Regie Cabico is a poet/playwright/performer formerly of The Asian American Writers Workshop, has been seen on MTV advertising spots, has worked as a solo and ensemble theater actor, has been anthologized in Aloud, Voices from The Nuyorican Poets Café as well as other anthologies. He has a book out I Saw Your Ex-Lover Behind the Starbucks Counter , and a new cassette (both under the Big Fat Talk and Big Fat Press label). Regie has curated several spoken word series, and continues to perform his work in clubs and on the college circuit. I asked him to give up some thoughts on his experiences.

" I could just bust out with my feelings on this subject. While I think Asian American writers are experiencing a renaissance in New York, I don't think we yet have someone like a Toni Morrison. There are, though, exciting Asian American poets and novelists out there. Jessica Hagedorn has been a catalyst in the growth of contemporary Asian American writers. In 1993 she was the editor of the anthology Charlie Chan Is Dead. This anthology helped to introduce a diverse and strong group of Asian American writers. It was a pivotal publication for the literary world. Launching writers who are influential today .

I do not know who the Asian community here would consider its most influential writer today. While Amy Tan is more well known, in my opinion, Lynn Yamanaka, Che Yew, Diana Soh, as well as others, would make that list. The lack of access that Asian American writers have in the television and movie industry is appalling.

I did some commercial bits, aired on MTV, but I'm not focusing as much on television acting right now. The minute amount of Asian screenplay writers, playwrights, and authors having their work produced by these industries certainly contributes to the difficulty in finding good roles as an actor. But it also has a great deal to do with current television and movie writers having a limited view, or no idea at all, about what types of roles an Asian actor can play. I felt I had exhausted all my resources. It was pretty grim. The parts I was being offered were pretty stereotypical. I'm concentrating now on poetry, playwriting, and performance. I travel doing readings and performance work with a group Peeling The Banana, an Asian American theater ensemble.

When I was a student I did not read much work by Asian American writers. I was reading J.D. Salinger and other authors typically offered in academic institutions. Ntozake Shange was an early influence on me. I think many Asian writers take a cue from African American writers, relating to their similar cultural experiences and conflicts in America. I can not say that my family nurtured my interest in writing. Like many immigrant parents they were hoping that I would become a doctor or a lawyer. I do not think that many Asian American writers feel nurtured in academic communities. My poem Check 1 is now being read by students. That's something right there. Not just for Asian American students, but for all students to be exposed in school to the work of a contemporary Philipino American writer.

There are also many Asian poets whose works you can find in small presses, literary magazines, and anthologies. These poets can often be heard performing their work. Asian playwrights are forming their own theater groups to get their work out there. One of the most important things is that Asian American writers be included in curriculums, and nurtured inside and outside of academic institutions."