Poets live in the world, and their work can’t help but reflect that. Even if you reject politics, that’s a political statement...

– Grace Paley

Press

With an arsenal of silver-tongued words and kickboots in tow, Anida Yoeu Esguerra is a force to be reckoned with…She’s a leading voice in the Asian American spoken word movement…Blending artistry with activism, this is one lady whose name you should know.

— Jennifer Macagba, Today’s Chicago Woman

View article here (PDF Document).

Without a doubt, Anida Yoeu Esguerra, has one of the sharpest tongues in America. Her spoken word performances have been known to make audiences cry, cheer and think – all in one breath.

— Takei Okidata, PoliticalCircus.com

Read entire article here (PDF Document).

From the spitfire ferocity of the two-pronged attack on racism and sexism in "Not Your Fetish" to the wincingly convincing chill in her voice as she threatens to snip off the scrotums of offending frat boys, Anida’s poetry, and the resulting persona, exudes rage… Anida in the flesh is disarmingly unangry. She’s jovial, actually, possessed of the kind of sense of humor that Angry People seem to miss out on…She’s articulate and levelheaded, funny and spiritually intriguing, the kind of person you’d want to sit down and talk to over coffee.

— John Paul Davis, The Chicago Reader

Read entire article here (MS Word Document).

Who’s Got Us? (Esguerra’s work with Mango Tribe)

This sense of necessity in breaking silence surrounding violence in the APA community is at the heart of “Sisters in the Smoke’s” mission. The strong tone that breathes throughout the work has a sharpness and haunting presence that keeps the piece glued together, yet does not become repetitive, depressing or give a sense of finger pointing in one direction. Instead the finger seems to point in all directions, the pain is internal and external, the violence is endemic yet not without hope for relief. The strongest resolutions that rise from this journey are that of resistance through the sharing of our human stories, through community. For Mango Tribe, this feeling of unification crowned the performance in their closing piece, “Who’s Got Us?” written and directed by Esguerra. This piece is a call to arms, a celebration of the power of sisterhood. While video clips of mothers and daughters in their homes play behind the ensemble, the women ask, Who’s Got Us? and the answer seems clear.

— Christopher Andrew, AsianWeek

Read entire article here.

I Was Born With 2 Tongues and the Rebirth of the Chicago Poetry Scene

One of the crucial elements in the group's success is their enthusiasm and sincere appreciation of all different types of poetry, all over the city. Too many of us…get settled into our particular niche of the poetry world, unable or unwilling to poke out our heads and see the other types of work being produced around us. Wonderful things can happen, not only as performers but as people, when we take the time to appreciate the things that we don't necessarily do ourselves…I Was Born With 2 Tongues has been a shot in the arm to the Chicago poetry scene. Record numbers of people are showing up at the open mics these days, many of them bringing a much-needed sense of youth, optimism and formal rhythm to the proceedings.

— Jason Pettus, AboutPoetry.com

Read entire article here.

Asian Word Warriors: I Was Born with Two Tongues

Perhaps the greatest aspect of watching a performance by I Was Born With Two Tongues is witnessing the dynamic impact on audience members, some of whom credit the group with changing the way they see the world by urging them to question identity, history and roots.

— Ishle Yi Park, A Gathering of the Tribes

Read entire article here.

Tackling Asian Stereotypes on the Yellow Technicolor Tour

The Yellow Technicolor Tour, they call it. Joined by the group “The Pacifics,” Two Tongues is about educating the uninitiated to the rhythms of Asian American hip hop and spoken word. In this performance, they’re tackling everything from politics to race to stereotypes to marriage. It’s edgy, it’s loud, it’s spirited, it’s young. But don’t mistake their poetry for meaningless rage. Because, like they’re saying, it’s all about the love.

— Jan Nguyen, NewCity

View article here (Adobe PDF).

Spoken Word: Slam poets mix words and music and mojo and intellect into political performance ART

On a makeshift stage in the center of campus, Anida Esguerra performs her piece about comfort women. Around 50 to 60 Asian American students crowd onto tables and benches, under the shade of trees…Esguerra’s voice is loud as she cries out in detail about the rape of women…The DeAnza show comes after the Tongues spent an entire day at Newark High School, where they did six performances in a row. They are exhausted but the energy they exude seems endless. Over and over, Asian American women approach the poets to say that the first time they heard a Two Tongues poem, they were moved to tears. The Tongues give out hugs as freely as they give out encouragement. They tell people to send them poetry. They listen to stories about the state of race relations at DeAnza, and make small talk about the importance of eating dessert as a first course.

— Neela Banerjee, AsianWeek

Read entire article here.

Multivoice Poetry Ensembles: Universes / I Was Born with Two Tongues

Two tongues slyly uses the straight-ahead poetry reading form, deconstructing it with wit and ease and a natural sundering of any fourth wall lurking…Universes and I Was Born with Two Tongues turn the poem into a communal act. In using literature as a lever for social change and devoting themselves to poetry's artistry, not rhetoric, they punch a hole in the future, a sweet opening for a new literature -- people-driven, with searing content, and not afraid of beauty.

— Bob Holman, AboutPoetry.com

Read entire article here.

Got more questions? Want More Answers? Read the following INTERVIEWS.

Wow! I gave some in-depth answers in these:

Interview by Kay Barrett (for her final B.A. Thesis at Depaul University), 2004 (MS Word Document)

Interview with Today’s Chicago Women, August 2003 (MS Word Document)

Northwestern Journalism Class: Profile on Anida, August 2002 (MS Word Document)

Interview for Undergroundweekly.com, 2002 (MS Word Document)