Article by Małgorzata Stanek

Lublin’s Old Town, a bustling historic centre, is home to many outdoor events and festivals, such as the Jagiellonian Fair in mid-August. The Old Town is lined up with ancient tenements, each with its own story to tell, they show that Lublin has always been a city of writers, poets, and artists.

At the heart of this historic quarter is the main square, the market square. Located centrally is a building known as the Crown Tribunal, dating back to the 14th century. The building has served many functions over the years. It was a town hall, then the crown tribunal. Today, it serves as a wedding palace and it’s also the entrance to the Lublin Underground Route.

The main streets fork from here. There are several entryways to the quarter: the Cracow Gate, the Trinity Gate, and the Grodzka Gate. The Cracow Gate is one of the most recognizable monuments of the city. It was a part of 14th century fortifications. It houses Lublin History Museum. The Trinity Tower is one of the highest viewing spots in the city. If you are not afraid of heights and love great panoramas, this is a good place to start hunting for great vistas of the city.

Maria Wirtemberska (15 March 1768 – 21 October 1854), was a Polish noble, writer, and philanthropist. In 1816 she published Malvina, or the Heart’s Intuition, considered Poland’s first psychological novel. [Wikipedia]

Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 1798 – 26 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator, professor of Slavic literature, and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Romanticism, he is counted as one of Poland’s “Three Bards” (“Trzej Wieszcze”) and is widely regarded as Poland’s greatest poet. He is also considered one of the greatest Slavic and European poets and has been dubbed a “Slavic bard”. A leading Romantic dramatist, he has been compared in Poland and Europe to Byron and Goethe. [Wikipedia]

Julian Fałat (30 July 1853 – 9 July 1929) was one of the most prolific Polish painters of watercolor and one of the country’s foremost landscape painters as well as one of the leading Polish impressionists. [Wikipedia]

Article by Małgorzata Stanek

Still in the world, but not of the world
– Adam Mickiewicz from Dziady (“Forefather’s Eve”)

November is a month of solemn and important celebrations in Poland. November 11 is Polish Independence Day and early November is dedicated to honoring the departed. Specifically, November 2 is All Souls’ Day called Zaduszki in Polish. Zaduszki can be translated as “a day of prayer for the souls”. The eve of this holiday is known as All Saints’ Day. On these two days families visit the graves of the departed, lay flowers and light up candles. The cemeteries emanate otherworldly and solemn beauty as the sea of candles flickers as far as the eye can see. The words of Polish Romantic poet, Adam Mickiewicz from Dziady (“Forefather’s Eve”), aptly capture this atmosphere: “still in the world, but not of the world”. There are many folk traditions related to Zaduszki. It is said that on this day the spirits of our forefathers come to inhabit the world once more.

Thus, on November 2 in Lublin, an interesting annual event, now in its third year, is held. Translated roughly into English as “Souls ardently in tears”, it is an open gathering for singing traditional songs accompanying death.

The gathering is open to all, regardless of singing abilities. You are given a singing book – which you can pay for what you will – a token to help the organizers cover their costs. The songs come from traditional repertoire and speak about death and what comes after, they offer a moment to meditate on death and mortality. The lyrics are characterized by solemn beauty. There’s a distinctly poetic feel to them that sweeps you into their meditative mood.

The songs deal with a sense of paltriness of worldly things, show the departing soul saying farewell to their family, the village – they give voice to the dead. Some of the songs are prayers for them. However, the organizers say that while singing the songs, they also think about the living, to help them go through difficult moments. 

One of the organizers thus speaks about the songs: “They are very varied. Some talk about death in a literal way, reminding us about the decomposition which awaits us at the end; other use more delicate comparisons, focusing on the spiritual side of the process. It’s interesting that melodies which are used for these songs aren’t always as clam or sad as you might think. Frequently, we encounter dance tunes and only the lyrics remind us that it’s a song about a death. I think that this ambiguity and changeability of “moods” makes people want to get to know more songs. Every song brings in something new, even though it deals with a subject as old as death.

The group gathered in the cemetery filled with ancient graves – the resting places of people who came before us and are a part of the history of every day. The singing began right after dark. The voices carried above the lit-up graves, resonating with honesty and the sombre mood of the moment.

Even if your own individual singing isn’t particularly good, the group’s shared voice sweeps you away and your voice melts into the others. You distinctly feel a part of a community, it is a strongly shared experience. The organizers highlight that it is an important aspect. One of the initiators of the event recalls that he had to sing such songs alone on the occasion of one funeral he attended and that it’s really difficult because one singer focuses all the ritual tension on him or herself. For this reason, community is important. Moreover, the group of attendees increases every year and the sense that singing gathering rather than a concert becomes stronger every year – say the organizers. 

And even if your singing might not be the best, when it joins the others, what in the end comes through is one voice, singing as one, in honor of the dead. It’s a strongly reflective and moving experience.

Article by Natalie Wiser

Written by six time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles and an all-female creative team, Waitress is a fun, catchy musical that is sure to lift your spirits high!

Based on the 2007 movie directed by Adrienne Shelly, enter a small town the deep south, where our heroine Jenna is stuck in a bad marriage, working overtime at a diner, and just found out she is pregnant. The one thing that keeps her going is her gift of baking pies. She can take any problem in her life and turn it into a delicious dessert that everyone loves. With the help of her coworkers at the diner, she is determined to win the national pie competition and get enough money for her and her new baby as a last attempt at happiness. However, she faces many challenges along the way, including a doctor who is new in town.

My take: this musical is exactly what you would expect in a musical. It’s fun, it’s heartwarming, and the songs will keep your toe tapping through the whole show. While it could be overly-cheesy at times, it still didn’t fail to make me laugh along with the characters and feel what they were feeling. What I liked most was that characters were well-written and real. They were dealing with real challenges that others in the audience might be facing.

The cast at SHN Golden Gate Theatre was extremely talented. Although I wish I was able to see Sara perform it herself, Christine Dwyer gave her own unique take on Jenna and performed flawlessly. My favorite character was Dawn, who was played by Jessie Shelton. Even though she had only one solo song, she sounded incredible. Not to mention she made it seem like she was a true American Revolution enthusiast.

Waitress will be showing in New York now and will be coming to London soon. Waitress the Musical on Tour NOW!

Article by Natalie Wiser

If you’re looking to be amazed by raw talent, real music, and lots of witty banter, be sure not to miss the musical duo of EVAN + ZANE! featuring Evan Rachel Wood, actress in the HBO series Westworld and movie musical Across the Universe, and Zane Carney, guitarist for John Mayer, U2, Spider-Man on Broadway, and more.

On Monday (October 29, 2018), EVAN + ZANE came through my city of San Francisco and performed at the Great American Music Hall. I will say I was a bit tired and worn down from a tough workday. Fortunately, this show turned my whole mood around.

It was my first time at the venue, which has such a unique and intimate charm as a music venue. Evan + Zane simply walked onstage: no introduction or opening acts. As they welcomed the crowd, they jumped right into the music immediately afterward. Their set was Halloween themed and they covered lots of spooky Halloween favorites.

One of my favorite aspects about their set was that the first half was heavy on long guitar interludes. Zane is absolutely incredible! I wasn’t as familiar with him before the show and I was astounded on how fast his fingers move. He is brilliant and was nice enough to give us a mini music theory lesson on parallel minor chords. You could tell how passionate and knowledgeable he was about his craft.

Evan was equally amazing. She sounded like a 1920’s jazz club singer mixed with Gwen Stefani. I knew of her as an actress on Westworld and quickly realized she is just as good of a singer as she is an actress! Truly a double-threat. What I enjoyed most about Evan’s performance is that she took on the persona of the singer of each song they covered. While she kept her own personal flair, she really sounded like Dolores O’Riordan from the Cranberries when they covered “Zombie.”

My favorite aspect about this whole event is that Evan + Zane were so real and down to earth. They decided to throw in a last-minute song after the first half just for fun, and they still sounded amazing! The audience cheered for an encore and they told us that they played all of the songs they knew already. We got to hear them sight-read “Creep” by Radiohead, which again was still incredible. Oftentimes, I feel that concerts these days can be so artificial and focus more on the show than the music. This concert definitely was not that.

Overall it was a fantastic show. I hope they come back to San Francisco soon. Make sure you are able to check them out next time they come to your city!

• EVAN + ZANE: Jealousy Tour

Article by Miranda Caravalho

Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana – MACLA is a squat building on the tail end of the SOFA District in San Jose that’s painted in shades of steel grey and fluorescent pink. In the first half of the building you’d find the headquarters for MACLA’s programs, from which over 30,000 children, families and young adult get indispensable experience in visual, performing and literary art. But if you go past the first set of doors and onto the second, you’ll find MACLA’s studio with their current solo exhibition: Carlos Rólon’s Classic Tracks: Migrating Rhythms.

Enter the room. It’s not big, but it’s very open, with white walls and vaulted ceilings. But most of the white has been covered up by a mosaic of vinyl record covers, affixed to the wall in lines of faces and names that tower up to make a barricade. They’re mostly Spanish artists. Perhaps you recognize some of these album.

The room can be easily experienced in about twenty minutes. You can circle slowly around the murals and the checkerboard walls of record covers, or maybe stand in strange reverence in front of the sculpture made from working speakers. Or maybe you stray to the back of the exhibit and discover the small party that awaits there.

It’s a traditional travel cart with a spinning disco ball hanging from the woven roof and casting moving fish scales of light across the walls. And below that, embedded into the wood of the cart, is a turntable. There are more covers in small shelves, Ray Barretto, Roberto Blades, and De Todo Un Poco. It’s a weird intimacy, as if you’ve broken into someone’s house for the sole purpose of leafing through their music collection. Eventually you find the record that’s already placed on the turntable – Prince’s Purple Rain.

Play it. Turn it to side B and put it on the blank space in between “When Dove’s Cry” and “I Would Die 4 You”. With such a small space the music fills the room in a massive wave of sound. Others might stop to look, and some might even twist their faces slightly at the sudden noise. Or maybe you’re alone, just you and Prince.

I hope thats the case. I hope you’re alone with the music as your eyes drift again across the towering walls of album covers. These are the songs and artists brought from the culture of migrating immigrants. Every album has countless memories stuck to them like ghosts. A record that may mean nothing to you may have been someone’s first dance at their wedding. It could’ve been what their mother sang to them as a child, or what they heard through a open window as they left their home for the very last time.

When you’re immigrating you’re leaving everything you’ve ever known behind. But the things you’re able to take with you – your music, your clothes, your food and your language – that becomes the type of home that lives in your blood.

My grandmother is a first generation immigrant that spent time as an infant in a Japanese internment camp. Her parents refused to teach her or her siblings Japanese, and when their radio was on it was almost always playing country-western music. With the politics of the time they thought it would be best to keep their heads down and make a new life for themselves.

But when I was a child, she used to take me to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival held in San Jose, where I’d eat shaved ice and pet the dogs under clouds of pink petals. And even now she still makes inari sushi better than any restaurant I’ve ever been to. It’s impossible to miss – she’s definitely held onto something.

And what about you? Do you remember the meals your family made, the ones you learned to make yourself and for your loved ones? Think about the words you spoke to each other, the ones of sorrow and joy, and the stories told to you at night when you couldn’t sleep. And maybe it was a rainy morning, or starry night, or a warm afternoon like the one it was right now – but there was music, wasn’t there. Whether it was a radio or the tinny headphones of an old walkman, it was there and it left a shadow on your heart.

That’s not what’s playing now, though. Right now the synth of Prince is fading, and before the next track starts you lift the needle and put it back in its place. And with nothing else to explore you walk back out into the day, the words that song in your head making your mouth shift into long-lost shapes.

Article by Khatija Hussain | Photos by Jessie Hammans

After the Storm is written by Ademola Adeniji and directed by Sally Barnard, the show was held at Willesden Green Library Performance Space from Friday-Sunday, 5-7 October.

After the war, the hardworking men and women in England return to work and try to live normally but with the aftermath of the war, it is hard for those to recover. A time where racism is high and the men and women taken from their homes (the colonised countries) to fight in the war are mistreated just because of the colour of their skin.

After the storm portrays the life of a young man Okoli Madu, mainly known as Madu, returns from war in 1919 from the western front. He served in the British army as a paramedic in the great war, using his knowledge and resources to heal the wounded soldiers. Madu returns to live with his sister Joke, she charges him £1 per month for rent, he is astonished but is willing to pay once he gets a job.

Madu tries to find a job, but is shunned away as his paperwork is not accepted in the United Kingdom – although he was bought by the British from his country to take part in the war. He is told to come back the next week to find a job. It has been three months and Madu owes Joke £3. He leaves her home to eat in a café but is refused service because of the colour of his skin.

Angry at the treatment he has received since the war ended, Madu and his brother Kofe decide to write to the government about the racial injustice and vile treatments black people have been receiving in London. Kofe says to his brother “The colour of our skin was not an issue during the war”.

Riots have started, by white men and women who believe they have unfair treatment and that the “other” people have been taking their jobs. Madu and Kofe campaign for their people and want justice and equality and to be acknowledged that they took part in the war for the British army. But with the struggles they face, will they get the justice they fight for?

Photo: Jessie Hammans | Madu (front) and Joke (behind) talking.

Photo: Jessie Hammans | The Rioters

Photo: Jessie Hammans | Kofe and Madu

The actors’ performances were groundbreakingly fantastic, excellent and touching. Madu’s character, the main lead bought so much depth to each scene and the expressions of hurt, anger and despair was portrayed beautifully. It made me believe and understand what it would be like to be in his shoes. Joke and Kofe’s characters were exceptional, the actors never once broke out of their role, when interacting with the crowd for one scene, I felt I was talking to the characters themselves and that I was part of the delegation. Waja, is a wounded soldier who has been kept in the hospital as he sees painful memories of his fallen soldiers. His character was played so beautifully, the hurt and torment the actor portrayed was extraordinary. From the judge, to the actors who played the rioters, each actor bought something unique to each role, I felt remorse and sorrow for the characters suffering, yet could understand each emotion they portrayed. A brilliant performance by an outstanding cast.

I was moved and loved the performance, I came again for the Sunday show and surprisingly got to play a small part when the recruiter shouted, “Next!” and looked at me in the crowd. It was frightening but exciting to be part of something amazing.

Ademola Adeniji was inspired to write his play by his research on the 1919 riots and the aspect and treatment of black people after the war. The play has been part of a Brent museum exhibition that showcases through January to October. After the Storm is the last part of this project. Learning through the Arts has more upcoming projects soon.

This play brings an important message that needs to be heard. It opens our eyes that racism and the terrible treatment needs to be changed and something has to be done, even today racism is an ongoing problem and needs to be stopped.

Photo: Jessie Hammans | After the Storm Cast

Article by Jordan Miller

Every year, beginning in the month of August, Nashville’s very own independent radio station, Lightning 100 (100.1 FM), pulls together local vendors and musical acts of all sorts to put on one of the best shows you can experience in the area for free. The festival is called, Live On The Green (LOTG) rightfully named, as it’s held on the Public Square Park lawn that sits right in front of the Davidson County Courthouse. You can expect to see an average of four bands, every Thursday evening, leading up to the headlining acts that play during the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. 2018 was the ten-year anniversary of this local festival and it showed all the signs of continuing to prosper.

With an average weekly attendance ranging from 16,000 to 20,000, it is truly an amazing representation of the community coming together to enjoy everything this free event has to offer. Attendees are able to come and go as they please, find a space on the grass to enjoy the music, or walk around and taste the awesome food being offered. The food trucks that lineup around the venue are also all local favorites, who are eager and excited for the newcomers to try their great tasting creations. You can find anything from hotdogs, to main entrees, to the most delicious desserts.

One of my most pleased facts with the festival is how Lightning 100 does such a great job at keeping a vast majority of the lineup open to those who are local acts, or live in the Nashville area. Personal favorites of mine who have all shared the stage consist of bands such as Bully, The Wild Feathers, and Republican Hair to name a few! Even if you are not familiar with the names on the bill for that evening, I can promise you will leave a fan. If you are already a huge fan of the lineup, the festival does offer VIP tickets reasonably priced for those who want to get the full experience. I have done this in the past and I can attest it is worth it!

Whether you are a middle-aged mother, looking to spend some time with your daughter for the evening, or on a road trip with some of your college roommates, this is an event for everyone! It is truly an event that gives back to those who want to enjoy live music and the talent Nashville has to offer.

Past acts include: Toadies, Citizen Cope, Sheryl Crow, Los Lonely Boys, Ben Folds, Cage The Elephant, and more.

Photo: Jordan Miller | Rival Sons

Photo: Jordan Miller | Rival Sons

Photo: Jordan Miller | Savannah Conley

Photo: Jordan Miller | The Wild Feathers

Photo: Jordan Miller | The Wild Feathers

Photo: Jordan Miller | The Wild Feathers

Article by Małgorzata Stanek

Imagine spending a sunny August afternoon in the streets of a charming Old Town filled with colourful stalls, the hustle of bustle of various languages (Polish, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Slovak) and traditional music. This is what happens in mid-August in Lublin, Poland.

Lublin is a charming city in eastern Poland that has much to offer. Beautiful sites, places of remembrance, pleasant, calm atmosphere, residents passionate about their heritage and many fascinating events that take place all year round when many of the residents as well as tourists gather together in celebration of culture, art and tradition and of a sense of age-old community.

Photo: Bartek Żurawski, Organizer’s materials. The Jagiellonian Fair, main square, Old Town, Lublin.

One beautiful annual event is the Jagiellonian Fair, now in its 12th year. The Jagiellonian Fair is, broadly speaking, a meeting with traditional culture of Central and East European countries in many forms: concerts, workshops, presentations but also direct meetings with another person. The event historically refers to 15th century fairs that took place in Lublin. Lublin, located on the crossroad of trade routes, attracted traders and merchants from various corners of Poland and Europe. The event aims at showcasing the most beautiful, authentic aspects of traditional culture of this area and how it inspires more contemporary forms of art, or how they can engage in a dialogue and draw inspiration from one another.

The event focuses around a craftsman’s fair – wooden stalls scattered around the Old Town erupt with colour. The organizers highlight that unlike in many other similar events, the stalls at the Jagiellonian Fair cannot be simply bought – the artists are hand-picked; the organizers strive to invite only those artists who represent genuine local or family traditions. We meet around 300 of them from various countries (Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Hungary, this year even Sweden), always kind and eager to tell us about their craft, what drove them to begin, to show and explain the skills. They are happy to answer any questions, they are happy to demonstrate and explain their work, including at various workshops they run.

Photo: Jakub Bodys, Organizer’s materials.

You can learn from them – they are happy to teach us so that the tradition and awareness of it live on. Their stories are varied, interesting and usually do highlight one fact – they carry their crafts in their heart. This openness, honesty and authenticity strongly resonates. As I walk among the stalls, listening to their stories, observing the skills and admiring the meticulous work, work that is the result of absolutely pure passion and love, I feel moved to tears. It is pure delight to meet them and learn what it means to have a genuine passion and love of traditional handcraft, to be reminded of a certain lifestyle, values and to feel like a part of a warm-hearted community.

Photo: Gutek Zegier, Organizer’s materials.

The variety of items on display (and available for purchase) range from traditional pysanky eggs, lace and embroidery, through decorations (including pająki traditional, spider-like ornaments that used to be hung in households), toys, unique instruments, blacksmith’s wares – and many others. There is much to feast your eyes on – and the stories of the artisans fill the hearts too.

Photo: Gutezk Zegier, Organizer’s materials
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Photo: Gutek Zegier, Organizer’s materials.

Photo: Gutek Zegier, Organizer’s materials.

Photo: Gutek Zegier, Organizer’s materials.

Photo: Gutek Zegier, Organizer’s materials.

Photo: Gutek Zegier, Organizer’s materials.

Photo: Gutek Zegier, Organizer’s materials.

Every year, the festival focuses on a different theme. This year, the main theme was lace.

There were several exhibitions dedicated to this delicate and meticulous craft. One, entitled “Her majesty Koniaków lace” featured lace from Koniaków, a village in southern Poland known for its lace-making traditions and even finding new applications for this meticulous art, including g-strings. There was a lace umbrella and lace wedding and cocktail dress on display, among other things. Another lace-focused exhibition was a presentation of the organizers’ field research trip and their interviews with lacemakers. Lace was also the inspiration for a mural that adorned one of the event’s locations – the building where the office of the organizers is located, a delightful, peaceful, green-filled patio where workshops were held during the event. Moreover, a pająk referring to this year’s theme was hung in the ancient entryway to the Old Town – the so called Cracow (Krakowska Gate), an architectural symbol of the city built as part of its fortifications during the reign of Casimir the Great in 14th century. The pająk hung at homes was the guardian of good fortune and providence of the household; hung in the Gate, it brings joy to the city.

This year’s pajak was made to reflect the theme of the Jagiellonian Fair – lace.

Photo: Bartek Żurawski, Organizer’s materials, Cracow Gate – entry way to the Old Town, with pająk.

The Jagiellonian Fair is also very much about celebrating traditional music. There is plenty of music! As we walk among the stalls, for instance, a traditional band may suddenly gallantly surprise you with a spontaneous mini-performance. One of the projects associated with the Jagiellonian Fair is the Jagiellonian Fair Orchestra – open to all enthusiasts of traditional music who also wish to hone their music skills. The Orchestra hold rehearsals throughout the year and perform at the dance parties during the event.

Photo: Bartek Żurawski, Organizer’s materials.

The dance parties are a fantastic opportunity to dance through the night to the tune of lively, fiery music. Sometimes, the band starts going so fast, it becomes hard to keep up! If you feel insecure about your dancing skills, you can always join dance workshops that teach the repertoire played at the parties, but it’s also fun to just hop spontaneously as you like. Trying to keep up with the rhythm can be a real challenge though! Aside from dancing, there are also presentations and workshops dedicated to traditional singing techniques and old song repertoires from various corners of eastern and central Europe.

Furthermore, the bands perform not just at dance parties or in the streets. There are also concerts. One of the concerts is called re:tradition, during which popular performers meet with traditional village musicians, practising authentic traditional music. They rehearse together and learn from one another. The result is an absolutely arresting dialogue between tradition and more modern sounds.

Photo: Bartek Żurawski, Organizer’s materials.

The village singers stand in the highlight, not quite used to stage performances, evident in how microphone-shy they can be at times. They present their musical skills, telling various tales through their art. This year, one of the ladies sang out the haunting, tragic story of the Ulma family – her own relatives. The Ulmas were a family living in south-eastern Poland during the Nazi occupation. They gave shelter to Jews, were denounced and subsequently murdered one early morning – first the Jews, then the Ulmas, including the pregnant mother of the family. Reportedly, she started giving birth at the moment of execution and the baby died too. The song, performed in a traditional singing technique, was a genuinely heart-rending experience.

Photo: Jakub Bodys, Organizer’s materials.

It’s worth noting that re:tradition was performed in the courtyard of the Lublin Castle that served as prison at various times, most infamously during the Nazi occupation. Just before the Nazi withdrew from Lublin in July 1944, the remaining prisoners (around 300) were murdered.

Photo: Jakub Bodys, Organizer’s materials. Raabygg’s concert during the Jagiellonian Fair.

There are also individual concerts featuring foreign bands playing their roots music, or mixing it up with personal ideas and arrangement. This year, the festival introduced the Norwegian Raabygg – a trio of delightful girls. The girls spun folk tales illustrated with their enchanting music. It was an intimate affair performed on a small stage in the Dominican Monastery, a quiet setting, slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of the main artery of the festival. The big stage in Lublin Castle courtyard also featured the Cypriot Monsieur Doumani whose simple but energetic, honest arrangements easily reached the heart and Violons Barbares consisting of musicians from Bulgaria, Mongolia and France who swept us along on a musical journey featuring a combination of music traditions from their countries. All concerts during the Jagiellonian Fair are unique experiences, an opportunity to take in an incredible richness of themes, techniques and approaches. Most of all, it’s always full of heart.

Photo: Marcin Pietrusza, Organizer’s materials. One of the games available at the Jagiellonian Fair Playground, a zone for families to spend quality time together, recalling traditional games.

Other than concerts, workshops, exhibitions and meetings with people and tradition, there is also a place for families to spend quality time together, playing traditional games. The Jagiellonian Fair Playground, located in a huge green area directly below the Lublin Castle, offers a variety of large-scale games, some more familiar than others. Among others, you can play tic tac toe using large wooden noughts and crosses, but there is a variety of other traditional games all families can enjoy – together.

Photo: Marcin Pietrusza, Organizer’s materials, the Jagiellonian Fair.

Article by Miranda Caravalho

Imagine this: you and your friends are walking through the farmland of North Vietnam. It’s a warm Summer day, the type that makes that air hot and thick. Then you hear it – the familiar guttural stutter of blades cutting against air, and the new and angry wind that has cut through the calm of the afternoon. You know what’s coming, and your friends do too.

Without saying a word you all grab the nearest leaves and branches, and you drop down to the dirt with the foliage covering you. With the jets screaming above you, you begin to crawl through the grass. The noise is ringing in your ears and vibrating the inside of your skull, but you keep crawling. As you move the noise slowly fades away, but you’re too terrified to get up. So you stay where you are, on your hands and knees under your makeshift, and you continue to crawl, further and further, for miles.

Dinh Q. Lê and his family were forced to flee their home of Hà Tiên in 1978, along with a wave of others from a country suddenly ravaged with war. Lê lived for twenty years in the United States until he followed the path of many other refugees and returned to his country to live in Ho Chi Minh City. where he soon started work on the pieces that would eventually make up True Journey is Return the newest exhibit at the San José Museum of Art.

I wasn’t expecting this to be what it was when I walked in. And if I’m being honest, when I found out about the subject manner I hesitated to write about it, mostly out of fear of saying the wrong thing. But after taking some time I couldn’t help myself. True Journey is a touching exhibit, one that commands your time and attention, and yes, your words.

When you walk into the second floor main exhibit, all of which has been dominated by Lê’s work, the first thing that catches your eye will probably be Crossing the Further Shore. It’s these four structures made entirely of loosely-connected photographs. The pictures are ones that Lê has been collecting in antique shops and thrift stores for years. They’re taken from the 1940’s to the 1980’s, mostly from the pre-war era of Vietnam. They’re photos form wedding days and dinner parties, childhood portraits and pristine landscapes. Everyone looks beautiful. If not beautiful, than happy. If not happy, then alive.

The photos form a net. There are more of them scattered under the makeshift buildings. And the ones along the walls that face inside instead of out have writing on the back of them.

“From the field I watched my house burn,” one reads, “late in the afternoon it collapsed. I did not know what to feel then I heard that my husband had been killed, but the French would not let me search for him.”

Another one just reads “Hai cha con”, which means, translated into English, “Father and son”. You can’t see the photo, but something about the words on their own stir up a wistfulness I can’t exactly explain.

But maybe that’s the point that Lê is trying to get across, isn’t it? Once back in Vietnam he searched for the family photographs of his childhood, the ones they’d been forced to abandon as they left to the country. Instead he found these fragments of these people, these other families connected to him through circumstance as opposed to blood. Where are they now? And what memories did they abandon to the storm of war and chaos? Whatever was gone is here again, strung up on display, these private snapshots filled with a potent emotional force. If you stand close enough to the structures your vision starts to spin, like a physical optical illusion of faces and faces.

We have Dinh Q. Lê’s true journey to return laid out in three rooms. But going through those rooms, especially when you take your time, you leave feeling as if you have embarked on a journey of your own. I was in a daze for a long while after I left, deeply touched by what I had seen. I had to mull over the work for days, and as I did I couldn’t help but think – what is my journey? I – and you as well, reader – what do we have to return to?

The answer differs for all of us, but regardless of who you are, you will see your journey as you see Dinh Q. Lê’s work. And it might be sad, or even dizzying, but no matter what I promise it will be beautiful.

Article by Khatija Hussain

Counting Words hosted its first official open mic night event for spoken word on the 13 September at Black Sheep Coffee, a small chain coffee shop in Euston, London.

The crisp summer evening was perfect for this spoken word night. I found it hard to find at first as the coffee shop was hidden between the large skyscrapers. But was eager to get there as it was something new for me.

The event’s host, Jessica Cooke invited creative writers and speakers to engage in a celebration of writing.

Counting Words shared the venue with another party who were louder but the performers who read their works were louder in their performances – although the microphone had to be adjusted to avoid some feedback, they made it work.

The dimly lit coffee house had a stage set up in the corner for the performers, many talented speakers didn’t just read off their phone screens, their words were alive in the air. 

Jessica Cooke started the event off with a light-hearted poem about toast and how you could count on toast to be there for you, her performance eased the atmosphere and set a peaceful ambiance that would follow throughout the night.

Asim Rizki performed a wonderfully detailed extract from his short story ‘The Rider Song’, influenced by Ernest Hemingway and Katherine Mansfield, his story is about the lives of many characters during a different time period, his short story can be found on Amazon.com.

SM Jenkins, a lively and wonderfully charismatic woman who supported all the performers, read a set of her own poems which amazed the crowd. 

Her first poem was influenced by her struggles with depression. Society sees a different perspective in the social media presence, people who post online, create this amazing life that leads others to think that they’re lacking in their own lives. It puts them down unintentionally. SM Jenkins portrayed her feelings remarkably adding a comical yet meaningful message that she would do something for herself and not look at the posts online. The littlest things she does would be her amazing life. 

Her poem had a truthful message that affects today’s generation who are very focused on social media.

I could feel what each emotion poured into every word when one performer spoke about his battle with mental health. Just a simple act of getting out of bed was a struggle for him, not because of tiredness or wanting to sleep more. But it was because his mind, the voice that spoke to him about his self-worth and slowly convincing him that his days would have no meaning to him.

His inner voice fighting him into a pit of darkness that would put him down. He compared his day to others, seeing others get out of bed, they have their lives sorted. But do we really know the truth in what they are facing? He continued to pour his feelings and promised to stop comparing his day to others and vowed to make small steps, ones that would not scare him but would give him a sense of accomplishment that would get him out of bed and to help overcome his battles.

With every written work performed, the crowd were open minded and supportive. Each performer spoke about something personal or an inspiration. This motivated me to be spontaneous and perform a poem I had written about my battle with cancer. Performing in front of a large crowd is not a strong point for me but this small and cheerful crowd accepted me with open arms. 

The first poem was interrupted as the scariest thing happened, my phone had died in the middle of my performance – a performer’s worst nightmare. This was the icing on the cake to add to my nerves. But the crowd clapped and clicked their fingers in support and patience. I finished my second poem about my battle and ended the night with a smile on my face. 

Counting Words is the perfect place to meet like-minded and talented individuals. Go for a reading or a performance, you won’t be disappointed.