University alumna brings arts, politics to Allen Hall

By Liz deAvila

Def Poet and University alumna Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai is the current Guest-In-Residence at Allen Hall. A multi-disciplinary theater artist, Tsai has performed in over 125 venues across the country, including the Apollo Theater in Harlem, N.Y. She is the author of two books, and tours nationally with Mango Tribe, a group of Asian and Pacific Islander American women theater artists, and “We Got Issues!,” a performance-based dialogue on feminine power and politics, according to its official Web site. A playwright as well, Tsai’s play, “Murder the Machine,” will be featured at Chicago’s first Hip-Hop Theater Festival in spring 2006.

An accomplished poet, Tsai will be on campus until Thursday, Feb. 23, performing her work, holding workshops and acting as a “poetry doctor” for students who want writing advice. She graduated from the University in 2000 with a double major in urban planning and comparative literature. Tsai returned to her alma mater Sunday and began her five-day residency with a presentation entitled “Move This Earth!” where she shared her poetry, songs, movements and experiences on traveling the U.S. and abroad.

Tsai said she applied to the Guest-In-Residence program because she knew it was hard for students interested in arts and politics to find an outlet for their views and expressions in Champaign-Urbana. As a spoken word artist, she said she felt it would be cool to share her unique talents with fellow University students, especially since she still has several student contacts on campus.

“I wanted to give back to a community that gave a lot to me,” Tsai said, who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. but frequently visits Chicago.

Laura Haber, program coordinator of Unit One, the academic program that organizes the Guest-In-Residence events, said she had only heard a recording of Tsai’s poetry before she saw her Sunday presentation.

Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!

  • Catch the latest on University of Illinois news, sports, and more. Delivered every weekday.
  • Stay up to date on all things Illini sports. Delivered every Monday.
Thank you for subscribing!

“It was great,” Haber said. “She was able to energize the audience. Her poetry is powerful and thought-provoking.”

The daughter of Chinese and Taiwanese parents, Tsai said her poetry is influenced by several topics and is very political and personal.

“A lot of work comes from being a woman of color and being a child of immigrants,” Tsai said.

She also listed music, poetry and the experiences she’s had with people as some of the subjects that inspire her work.

“One of the primary (inspirations) are people I have met, people I have conversations with,” Tsai said. “It’s important that the experiences of everyday people are honored.”

No matter what topics are discussed at the workshops, Tsai said she always integrates movement, music, politics and poetry into the experience. So far, the students she’s worked with have had fun and accepted her challenges.

“People have been really open to it, and that’s been really cool,” Tsai said.

Chris Juby, sophomore in LAS, attended Tsai’s Sunday performance and said the program was “really stimulating.” He added that seeing Tsai perform live was an “exciting combination of passion, language and cadence.”

“Hearing and seeing Kelly perform captivated my brain in a way that I really appreciate,” Juby said. “Kelly looks at you, talks to you, imparts a part of her to you. I really feel pretty grateful to have been able to attend the program.”

Patrice Yao, an Allen Hall resident and senior in Business, also attended Tsai’s Sunday presentation. She said she had read about Tsai online beforehand and had been looking forward to her performance.

“I feel like during each piece that Kelly performed, I was saying to myself ‘this is my favorite!’ but it just kept getting better,” Yao said. “I really enjoyed the pieces that she wrote based on her Chinese and Taiwanese American background.”

Yao said that being a second generation Taiwanese-American herself, she could relate to many of Tsai’s experiences.

The rest of Tsai’s scheduled workshops and performances cover a lot of ground and issues, ranging from dance classes and entrepreneurial advice to personal identity and globalization.

“She has a diverse array of programs while she’s here,” Haber said. “Dance, theater, writing and collages.”

On Thursday Tsai will be hosting an open mic night, which she encourages everyone to attend, especially if they are interested in politics, art and community. She called it an opportunity for “people to come together and share the experience of everyday.”

“It’s a chance to see how many talented people are in the community,” Tsai said. “You can dance, scream, sing, read poetry. It won’t be boring, I promise. It’s something that will give you energy for the rest of your week.”