Today we’d like to introduce you to Masaki Takahashi.
Hi Masaki, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
At the bottom of the stairs, I could never forget that face. My mom said to a teenage me, I really knew how to use words to cut into a person’s soul. I knew this to be true. It was my survival skill. Turning words into weaponry. Language was something, I struggled with early in my life. From being a first grader, struggling with English and being teased for it or with Mandarin to speak to my mother as an adult asking to be loved.
I learned to say horrid things to anybody out of the lack of her presence, self-value, being bounced from home to home, not knowing my father, not having the things I felt like I needed like braces. I always felt like an orphan, too skinny, too poor, too ugly, not wanted. I just wanted to heal, I just wanted a home. A place where I can bury my face and feel warm, wanted and safe. My writing was the only place I could create a world where I felt like I was somebody or anybody. It was where I was able to conjure all of my pain to the surface and use poetry as a conduit into something positive.
I came to this country at 3 years of age. My mom left me in the States with my aunt and uncle where we spoke Mandarin at home. Slowly, I forgot how to speak Japanese, and learned Mandarin, learned English and the absence of people at home had my Mandarin stray away from me. Mrs. Good taught me English, brought in trinkets to make me feel good. That’s probably the one thing I remember about her. Or that she kind of reminded me of Mrs. Doubtfire. I don’t think Mrs. Good knew she would be teaching someone who would become a spoken word artist. She would soon retire after teaching me, and I heard she passed a couple years later.
At 15, I was kicked out of my Aunt’s home and went to Japan to stay with my mom. My friends would share with me these videos they got from Kazaa. It was of a Chinese rapper on BET Freestyle Friday, named MC Jin. I didn’t even know about freestyle battles like that but this was one of the most epic moments in hip hop. These 7 bootleg videos were everything to me. Even with all the static and poor quality this was the moment I knew forever I wanted to write, to rap, to poet, to everything. I wanted to be like him, he was a super hero. The way he took every Chinese joke and used that energy back at his opponents to clown them, to turn every 30 second round into a major record deal with the legendary label Ruff Ryders. These 7 weeks, were the start of a new love. As they say, The Rest Was History.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Life is never a smooth road. I would never change a thing about my life though. If I didn’t struggle with English early in my life and be teased and bullied, I would have never had the skill to snap back. Being able to impromptu, is a critical skill to host events or when you forget your lines. You grow skills with pain. I was teased and bullied, that’s really typical for any Asian American growing up in America.
There is always a sense of needing to represent for my culture and race. Often, I am the only Asian American at any event. I recognized recently that I am somebody in this community, a leader that people look at. You have an Asian American male lead in an arts community, that’s not common anywhere in America, especially in the Midwest. My self-esteem honestly took some time to get to that point to be able to handle the popularity of the events and being spoken about in a positive way.
When you have success there will always be drama around you but I have been working on boundaries and realizing most of the time when people get upset with me, it’s not about me rather it’s a reflection of their own issues.
I had people get upset with me saying no to requests. I had people who stole my ideas, and take credit for it. I had a lot of things happen to me that I don’t want to give too much detail about right now but the thing I want to say is, that I always remind myself it’s never personal. I don’t owe anybody anything, except my student loans. That’s it though.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a spoken word artist, which I really work hard at but being a host and emcee comes really natural to me. If there’s one thing I can say I was really good at I would say it’s hosting shows but I much rather be a better slam poet to be honest. But I am working on it though. My poetry is my main focus not the events. But my events are bomb.
I am most known for The Poetry Room which recently became a tax exempt 501 3C.
It’s a poetry open mic event mostly held at The Robin Theatre in Lansing, Michigan. We also do poetry workshops at local schools. Those are my favorite events because high school students don’t hide. They might not be the most technical but they will show you where they are. Every person when they start have a stroke of genius. The students I worked with at Everett High School in particular are the dopest. They remind me of when I started and it’s really important to remember why you even started writing in the first place. Working with them is what I am most proud about.
During the pandemic, The Poetry Room also had poetry showcases. It featured some amazing national talents which locals got introduced. The access to talent was unbelievable. We really found a silver lining of doing virtual events. We got to do events with Brenna Twohy, Jahman Hill, Karla Cordero, Natasha T. Miller, Megan Falley, Beau Sia, Neil Hilborn, Ebony Stewart, Propoganda, Olivia Gatwood and Phil Kaye. Most of them really just donated their time to help us raise money for local non-profit organizations. That was super dope. I look at everything I got to do in poetry and I am just astonished. Beau Sia, is my favorite poet. I admire him so much and it was crazy to just be able to talk to him let alone have him part of my event and give me advice.
When you’re a poet you’re really a medical doctor that can use your skills to heal. That’s what we do at The Poetry Room. You come with your most authentic self, to rally, to chant, to heal, to anger. Whatever emotion it is, come with the bars. You will always be in the 99% percentile of being you and nobody can beat you at that. When you are there, you can be on the same mic with the most talented people. And my friends are some of the dopest poets ever so you need always come correct at The Poetry Room. Also, if you’re really bad or disrespectful on the mic, you may get a subliminal joke thrown your way but its always all fun.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Dylan Rogers – my dear friend. He was the one who has the idea for me to do a poetry open mic at his venue, The Robin Theatre in Lansing, Michigan. He took the chance on me. He believed in me and let me be wrong and learn. That is like the most caring thing a person can do. Let you be wrong and learn. He stays by my side and always helps me through each and everything I do with these poetry events. Dylan deserves a lot of credit for my success. I stopped dong poetry for a while until he suggested the open mic. Now it’s a big thing in Lansing. We cracked this thing open. It inspired so many to do this and create their own events.
Dennis Hinrichsen – Lansing’s inaugural Poet Laureate who has a new chapbook every year and poetry genius. You need to look him up. He taught me everything in writing poetry. He edits EVERY one of my poems and drafts. He has been so generous and I can’t believe how much time he has spent with me on this. He believes in me.
Native Child Brown – my slam coach and life coach really. She’s one of the most caring and wonderful people you will ever meet. She has spent so much time with me on slam and pushing me to the next level. She’s one of the dopest ever and I am so thankful for her.
Marcel “Fable” Price – He lets me pick his brain all the time about EVERYTHING. I mean everything. He gives me advice when I ask and will tell me the same thing on whatever I am asking him, “You can just try to do better next time”. Fable, I promise you will be the most important person for poetry in Michigan.
Dj Hieu – his music is dope and you should check out his bandcamp. He was there on day one to help me with everything. Talk to me through things. Help take pictures, when he doesn’t even own a camera. I just handed him mine and learned to use it on the fly. That’s my friend and ride or die. He’s a thorough bred.
Grace Carras – Grace, hosted with me the first two years. They really deserve recognition for their contribution of helping me create the open mic. We had a championship team. We no longer work together after they graduated. They really taught me a lot about being more patient.
Megan Falley – Poems That Don’t Suck Workshop really got me through the pandemic and made me want to write again and take it to the next level. Megan is dope. She’s just a person you just fall in love with. This online community is amazing! I never thought I would say that but I never felt so close to so many people I haven’t met in person but the connection is real. Everyone who has ever taken her workshop would say, she is EVERYTHING and they helped them get better at their craft.
Honestly, there is so many people I would need to thank because it literally took an entire army to help me where I am today. The poetry community is a tight knit family. If you have a craft you love, you can always make friends anywhere you go. Every person who has supported me, bought a ticket, came to my events, shared or told anybody of my events helped me grow. Also the people who have inspired me as well. Any person who has given me feedback on my work. They are what made me as well. I am telling you right now, there is too many people I should thank for my successes. Every time, I feel like I am struggling it’s always myopic and about myself. When I think of my success, I have so many people to be grateful for. That is why I am so lucky and blessed. I think Mrs. Good would be super proud of me. My dad, probably not.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://the517poetryroom.com/
- Instagram: theoriginalsaki
- Facebook: facebook.com/theoriginalsaki
- Twitter: twitter.com/theoriginalsaki
- Youtube: youtube.com/theoriginalsaki
- SoundCloud: https://djhieu.bandcamp.com/
