(flier designed by erin collins) 

Payal Sharma is a youth worker dancing crazy moves through the world, in truth love and light: REBEL WITH A CAUSE! She has been doing high school youth work, programming, and leadership development for over 7 years and has loved every minute of it.

Aside from her work, Payal is a 1st-generation South Asian-American, proud of her Indian/Desi roots. She thrives on dance and anything else the world offers her – give her a beat, and she’ll be moving. This is her first feature, but she’s been in a committed relationship with pen and paper for years.

Payal truly loves life, and her community is insanely important to her. She surrounds herself with people who look to change this world for the better and won’t settle for less. If you meet her, you’ll know that Payal moves through this world with love-dipped, love-tipped, love-stained fingers, touching everything in her path and leaving lasting marks. 

Adeeba Afshan Rana is a South Asian-American poetic activista.  Her journey began in pre-school where she championed the other girls of the playground, a red crayon clutched in her raised fist.  Today, she works diligently to cultivate the voices of her people.  Adeeba has been hooked onto conversations of women and power, art and activism since taking the stage at the Apollo in 2004 as the winner of We Got Issues! hottest rant contest.  She also works closely with many Social Justice organizations, educating and inspiring young people to use their voices in action, protest, praise and power. 

She recently finished her BA in English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and aspires to be the next goddess of knowledge. 

kay ulanday barrett is a performer, poet, educator, and martial artist. kay connects life as a pin@y-amerikan trans/queer navigating struggle, resistance, and laughter in the u.s. In Mango Tribe and in solo work, kay has featured in colleges, cafes, and stages nationally and internationally. honors to note: venus zine’s featured reader, LGBTQ 30 under 30 awards, Crossroads Fund individual activist award, finalist in The Gwendolyn Brooks Open-Mic Award, a feature in the documentary film BAKLA/TOMBOY: Filipino Gay & Lesbians in the U.S. and recently, contributions to Kicked Out Anthology released by Homofactus Press and LOUDmouth. for kay’s online swerve see: kaybarrett.net

General Meeting @ 6:30pm

There will also be a general meeting at the bookstore before the Open Mic so folks who are interested in learning more about Boston Progress or getting involved are encouraged to attend. These meetings are always open to the general public.

• Beat Collective Brings Down the House (or Bookstore) at East Meets Words’ 4th Anniversary
• Happy Birthday East Meets Words!

photos courtesy of hsindy chen, eugene shih. if you notice a missing or incorrect photo credit, or would like your photos of this event included in this gallery, please e-mail us at collective (AT) bostonprogress (DOT) org. please allow a few weeks for a response.