Here in Part 2 of THIS INTERVIEW with poet Masaki Takahashi, we discuss his love of poetry, recap recent event “The Poetry Room Open Mic: Recover Room”, and the community holding the city to their arts-supporting commitment.
THIS: Let’s talk about poetry. Masaki, why do you love it so much?
Masaki Takahashi: Poetry gives a voice to people and it’s free to start. It is a very low bar to getting in but it’s hard to rise to the top because the bar is so high. But anybody can write poems if they chose to put themselves out there like that. Poetry allows for expression and decompression. It gives an outlet to people. That is why of all the events and workshops I work on, the high school students are my favorite because they are so raw and they just want to be heard. It’s truthful without all the sugary metaphors and punchlines.
THIS: How is The Poetry Room an extension of your love?
Masaki Takahashi: We are making Grade A killers at The Poetry Room. Everyone is getting better and I love being competitive. Everyone inspires and pushes each other to be better. It is a dope community. The Poetry Room is a great place to build and learn amongst your peers.
THIS: Highly anticipated event “The Poetry Room Open Mix: Recovery Room” just happened. Did it meet or exceed your expectations?
Masaki Takahashi: “Recovery Room” was dope. We had to cap the list off at 27 people. We had a pretty full house, but 1 – 27 was ill. We are having more consistent hits because of the support and the work everyone has been putting in.
THIS: Hip-hop artist and speaker Jahshua Smith, another incredible member of AOTA CREATIVE, headlined. Share your opinion on him as an artist, a person, and how both shined at the open mic.
Masaki Takahashi: Jahshua Smith is dope. He is a good person with a great moral compass. He is a thoroughbred. He does this for the community and you can tell by the way he moves and his lyrics.
THIS: How are you hoping to shine as a person and an artist for the benefit of the community?
Masaki Takahashi: When I first started rocking open mics, they would try to deter me from signing up and tell me poetry doesn’t go well with the crowd. I never listened because I am dope and my poetry is dope. Eventually, people caught on to my game. The Poetry Room created a safe space for people to start and get better. With that, we did get better and poetry has seemed to get more popular. The Poetry Room has created a super dope community. I am hoping to harness more slam poets and create a national team.
THIS: What should the community do to hold the city to its commitment to supporting the arts?
Masaki Takahashi: Double down. Ain’t no half-stepping. If the city wants this to be a place for artists, it will cost them money. People have to be able to make a living making art to be an artist. We need to market our artists and events. People need to come to Lansing to perform and catch shows. |THIS
[Written by Mr. Joe Walker | Follow THIS on Twitter @THISENT1]
