SPOKEN WORD POETRY
A Sketch of Purpose
Debuted March 4th, 2022 in Conrad Prebys Recital Hall. 6 original poems sharing my journey as a first-generation, Asian-American college student. From near drop out and being ashamed of my identity to graduating onto a path of self-love and compassion: Destiny, Compete, Birth Name, Artistic Authenticity, Ink Smears, and Prometheus.
David Espiritu, Production Coordinator for UC San Diego Department of Music
Working with Qui-Shawn is an absolute delight. He is very polite, professional, and passionate. As a stage manager for an event, he was performing in, Qui-Shawn listened to instructions and kept an open mind on suggestions for his act. He is great to work with and I hope to work with him again in the future.
Decrepit Dreams
Debuted November 19th, 2021 in the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall. A series of 4 poems: Anti, Nightmare, Don’t Turn Your Head, and Atlanta, Georgia written and performed about my experience as a Chinese, Vietnamese American in a time of rising anti-Asian hate crimes.
Julia Yu, Undergraduate Forum Organizer for UC San Diego Music Department:
Throughout the process, Qui-Shawn showed great enthusiasm to make his work, as well as his cohorts, the absolute best they could be. His performance was informative and show-stopping, and he exhibited great magnetism as he spoke his truth to the audience. I look forward to the opportunity to work with him again in future performances.
My Dream Is A Choice & Rock Bottom
Commissioned performance by UCSD’s Alumni Group for a Celebration Weekend. My Dream Is a Choice is about pursuing what makes your heart soar. Rock Bottom is about growth and compassion through hardships.
Codie Lawson, Events Manager for UC San Diego Alumni Group
I had the privilege of working with Qui-Shawn for one of UC San Diego’s signature event series, Alumni Celebration Weekend. Every step of the way he showed up with a positive attitude, eagerness to work and captivated our audience with his emotional, gripping performance and magnetic smile. I hope to have the opportunity to work with him again in future.
My Greatest Gift
I performed My Greatest Gift as the TEDxUCSD 2021 opener and closer. It’s a series of poems about childlike imagination and pursuing social change. Performed over 2 days for a live Zoom audience of 150+ participants.
Monica Van & Todd Nguyen, Co-Directors of TEDxUCSD 2021
With just a few meetings, Qui-Shawn was able to interpret the nuances of our theme Constellate and through spoken word, delivered personal insights that really resonated with our audience. It was refreshing, thought-provoking, and most importantly, genuine. Without him, our event wouldn’t have been as great as it was.
Re:Vision
Re:Vision is a portfolio of six poems that I composed as a part of learning about traditional and radical forms of poetry. My guide through the extensive history of it all? Ben Doller. Professor of Literature at UC San Diego and winner of the 2000 Walt Whitman award. In working with him for 4 months, I gained a new appreciation for the art of language in expression and performance.
The poems have gone through extensive Re:Imagintion in content, form, and style. In being challenged to find a Re:Newed interpretation for each poem, I have courted my creativity and furthered my explorative limits.
In 2021, I discovered Spoken Word Poetry. I’ve been crafting and performing dozens of poems with themes of compassion, activism, and mindfulness since!
Click on a quote that sparks your curiosity!
“A hate crime should never be legitimized”
“I prayed for it to be all right. . . To get to the ICU before my Dad dies”
“If my dream was a choice, I’d choose for it to be related to my voice”
“You can’t make old friends, it’s something that just happens“