This is my cousin, Kema, in Batanes, Philippines. Enter here to browse through poetry - two chapbooks, a spoken word album, and anthologies.
The hip-hop group, NYFP (New York's Finest Pinoys), pose on Madison Avenue after a performance in 2007. Listen to a radio report on WNYC.
The train depot in Junta, Colorado in between thunderstorms. See more photographs from travels and reporting here.
Mekong in the Bronx: Southeast Asian Refugees in New York, Free Speech Radio News, Air: July 3, 2009 - As tens of thousands of refugees fled violence in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Refugee Act. He declared that the United States would finally take responsibility for the devastating effects of its policies in the region.Within ten years, more than one million refugees arrived to American cities. But over two decades later, America's promise remains unfulfilled.
Indonesia's Efforts Against Islamic Extremism, PRI's The World, Air: February 18, 2009 - After the bombings in Bali that killed more than 200 people, the Indonesian government cracked down hard on Islamic militants. It also developed a program to deradicalize militants in prison. Now, officials are hoping to expand it to the country's religious boarding schools...
Remembering Columbia, 1968, WNYC, Air: April 27, 2008 - This week marked the 40th Anniversary of the student protests at Columbia University. Dorian Merina spoke with some of those who took part in the protests and filed this report...
Photo (right): Robert Friedman had just become editor of the campus newspaper, The Columbia Spectator, a month before the protests broke.
Graffiti Artist James Top Opens Gallery Show Downtown, WNYC, Air: March 1, 2008 - More than 30 years after James Top started writing graffiti on NYC subways, he's opened his first solo art show at a downtown gallery. Dorian Merina reports on his path from the street to the studio....
Muslim Hip hop Onstage in Harlem, WNYC, Air: October 27, 2007 - Since its beginning, hip hop has been influenced by American Muslims -- including members of the groups Public Enemy, and Tribe Called Quest. Now, artists and fans are using hip hop to assert their identity as Muslims in America. And they're finding a balance between their art and their faith. Tonight, a concert of Muslim Hip hop called Rhythms of the Sacred Legacy brings together performers from around the country in an evening of dance, music and spoken word. Dorian Merina has the story....
MC Missundastood taking the stage in Harlem. Photo: Rebekah Kebede
World War II Veterans in Queens, KPFK, Air: November, 2006 - Approximately 140,000 Filipino soldiers fought alongside allied troops in the Philippines during World War II. Yet nearly sixty years after the conclusion of the war, many Filipino veterans continue to petition for benefits that were promised to them during their service. A new movement in Elmhurst, Queens joins the struggle....
Bengali Hip hop: Stoic Bliss, PRI's The World, Air: July 23, 2007 - Dorian Merina takes us to New York City's Bangladeshi immigrant community where a new form of hip hop has emerged. The new music is popular not just with immigrants in New York, but with people back in Bangladesh as well.
Mekong in the Bronx: Southeast Asian Refugees in New York, Free Speech Radio News, Air: July 3, 2009 - As tens of thousands of refugees fled violence in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Refugee Act. He declared that the United States would finally take responsibility for the devastating effects of its policies in the region.Within ten years, more than one million refugees arrived to American cities. But over two decades later, America's promise remains unfulfilled. 
