and you are thrown into the lions den of sorts. I've had experience teaching across the board, yet, some kids will put you to the test.
Coming home, Willie Perdomo and I bonded over a ride home on the A train. It was a nice time as I didn't pick his brain and he didn't talk my ear off. Willy could be considered a legend in his own right with all the work that he is doing. Yet, he could be considered a normal dude like all the rest of us. Some of the things that came out of his mouth struck me heavily.
"anyone could craft the shit out of a poem, not many people have a passion or a voice"
That made me think of half the people who I know. These kats read every book and steal every trick possible but there work doesn't have passion, voice, nor drive.
It felt good talking to Willie, especially when he thought my direction giving rant at Urban word was a better example of poetry then the actual poetry being read.
This is a stressful year but I am getting through it.
Fish Vargas
I was in a really weird place yesterday. I was asked to facilitate a performance workshop for some middle schoolers who are going to perform at a poetry slam on Nov 20th for America Scores. The kids were typical kids and they did well. I won't get into what bothered me. Today is a new day and I am over that.
At the Urban word meeting, we had a good time getting to know some of the mentors who are facilitating classes all around NYC. I knew everyone there so it seemed stale to me. We still engaged in conversation and made some very valid points. I brought to the table how all of us at Urban word get spoiled with workshops who have participants who are willing to write, work, learn, perform. Then, we head over to other places expecting that and you are thrown into the lions den of sorts. I've had experience teaching across the board, yet, some kids will put you to the test.
Coming home, Willie Perdomo and I bonded over a ride home on the A train. It was a nice time as I didn't pick his brain and he didn't talk my ear off. Willy could be considered a legend in his own right with all the work that he is doing. Yet, he could be considered a normal dude like all the rest of us. Some of the things that came out of his mouth struck me heavily.
"anyone could craft the shit out of a poem, not many people have a passion or a voice"
That made me think of half the people who I know. These kats read every book and steal every trick possible but there work doesn't have passion, voice, nor drive.
It felt good talking to Willie, especially when he thought my direction giving rant at Urban word was a better example of poetry then the actual poetry being read.
This is a stressful year but I am getting through it.
Fish Vargas
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Por Fin
It only took a few days. After someone knocked on Al Sharptons door and said "hey, this cop who killed the Latin kid might be getting preferential treatment", , the poofy haired one rose up. He said "if a cop is getting this treatment, we are not having it".
I am sad that it took this long for someone to become the voice of Jason Tirado and his family. There has been small protest marches outside the 25th precinct. I have seen some e-mails going back and forth calling for more protest. The media isn't letting the subject matter die without a fight. ABC is keeping it on their radar with title stories like " Rage grows in east Harlem".
Rage??? They do not know the meaning of rage. Rage is when someone walks up to the cop who shot Mr Tirado and rips his arms from his body and beats him with it. What is going on is not rage, it's a community growing tired.
Without doing the proper research I think I could go back and name 3 to 4 victims of fatal police shootings where the victims were not armed. The one who comes to mind (the Latest one of course) is Shawn Bell. Another would be Timothy Stansfield, Elenor Bumpers. That is just in ny without research. I am quite sure if I google enough, there will be many many more.
It is 7:23am. I am writing about what matters these days. I am trying to hit subjects that are close to home.
Let's go
Fish Vargas
I am sad that it took this long for someone to become the voice of Jason Tirado and his family. There has been small protest marches outside the 25th precinct. I have seen some e-mails going back and forth calling for more protest. The media isn't letting the subject matter die without a fight. ABC is keeping it on their radar with title stories like " Rage grows in east Harlem".
Rage??? They do not know the meaning of rage. Rage is when someone walks up to the cop who shot Mr Tirado and rips his arms from his body and beats him with it. What is going on is not rage, it's a community growing tired.
Without doing the proper research I think I could go back and name 3 to 4 victims of fatal police shootings where the victims were not armed. The one who comes to mind (the Latest one of course) is Shawn Bell. Another would be Timothy Stansfield, Elenor Bumpers. That is just in ny without research. I am quite sure if I google enough, there will be many many more.
It is 7:23am. I am writing about what matters these days. I am trying to hit subjects that are close to home.
Let's go
Fish Vargas
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Where is Al Sharpton?
About two days ago there was a shooting on the FDR exit by 116th street. There was one victim who was hit under the arm and pronounced dead at the hospital. The victim of this senseless shooting was 24 year old father of one, Jayson Tirado.
In every context of a shooting at 1 am, it seemed to be a road rage incident. One that went far beyond the typical New York bird out of your drivers side window. There are incidents every single day with over aggressive drivers who are in strict need of anger management and countless hours of therapy.
This incident has all the markings of a bad shooting. Why am I writing about it??? There is no one standing up in the latino community. I do not see Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, B.E.T, Miss jones morning show, XXL Magazine asking for the head of the shooter. The facts are there, as skewered towards the truth or to a fabricated tale, one things remains fact; the victim in this case was unarmed. The shooter took aim at the back drivers side window and emptied his weapon, a 9mm glock. He then sped off and turned himself 24 hours later.
Was the shooter a common criminal?? Was he an upstanding citizen who felt he was threatened and did what he had to do in order to protect himself? We don't know these answers. We do know that he was being questioned for 21 hours straight in the 25th precinct. We do know the Manhattan Districts attorney has already declared "This might have been a justified shooting". Where was it justified?? How can someone pull out a gun on someone from their car and shoot into another car?? Especially if the shooter "felt" he was threatened or the victim made a sudden move as if he was going to pull out a gun?
This hurts me, this hurts me to the point in which I have to write about it. Who was the shooter in this case??? A NYPD Undercover narcotics officer. Yes folks, another fatal shooting involving and unarmed man. Another fatal shooting involving a minority in a city where police run unchecked. Another shooting where they hope 24 hours was just enough for the intoxicants to leave the shooters system.
I have questions but no one dares to answer them. Where are the latinos uniting against this atrocity towards one of our own? Where are the justifying factors of this person being able to pull a gun with no verifiable evidence of being threatened, other then his fabricated story? Who is going to raise the victims 1 year old daughter? Was this a cop or a common thug with a gun?
This city has been divided quite some time. No one comes to the aid of another unless the victims shares a common thread of skin pigmintation. In others words latinos have nothing here to suport them in times of need. If we do, someone write it down and e-mail it to me. I understand life is good when you live right. We still have to live in the reality of today.
I live in an impoverished neighborhood. The superintendent of my building said to me one day, "you are the only one's who work in your line in the building". That struck me hard. No matter how hard I try to fool myself to thinking I am a hard working man living in a middle class neighborhood, it's not the truth. We live one step from being mugged, raped, shot or killed. All this from criminals and cops alike.
Cops are falling victim themselves to crime opportunity. They make about 23,000 a year going into the academy. Who could live on that?? Could you honeslty think all police cadets are going into this as law abiding citizens who will uphold their oaths to protect and serve the public?? New York City is giving carte blanc to criminals, defrauders, rapists, and drug dealers.
This is not a safe city and I challenge anyone to make me think different.
Fish Vargas
Writer at large
In every context of a shooting at 1 am, it seemed to be a road rage incident. One that went far beyond the typical New York bird out of your drivers side window. There are incidents every single day with over aggressive drivers who are in strict need of anger management and countless hours of therapy.
This incident has all the markings of a bad shooting. Why am I writing about it??? There is no one standing up in the latino community. I do not see Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, B.E.T, Miss jones morning show, XXL Magazine asking for the head of the shooter. The facts are there, as skewered towards the truth or to a fabricated tale, one things remains fact; the victim in this case was unarmed. The shooter took aim at the back drivers side window and emptied his weapon, a 9mm glock. He then sped off and turned himself 24 hours later.
Was the shooter a common criminal?? Was he an upstanding citizen who felt he was threatened and did what he had to do in order to protect himself? We don't know these answers. We do know that he was being questioned for 21 hours straight in the 25th precinct. We do know the Manhattan Districts attorney has already declared "This might have been a justified shooting". Where was it justified?? How can someone pull out a gun on someone from their car and shoot into another car?? Especially if the shooter "felt" he was threatened or the victim made a sudden move as if he was going to pull out a gun?
This hurts me, this hurts me to the point in which I have to write about it. Who was the shooter in this case??? A NYPD Undercover narcotics officer. Yes folks, another fatal shooting involving and unarmed man. Another fatal shooting involving a minority in a city where police run unchecked. Another shooting where they hope 24 hours was just enough for the intoxicants to leave the shooters system.
I have questions but no one dares to answer them. Where are the latinos uniting against this atrocity towards one of our own? Where are the justifying factors of this person being able to pull a gun with no verifiable evidence of being threatened, other then his fabricated story? Who is going to raise the victims 1 year old daughter? Was this a cop or a common thug with a gun?
This city has been divided quite some time. No one comes to the aid of another unless the victims shares a common thread of skin pigmintation. In others words latinos have nothing here to suport them in times of need. If we do, someone write it down and e-mail it to me. I understand life is good when you live right. We still have to live in the reality of today.
I live in an impoverished neighborhood. The superintendent of my building said to me one day, "you are the only one's who work in your line in the building". That struck me hard. No matter how hard I try to fool myself to thinking I am a hard working man living in a middle class neighborhood, it's not the truth. We live one step from being mugged, raped, shot or killed. All this from criminals and cops alike.
Cops are falling victim themselves to crime opportunity. They make about 23,000 a year going into the academy. Who could live on that?? Could you honeslty think all police cadets are going into this as law abiding citizens who will uphold their oaths to protect and serve the public?? New York City is giving carte blanc to criminals, defrauders, rapists, and drug dealers.
This is not a safe city and I challenge anyone to make me think different.
Fish Vargas
Writer at large
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bike Riding and such
It's been a while. I have been really busy and very overwhemled. I have too many workshops, no time to do them. I know I will get through but it is taking a toll and I haven't even gotten past week two.
Things are ok on my end. I had a small hiccup with my lady this weekend. I might have taken things out of focus but there are somethings I am not used too. I treat my relationships with the utmost respect and I expect everyone else to do so. I don't do things that I remotely feel are disrespectful to my lady. I do this becuase I don't want things done in which I feel are disrespectful towards me. Towards the end of the evening we started working things out but we have to move forward. I have so much on my plate, I don't need to add drama.
I am feeling good. Yesterday was the tour de Bronx bike ride. I had a good time. Depsite bing in a bad mood, we forged forward and made the best of it. Again, I almost died around the twenty mile mark. I was pushing it and made it through. It's not easy and I challenge anyone who are not bikers to take on this feat. I will keep on riding bike because I am looking forward to taking part in the 5 borough bike tour in NYC. That is not easy and I know I will have to push harder. I am taking a stand on biking every sunday for at least 3 hours. The ms bike tour took us 4 hours. The tour de Bronx took us 4 hours. If I keep focusing, I could move into a better place physically and mentally.
Moving ahead
Things are ok on my end. I had a small hiccup with my lady this weekend. I might have taken things out of focus but there are somethings I am not used too. I treat my relationships with the utmost respect and I expect everyone else to do so. I don't do things that I remotely feel are disrespectful to my lady. I do this becuase I don't want things done in which I feel are disrespectful towards me. Towards the end of the evening we started working things out but we have to move forward. I have so much on my plate, I don't need to add drama.
I am feeling good. Yesterday was the tour de Bronx bike ride. I had a good time. Depsite bing in a bad mood, we forged forward and made the best of it. Again, I almost died around the twenty mile mark. I was pushing it and made it through. It's not easy and I challenge anyone who are not bikers to take on this feat. I will keep on riding bike because I am looking forward to taking part in the 5 borough bike tour in NYC. That is not easy and I know I will have to push harder. I am taking a stand on biking every sunday for at least 3 hours. The ms bike tour took us 4 hours. The tour de Bronx took us 4 hours. If I keep focusing, I could move into a better place physically and mentally.
Moving ahead
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