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Volume 2 | Issue 7 | $2.00 DONATION

TRAVERSE CITY’S
VOICE OF PEOPLE
IN TRANSITION

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[EDITORIAL]
WE ARE IN TRANSITION

By Editorial Team

A poorly chosen one, however, can only
serve to darken things even further,
blurring edges rather than bringing clarity.
Speak Up was built to build awareness
surrounding the issues of homelessness.
It was created to support those who find
themselves, for one reason or another,
without a reliable roof over their heads
or a place to “go home to” at the end of
the day. Over the last year of hearing and
sharing the stories of these individuals,
we’ve come to an interesting realization:
“Homeless” isn’t the right word to
describe those without homes.
The word “homeless” is too simplistic,
too stigmatized, stereotyped, overused
and under-thought out to be even barely
adequate. These situations are nuanced,
individual and diverse. More importantly,
they are not a character trait, an epithet,
or a title.
They are a state one finds oneself in…
and a temporary one at that.
No matter how long they find
themselves adrift, those without walls
and roofs rarely consider their state
permanent. They are between things, yes.
Like all of us do at some point. They have
found themselves at the end of one thing,
looking for the next. It’s a tightrope walk
we all must tiptoe at some point. Only in
their cases, the safety net has given out;
and they’ve got to climb all the way back
up the ladder to make their way to the
other side.
That doesn’t mean they’re not going to.
That’s why we’ve removed “homeless”
from our vocabulary at Speak Up.
“The difference between the right word Instead, we’re using “in transition.” Not
and the almost right word is the difference out of some pedantic or politically-correct
between lightning and a lightning bug.” ~ whim, but because it’s the right phrase to
Mark Twain use. “In transition” serves the purpose of
We’re watching our language here at language—to accurately communicate
Speak Up. A group of storytellers at heart, truth. It illuminates the situation.
if there’s one thing we’re aware of, it’s the “Homeless” is the lightning bug, a
power of the word. A well-chosen word, flickering suggestion of how things are.
truly, can illuminate the sky like lightning. “In transition” is the lightning.

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“Speak Up for those who cannot speak for
themselves, for the rights of
all who are destitute.”
Proverbs 31:8

More than a Magazine

Speak Up Magazine is a 501(c)3 non-profit
that gives voice to and offers an income
opportunity for people in transition and
those who are vulnerably-housed. They
become micro-business owners who buy
copies of Speak Up for a low price and resell
them, keeping all the cash and earning a
profit.

As a result, these enterprising street vendors
learn to manage their resources, grow their
businesses and change their lives with
dignity.

Volunteers and interns are welcomed for
creative areas, such as photography, editing,
teaching, production and design, as well as
fundraising, social services and more. Please
contact us to help out.

Speak Up is a member of the International
Network of Street Papers, which connects
and supports over 100 such organizations
worldwide.

This Zine Team Contact

EDITING AND WRITING CLINICS CHARLOTTE OFFICE
Peggi Knowe, Matt Shaw, Ben Shaw, Robb 704-980-9885
Astor, Melissa Sprenkle, Bill Shaw, Mary office@speakupmag.org
Pierce, Mickey Grooters, Debbi Shaw, 1551 S Mint St, Suite B
Leah Burnett, Jennifer Weil, Jesse Horness, Charlotte, NC 28203
Sharon Angel, Harry Griffin
TRAVERSE CITY CHAPTER
VISUALS speakuptc.com
Layout, Matt Shaw billshaw@speakupmag.org
Photos, Debbi Shaw and Peggi Knowe
3

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TWO POEMS

By Woody Swift Eagle (Native American Medicine Man)

PATHWAY TO DESTINY

We enter this earth with body bare.
We grow in our parents’ loving care.
We go to school to expand our minds
In hopes of our paths to find.
We never know where it will lead.
We can only hope to mount the steed
That will lead us to that eventual day
That day when we can truly say
Our life has proven its worth
That day that we pave the way
To bless the world with another birth.

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Of dead and dying I wish to speak
Of fur and fin and plant and beak
Of species on this earth
That hold a store of untold worth
Their homes are gone to fuel the need
Of some greedy corporate seed
The children of the morrow
Will wake up to the awful sorrow
That these of which I speak
This fur and fin and plant and beak
Will not be here for them to seek
To heal the sick or to comfort the weak

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[CONTENTS]

2 WATCHING OUR LANGUAGE Editorial Team
4 TWO POEMS Woody Swift Eagle
6 WOODY SWIFT EAGLE Bill Shaw
8 REMEMBRANCE OF A FLOWER Laurie Koelsch
9 I WANT TO THANK YOU Edward Smalls
10 SHELTER OF ARMS Randy Parcher
11 SOME WORDS David Goldberg
12 SWINGSHIFT AND THE STARS Jennifer Weil
15 A TRANSITIONAL COMMUNITY Laurie Koelsch
16 REQUIEM FOR A LOST GENERATION Dustin Lapres
18 WHAT IS THE HOMELESS WORLD CUP? Bill Shaw
20 WHAT’S IN A HOME? Randy Parcher
21 THE POWER OF AN HONEST IMAGE Celina Kareiva
22 A LATE DINNER WITH MY SON Jennifer Alexander

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[VENDOR INTERVIEW]
INTERVIEW: WOODY SWIFT EAGLE

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Interview by Bill Shaw

SO, WOODY, THE COVER PHOTO
HAS A DOG IN IT.
That’s my mascot, my little buddy. He
helps me handle all the rejection and
celebrate the successes.
DID YOU GROW UP IN TRAVERSE
CITY?
I have lived here all my life. All 66 years
of it.
YOU WENT TO SCHOOL HERE?
Immaculate Conception, St. Francis
and the Senior High for one year, and
then went to work out of necessity. I
later finished my GED and two years of
college at NMC.
HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH SPEAK
UP SALES?
Well, I am doing fairly well, but I have
nothing to gauge it by. I have only been
selling for a week.
DO YOU ASK EVERYBODY TO BUY?
I go with the flow. Not everybody. You
can tell by somebody’s gait if they have
time to listen.
WOODY, YOUR NAME, SWIFT
EAGLE, IS THERE A STORY BEHIND
IT?
Well, I am half Native American. My
father was Aztec Apache. Eagle is
embedded in my last name, so it became
my Indian name.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
To try and make my money stretch
from month to month. I live on Social
Security, but it’s not enough. It lasts about
two weeks.
WHERE WILL YOU SLEEP TONIGHT?
Until a few weeks ago I slept in a tent.
Now I sleep in an immobile motor home.
ANY LAST WORDS?
I am just an old guy trying to live the
last 12 years of my life. I contemplated
my mortality when I was 60. I looked at
the national average of 78 and figured I
would hit that. That was six years ago.

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[SENSORY EXPERIENCE]
REMEMBRANCE OF A FLOWER

By Laurie Koelsch

It seems like a lifetime ago when I had After being homeless for so long, we miss
found my perfect home. I was very young these things that people take for granted.
at the time. There was a patch of prickly We are fighting to get a place to call home.
weeds where it looked like there used to be a For some of us, we get the feeling of, “How
garden, except the previous owners let it go. long will it last this time before we lose
It had rained when I moved in, and I our home and end up back on the streets
had the windows open and could smell like before?” Or there are some of us who
the sweet smell of roses. I anxiously put have been on the streets too long, and we
myself to work cleaning out the garden. can’t cope with being inside.
Oh, the prickly weeds! I was trying to grab I put this in the back of my mind
them without getting sore fingers. Then I and not let the feeling of being on the
spotted the roses. There were multiple street affect my way of living. It would
colors of red, yellow, and peach. I felt so be wonderful to have a place where we
much joy to see exactly what I had found. don’t have to keep moving from place to
It really felt like I was home. place, to be able to let our guard down,
When I decided to eat my supper out and to not keep listening to the noises at
on the deck, I listened to the frogs singing night while sleeping in our vehicle. The
in the nearby pond. I was looking over the other homeless people sleeping on the
beauty of the freshly-mowed lawn. My streets or under bridges go through the
feet had the feeling of running through same experiences as well. You can’t get a
the fresh-cut grass between my toes. peaceful night’s sleep without someone
I miss this a lot—having a front lawn waking you by their noise.
to enjoy feeling the grass on my bare feet.

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[HUSTLE]
I WANT TO THANK YOU

By Edward Smalls

I get up every morning at six a.m. I catch to do around their houses. That is why I
the train and go to the intersection of North love the people of North Tryon Street.
Tryon Street and 5th Street. I sell Speak Up I want to thank the people of North
Magazines. I arrive at eight a.m. and leave at Tryon Street for being so kind, caring and
four p.m. loveable. By selling Speak Up Magazine
I am really glad that I started selling and the people giving me donations and
Speak Up Magazine. It introduced me work around their homes, I am the hap-
to a lot of people on North Tryon Street. piest once-homeless person in the world!
They are very kind, sweet and lovely peo- I just want to thank the people of North
ple. They give me donations, something to Tryon Street for their kindness.
drink, and buy my lunch. As I get to know
them, some give me odds and ends work

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[SHADOWLANDS]
SHELTER OF ARMS

By Randy Parcher

Shelter is somewhere to lay one’s head when you have done, giving you the shelter of
the world has made one weary and tired, a his wisdom.
place to let one’s guard down. It’s a safe place Shelter can be the arm of the love of
called home by many but not all. Haven for your life wrapped around you, letting you
some has a different meaning than home. know they love you and that tomorrow
Sanctuary can be a tent in the woods, a will be a better day, no matter what kind
place under the bridge out of the weather, of day today was. We will be together, two
or a car to sleep in. These fortifications apart from the rest of the world. The world
from the world may give one peace of outside of these arms means less than
mind. They can also give one a feeling of nothing. These arms hold the promise of
insecurity, jumping at every sound one tomorrow, asylum of today. In a word:
hears in the dark of night. Every shadow of hope.
the moon that wavers can leave one feeling Shelter is friends and family gathered
exposed to fears, real and imagined. There around in times of sorrow at the passing
is an anxiety for what tomorrow brings of a loved one, sharing one’s heartbreak.
and self-doubt about the ability to handle The shelter of arms folded around one in
what the world gives us to deal with, a empathy.
lodging built of uncertainty. Shelter is faith that things, or we, can
Shelter is a mother, arms gently change for the better…a hope and dream
wrapped around us when we fail to ride for tomorrow, for faith is the haven of
a bike for the first time, encouraging us hope. Living quarters, sometimes, are just
to try again. The shelter of a mother’s a mirage for those who travel the asphalt
love assures us we are not alone in our wilderness, something we see as being far
misery. Shelter is father’s watchful eye as away.
you build your first birdhouse, his hand The dream is a star guiding us to a
on your shoulder saying what a good job place called home and the arms of those
we love.
10

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[OBSERVATIONS]
SOME WORDS
By David Alan Goldberg COFFEE
In my youth and for many years, I would
drink at least six cups of coffee daily, the
strength of motor oil used in NASCAR.
Pardon the pun, but it fueled my
creativity in ways better than anything
else. I am still running off the fumes.

ETHICS
Tactfulness, propriety, punctuality,
fairness, humility. A little bit of each,
practiced sincerely and consistently goes
a long way. However, at the end of the day,
and after several excellent cappuccinos,DIRT we all poop.
Dirt, being dirty, is a wide and varied
substance. It could be the dirtiest of
all dirt, or not so much. What are we talking about in relation to dirt, really? SHOP
Dust bunnies under the couch or Miley Blume Junior High School, Wapakoneta,
Cyrus? Ohio. I attended seventh and eighth
grade there in the late 1970s. Its claim to
fame is that the first man on the moon,
Neil Armstrong, attended Blume whenHUMAN RACE he was a kid. In eighth grade, I took
I ran. I ran so far away. When I was on wood and metal shop in one of the
the streets, it was all this human could same classrooms where Armstrong was
do to maintain any reasonable amount taught. After the ‘78-’79 school year,
of sanity. San Francisco, Portland, across there was a parade honoring the ten-
town, down the block. Away. Anywhere year-anniversary of the moon landing. I
but here. got to shake his hand.

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[DANCING FOR A CAUSE]
Swingshift and the Stars
Interviews with Paul Groesbeck and Tiffany Rice

By Jennifer Weil for Speak Up

contestants who spoke candidly about
themselves and about each other.

Paul Groesbeck (pictured, left) and his
wife were on their way to Chicago for time
with their grandchildren when we finally
had a chance to chat. Paul is busy and
engaged in life. He has an upbeat attitude
and a smile in his voice. He’s putting
great energy into his brand-new role as a
competitive dancer.
SU: What prompted you to put on your
dancing shoes for this event, Paul?
PG: I got a phone call from Jane Jason
[Speak Up board member and chair of the
SwingShift committee]. She described
the situation, what Speak Up Zine does,
and about SwingShift, and asked would
I be the star. I thought long and hard for
at least three full days before I called her
back. I just think Speak Up is one of those
organizations I can really get involved
in with both my mind and my heart and
decided to step out of my comfort zone to
support them.
SU: Have you done much dancing in the
past?
I love dancing with my wife for 35
years, and that’s it. No, I can’t even do line
dances. This is definitely not something
SwingShift and the Stars is once again I’ve ever done before and not something
polishing the dance floor in anticipation of I love doing.
its annual Traverse City fundraiser in which SU: But you’re willing to do it for Speak
six couples perform for their favorite local Up, for people in transition. Why?
charities. Inspired by television’s runaway PG: Honestly, I didn’t know about
hit, “Dancing with the Stars,” the High [Speak Up] before she called, [but] so
Impact Production begins on September 18 many of us are literally one day away from
and wraps on December 18, 2015. being homeless. So transition is really a
Speak Up is honored to be one of good word to use to describe it. A lot of
this year’s selected charity recipients. people are in transition.
Competing on our behalf are professional SU: How did you become partnered
dancer/instructor and choreographer with Tiffany?
Tiffany Rice and her celebrity partner, PG: High Impact Productions
Paul Groesbeck, plant manager for Federal determines who the charities will be and
Screw Works. Speak Up interviewed the who the stars and partners will be. I feel

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like I got the luck of the draw with Tiffany. Groesbeck for the competition, she could
She is amazing. She is so fluid; it’s in her not say no. As she told Speak Up, “It is an
bones. honor to be rallying for an absolutely valid
She’s the choreographer and does the and work-oriented organization.”
instructing, and she puts people at ease
right away. SU: Tiffany, how did you become
SU: So she’s made this easier? involved with SwingShift and with Speak
PG: Oh, my gosh, yes. She’s made this Up in particular?
easier for me. TR: My employer, Sue Buck, who is one
SU: Are you feeling brave? of the judges, recommended me to Judy
PG: No! I’m doing this for charity! Lynas Harrison, the creator of SwingShift.
And I look at this way, I’m getting free Judy’s daughter dances, so I got to teach
dance lessons. her. Judy and I were familiar to each other.
SU: Maybe your wife will benefit? It’s my understanding that Paul chose
PG: I hope, yeah! My wife has been Speak Up.
extremely supportive. SU: What have you gained from this
Katy Groesbeck: I think it’s a hoot. experience so far?
I don’t think I could get up in front of TR: I have loved learning about
hundreds of people to do this. I think it Speak Up! I am all for charities that let
speaks volumes about who Paul is. people work [in a way that] validates
SU: Paul, are you having fun? them, lets them be heard. They’re not
PG: Yes, oh, my gosh, yes! stuck in a stock room. They’re learning
SU: What’s your biggest challenge? about people, working with them, and
PG: Besides the pain? Dancing! learning about themselves. The message
SU: Tell us about your practice. is, “I survived this, and I can keep going.”
PG: We began Monday, [August] 24th,
and have met four times this week. One
hour per session. Next week, I have to do
four hours…I video her and then practice
on my own. So, it’s about 16 hours of
practice altogether.
SU: And your progress?
PG: Oh, my gosh, we finished the
routine today, and that’s huge, in all of
four visits. Now it’s practice, practice,
practice. We’re like a freight train now,
moving along really quickly. All I can say
is, if you’re coming to SwingShift, bring
your checkbook!

****

I caught up with Tiffany Rice (pictured,
right) as she was preparing to help her
sister move. That’s this weekend. Next
weekend, she’ll be busy with a special event
she organized in honor of her family. If it
is a surprise that she has also signed up for
SwingShift and the Stars, it shouldn’t be;
that’s sort of thing that active, kind people
do. When Tiffany, who lives in Cadillac
and works in Traverse City for Dance Arts
Academy, was invited to pair with Paul

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And with SwingShift, I love meeting new through repetition and playing around. I
people…I’m more private and a little get to know them. What I do depends a lot
reserved. This is good practice for me. I on the personalities of the people I teach.
was really, really, really shy. Style is the last thing people usually pick
SU: Do you know anyone who is up. Paul picked up immediately on feeling
homeless or in transition? the music and counting the rhythm. He
TR: Not now, but in the past, I have. picks everything up very easily. Once he
I knew someone who was [housed in has the steps down, he gets the attitude
downtown TC] for a time, but was able to down. He has worked through the steps,
get a job and secure permanent housing. and he’s getting the style. Our progress is
SU: Besides dance, what are some of impressive, and I am very, very proud of
your interests? him. We’re having a lot of fun.
TR: Spending time with my family.
Eating food. Drinking coffee. I’m really ****
active in my church. I love my church
family, and we spend a lot of time together We at Speak Up believe in practice,
and do a lot of community outreach. I love practice, practice. We also believe in Paul
that I don’t have to arrange my life around and Tiffany, and we’re waving their train
a 9 to 5 job. into the station with all the enthusiasm we
SU: Dancing is clearly your passion. have for projects like SwingShift and the
TR: Yes. It’s a cliché, but I live, breathe, Stars which brings hope and resources to
and die by dance. those in our community who need them
SU: When did you begin? most.
TR: At 3. My mom knew immediately For more information, visit http://
I needed to be in dance. I loved it. I was highimpactnow.com or for tickets, call
enthralled with it. I preferred it over 231-941-8082.
school. I loved feeling the music; I couldn’t
choreograph without music. When people
come to me, one of the first things I listen
for is whether they feel the music and pick
up on the rhythm. I want them to groove
first and I worry about the steps later.
SU: What dance do you teach?
TR: My strength is ballet. I didn’t start
ballroom till I lived in Houston where it’s
very popular. I was in Austin to dance
with Ballet Austin for a year, but I was
injured. I moved to Houston to be closer
to family and studied to be a paralegal, but
it wasn’t my passion. Being in school and
not dancing made me grouchy. I knew I
needed to be back in dance. Ballroom was
an easy transition. [Tiffany returned to
Michigan in 2012.]
SU: Describe your rehearsal process
and, if you will, how well your partner and
you are progressing.
TR: So the first time I meet with a
couple or an individual, I give them basic
steps and see if they can feel the rhythm;
and once they have two counts of 8 down,
I put on the music and we see how things
flow. Then we get the sequencing down

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[SEEKING STABILITY]
A TRANSITIONAL COMMUNITY

By Laurie Koelsch

In our community of houseless people of all I tell them that my soulmate and I are
ages, it is a hard place to be in—especially experiencing homelessness. I tell them
for the families that have young children it is only a temporary situation. I talk to
living in their vehicles. Some have to sleep families who say how they park in places
on the ground in just blankets, trying to get where they think it is dark and quiet
a good night’s sleep. The ground is so hard, enough for the kids to sleep. Then the
it wears on a body. When we sit at a park or guardians of society end up knocking on
even at a store, people look at us trying to their windows saying, “You can’t sleep
figure out if we are homeless or not. here. You have to move.” The parents tell
The children in this transition have a them they are homeless and need a quiet
hard time getting the proper sleep at night. spot for the children to sleep. So then the
These children feel like they are being guardians get back in their cars and leave
judged by the way people look at them, the families alone.
judging them by their lifestyle. When Those of us who are experiencing
these families hear about the Outreach houselessness are waiting our turns to find
breakfast, they come in to get a hot meal places just to be and have roofs over our
and showers. They can even get their mail heads. To be able to sleep at night without
five days a week. There is also a phone so having to wake to the outside noises, to
we can make appointments. There is also be able to let our guards down, and stop
another place we can go to do our laundry worrying about the noises of the night,
and use a computer if it is too rainy and would be a dream come true.
cold.
Some of the people that we talk to
get a surprised look on their faces when

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[FACING FORWARD]
REQUIEM FOR A LOST GENERATION

By Dustin Lapres

I would like to take a moment to Laymette, and he was a fifty-something-
remember some of the Brothers we lost year-old Vietnam vet who camped here
along the way. Growing up in an upper- in Traverse during the summers and then
middle-class home, I never dreamed that hitchhiked to Jacksonville for the winters.
I would live the life I have, and it has been The day I met him, he invited me to his
a very tough life. Those who know me well campfire and shared a fish with me which
can attest to that. And yet, I can honestly he had caught out of Boardman River/
say, if I had to do it all again, I would do Lake right around the trestle (long before
it the all the same. I say this not because they developed that area) which used to
of the brutality I have experienced, or be the prime camping area for the hobo
the multiple incarcerations, the periods culture as it was an abandoned, unloved
of gnawing hunger and near frostbitten part of town, and most people stayed out
extremities, the day-to-day filthiness that I of there. Ralph and I began to hang out
have had to endure for lack of clean clothes regularly.
and shower facilities, nor the shame which Ralph taught me how to dumpster-
was an ever-burdening companion during dive and to go canning (collect cans), how
my days living publicly. I say this and can to build a shelter or look for a natural
say it unequivocally because of the people one. He told me stories about his life,
I have met along the way. If I had done and he loved me like a son—something
one thing differently, I may never have I badly needed in my life because at
had the chance to know some of the most just twelve and thirteen years old, I was
beautiful people I have ever been graced contemplating suicide because of my
with the opportunity to share a bottle or problems socially as well as at home. As
a campsite and a meal and the occasional I grew older, I spent many summers with
adventure with. Let’s pay homage to some Ralph and shared many forty-ouncers
of the old school hobos who taught me as over a campfire. He loved me at a time in
a young man to survive and thrive on the my life in a way that I like to think now
street. probably saved me. I needed that friend at
When I was about twelve, I met my that moment in time. Ralph died while I
first homeless friend. His name was Ralph was away in prison around the turn of the

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millennium. After 30+ years of fighting I had a lot of problems after the better
with the government over his benefits as a part of a decade in institutions, and yet
Vietnam Veteran, he received a settlement Larry always accepted me the way I was.
for a large sum; and that same week as he He was my brother, and I loved him. The
was riding into town to go to the store, the post-prison days were initially very tough
vehicle he was in was destroyed. Ralph for me. I had nobody and nothing, and
didn't make it. once again, fate smiled on me and put
Another close friend was Steve this goofy little streetkid right there
Gunn. Steve was a lot like Sam Elliot—a beside me to become my best friend. I
tough old long-haired biker cat with a hard learned so much from him about how to
attitude and a heart of gold. I met Steve love people again and how valuable we
when I was 15 and hung out with him all are as humans. Larry passed last June
almost daily for a few years. He and I had while I was away in treatment. It crushed
some great adventures canning, and his me, but he left behind a legacy in our
stories always chased away the loneliness memories. He was a diabetic and died due
and fear that were always so pervasive to complications at only 39, but he lived
during those young street years for me. such a rich life in terms of experience. I
Steve had been a roadie for the Grateful wrote a song for him upon his passing that
Dead, amongst other things; and in his my wife and I still play daily.
rugged biker/cowboy way, he was a very These lost souls, this generation of
loving friend…always ready to fight at the lost people who were so undervalued by
drop of a hat to protect his friends. Steve society and yet shone so brilliantly in my
befriended me and stuck with me during life and the lives of those who took the
a time when I had nobody and nothing—I time to get to to know them. Times are
was sleeping in the Civic Center bathroom changing. The era in which we all came
some nights and outdoors other nights. of age as homeless men has passed. Back
Nobody was really there for me except in those days, there was no Safe Harbor,
him and my homeless friends. Had he not no shelter for homeless kids/teens like
been there, I may not have made it. I had Pete's Place, and no breakfasts and very
every reason to give up, but men like him few meals. The people back then were
kept me going. even colder to us and the police were
Steve died while I was away in prison even harder. We had no one, nothing, and
in 2005-2006. He went to Safe Harbor on a nowhere except each other.
sub-zero night, and they turned him away When most of my friends were going
for being drunk and refusing to leave his to proms and driving new cars their
bottle. He made it a few blocks away onto folks had paid for, I was on the streets
the State Hospital grounds and fell in the thinking seriously about ending my life
creek and froze to death. He was one of so young. And yet at exactly the right
the smartest men I have ever known. moments, these people came into my
Larry Delater was probably one of the life and accepted me and showed me
most steadfast friends I have ever known. love and taught me and protected me.
I met Larry when he moved to Michigan I am what I am today because of all of
shortly after I was released from prison A them. So, no. Ask again and I will tell you
sweeter, gentler human being I have never again, I wouldn't change a thing. If you
known. Larry was homeless much of his ask me, these were the brightest stars of
life; and toward the end of it, he received their respective times—these tarnished
disability and CMH housing. I saw him diamonds in the rough who never failed
nearly every day the last ten years when to be their brother's keeper and who lived
I was not locked up. He always gave me so worldly in terms of their vices, yet so
a place to sleep, food to eat, lent me a few Godly in terms of the way in which they
bucks. He adored me. To Little Larry, I were unattached to the material life, and
was a rockstar, and he would sit and listen as ever-so-intent upon loving their fellow
to me play for hours, tickled to death. man.

Page 18

[SPORT]
WHAT IS THE HOMELESS WORLD CUP?

By Bill Shaw

The Homeless World Cup is a unique, ippines; and through the celebration of
pioneering social movement which uses sport, Petersen highlighted the need of all
football [soccer] to inspire homeless people to people to have a home. This long-ago do-
change their own lives. We operate through a nation by Petersen Productions to a small
network of more than 70 National Partners Filipino non-profit, Urban Opportunities
to support football programmes and social for Change Foundation, has had lasting
enterprise development. We provide a focus impact. Urban has continued to send dif-
for—and celebration of—their year-round ferent teams of homeless footballers to the
activities by organising and delivering an Homeless World Cup tournament. From
annual, world-class, international football Milan, to Rio, to Mexico City, to Paris, to
tournament for national teams of homeless Poznan, missing only last year’s games in
men and women that takes place in a different Chile.
city every year. This year, September 12-19, in Amster-
—www.homelessworldcup.org dam, another group of homeless Filipino
footballers will represent their country.
In 2009, Petersen Productions, a local They will join forty-eight nations, includ-
Traverse City Company, traveled to Milan, ing the USA, and play to overcome home-
Italy, and produced a series of “shorts” for lessness. The 2015 Filipino team are all
the Filipino Homeless World Cup Team. survivors, not of Hurricane Katrina, which
This group of four—Glen Petersen, Cor- we have heard so much about in our news,
ban Shaw, Tom Harris and Nancy Har- but of another storm, Typhoon Haiyan—
ris—shot hours of video during the day the 2013 super-storm that devastated Ta-
and spent their evenings cutting and ed- cloban and the surrounding province of
iting. They produced two daily films, and Leyte. The seven young Filipinos who are
brought international attention to a team playing in Amsterdam were marginally
of young marginalized Filipinos. The vid- housed before the storm, living in nipa
eos were followed religiously in the Phil- huts, and coconut lumber shacks. Today,

Page 19

they live in tents and makeshift shelters. child.”
Three of these Filipino players shared Kiel Mhiko Malquisto evacuated to
their stories with Speak Up. Palo National High School.
Joenel Cablao was waiting for the Ty- “In the school, the roof was completely
phoon to hit in a one-story bungalow. gone. We moved to a different classroom.
“There were seven of us. The wind My father was trying to close the door,
started to pick up. Our mango tree was the and he was hit and cut by the door which
fi rst thing to go. We began to get worried. knocked him down, and the ceiling col-
When the roof of the house came off, we lapsed on him. My uncle was able to drag
began to panic. The house is made of light my father to safety. Three roofs were swirl-
materials, no concrete. We transferred to ing around in our room. I was hit on the
our neighbor’s house made of concrete, back. I thought I would die. My mother
and we stayed in the basement because told me that because I had no wound to
of all the coconut trees falling. When the cover our nieces and nephews. So I found
surge came, I was the last one to get out. some wood to cover them. We did not
My dad pulled me out of the murky wa- eat for three days. I tried to find food, but
ter. My dad and I hung on a wall. I did there was none available. Seven of my im-
not know if my family was alive, because mediate relatives died in the storm.”
I was seeing dead bodies. Our family all Th is year the hopes and prayers of
survived. We live in a makeshift house of thousands of Filipinos will be with Kiel,
tarpaulin.” Ralph and Joenel, but there will be some
Ralph Relano’s house was totally dev- in Traverse City, MI, who watch these
astated. games as well. Glen Petersen is one. He
“It collapsed in the road. My father says, “I was amazed at the talent and the
was covered with debris, and I thought he ability of men and women who were
was dead, My younger brother was hit by homeless. We were journalists, so that was
a concrete telephone post on the back of our focus, but the Homeless World Cup
his head. Debris fell on my leg, and I was gets my attention—playing above the field
injured. I was able to rescue my grandfa- of circumstance. This is what people can
ther and transfer him to a nearby concrete do if given the opportunity.”
house. I was holding the roof, but I was The Homeless World Cup has caught
blown by the wind and was hung in a gua- the attention of some prominent Mich-
va tree, hit in my stomach. I found a way igan businessmen too. There are initial
to get out of the tree and get to a concrete discussions of hosting the tournament in
house. I saw my father under the debris Detroit. To see the games and to under-
shaking, and I dragged him into the con- stand the opportunity, visit www.home-
crete house. The owner of the house called lessworldcup.org.
and was yelling at me to save a mother Rising above the field of circumstance…
and a child. So I saved the mother and the that happens at Speak Up too.

Original Fine Art · Contemporary Craft
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TraverseT City | 231.932.0775 | galleryfifty.com

Page 20

[NURTURE]
WHAT’S IN A HOME?

By Randy Parcher

A house and a home can be one and the same
but not always. A house is just a building full
of stuff while a home is where one hangs his
hat and is surrounded by those he loves.
A home is the place of childhood we
remember best, an owl hooting in a pear
tree and mother’s arms holding us tight in
a storm. A house is just a place. Home is
mother canning fruits and baking bread.
Home is the smell of fuel oil in a coffee
can used to collect potato bugs. Home is
sitting around sharing our day with the
ones we love. A house is just an empty
building.
My home has been gone a long time,
mother and father too. Even the house is
long gone…no empty shrine to what once
was a home. Nothing but memories of
time spent sharing both the big events and
the small trivial things. We came together
to watch the Wonderful World of Disney
first in black and white and later in color.
A house can be a home, but a home is
so much more than a house.

Where Will Your Next $5 Go?

I’ll spend the next 5 dollars I earn to help someone buy food to eat and
not let that person eat from the trash.
—Laurie

I will spend it at Addiction Treatment Services on my urine screen test
for my probation officer, so I won’t go to jail.
—Randy S.

Bag of Depends, I am getting old. Hahaha!
—Woody

Page 21

[PHOTOGRAPHY]
THE POWER OF AN HONEST IMAGE

By Celina Kareiva

When Chiaka came into Rex Hohlbein’s life, nected from the simple fact that home-
the Seattle architect found himself with a lessness involves real people with real suf-
foot in two worlds. Hohlbein had long dealt fering?” asked Hohlbein.
in million-dollar homes. But when he found “One of the problems that comes up in
Chiaka on a park bench – a shopping cart answering this question is that, in truth,
full of art supplies beside him – Hohlbein we’re really not that close to the issue to
was suddenly confronted with a community know how to answer it. The issue is so
who had nothing to their name. overwhelming intellectually and emotion-
That meeting grew into a friendship ally that we all distance ourselves from it.
and Hohlbein invited Chiaka into his We end up talking about statistics and
home. Chiaka in turn began sharing his symptoms.”
paintings and canvases with Hohlbein, Hohlbein’s architecture office became a
who has since grown to be an ally and ad- drop-in center and a resting stop for the
vocate for the homeless community. homeless. He began taking photos of the
“I began to think about all the other visitors and recording their stories. One
folks that I had been meeting on this park day, he started a Facebook group, Home-
bench on the canal. I realized that they less in Seattle, which quickly built a large
had also been struggling against the neg- following. To date, it has more than 17,000
ative stereotypes surrounding homeless- page ‘Likes’ and Hohlbein has never had
ness,” he recalled. “The sole purpose [of an unmet request for a donation or assis-
this project] was to just look closer to get tance.
past the negative and to look at the beauty Hohlbein hopes Homeless in Seattle
of each person.” shatters negative stereotypes and encour-
“I have been aware of the issue of ages people to make housing affordabili-
homelessness my entire life and I have ty and homelessness “our problem”: “My
been unaware of the person – the mother, goal was never going to be to fix anybody.
the father and child suffering through it. It was just [to put] love into the equation.”
Why is that? How could I be so discon-

Page 22

[POEM]
A LATE DINNER WITH MY SON

By Jennifer Alexander in Nashville, TN, via the Street News Service

Remember that night at
it was about a year ago—
we went to Sammy’s restaurant on Caroline
You ordered a shot and the Mediterranean Plate.
I had water and the avocado, sprouts, and Swiss on whole wheat.
You paid because I didn’t have any money,
Remember?

We exchanged polite chit chat for a while—
you obsessively fingered your tortoise-shell frames
feeling superior and suspicious the whole time—
me just trying to get to the meat.
Without meaning to, I cut too close to the bone.
Your face, that face I know so well, flushed crimson.
Thunderbolts of ridicule stormed from your mouth,
Remember?

You started calling names—mocking my bright spirit.
Then you slammed fifty bucks on the table
and headed for the exit,
me following a little behind.
Out on the street, you leaped into the driver’s seat,
gunned the engine, and peeled off into the night
leaving me standing in a Niagara rain on Caroline,
Remember?

Well, my umbrella was in your car.
I’d like to have it back.

Originally published in Nashville’s street paper, The Contributor, “A Late Dinner With My Son”
was the winning entry for Best Vendor Contribution at the 2015 International Network of
Street Papers Awards. Speak Up writer Dustin Lapres was one of five finalists for his real life
story “Hope Dead Winter,” which appeared in Speak Up Zine Volume 1 Issue 4.

Page 23

VENDOR
PROGRAM

Frequently
Asked
Questions

What is a Speak Up vendor?

“Vendor” is the title for the hard-working individuals who distribute Speak Up. Most likely,
they are in transition or are vulnerably housed. Your purchase of this magazine is part of their
journey out of poverty. You can learn more at speakupmag.org/vendors.
How does someone become a vendor?

1. Sign up for & come to an interview
3. Attend the training day
4. Sign the Code of Conduct
5. Get 20 free Zines and temporary badge
6. Reinvest and attend weekly meetings Look for a valid Speak Up badge

What if I give money but don’t take the magazine?

Always take the magazine. This individual is working hard, please don’t make them take a
hand out. Feel free to tip, but always take the product. This gives dignity, not just money.

But I don’t have any cash!

A few smartphone-equipped vendors can accept a credit card payment. For now, the best
option is to plan ahead and bring cash.
How can I help?
Donate to Speak Up at speakuptc.com and volunteer.