About
Mission
Our mission is to champion restoryation as a transformative force, nurturing a global community where (r)evolution unfolds through embodied and sacred storytelling. We gather with intention, honoring the unseen as we share in voice, ritual, and communion.
Vision
We are dedicated to fostering a vibrant and inclusive space where poets of all backgrounds, experiences, and stages in their journey come together to showcase their poetry.
Founded: May 2022
Co-Hosts: Amanda Ngoho Reavey & Seth Copeland
Location: County Clare Irish Pub, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Our Origins
Tabi Po Poetry began in May 2022 as a labor of love and resistance. Our first featured reader was poet and editor Seth Copeland, who would later become the series’ co-host. What started as an intimate open mic has since evolved into a monthly gathering where new, emerging, and established poets take center stage.
The name “Tabi Po” is a nod to Filipino folklore and identity – an offering to spirits, ancestors, and the stories that walk with us. It is both a warning and a welcome: a reminder that we do not speak alone, that every poem enters a room already haunted. Step gently. Listen deeply. What rises here has roots.
Our Purpose
Amanda Ngoho Reavey created Tabi Po as a response to the gatekeeping that often dominates literary spaces. Her goal is to cultivate a courageous and joyful space where community, craft, and culture meet on equal terms. Many of our featured readers are Milwaukee-based artists, but Amanda and Seth also welcome guests from across the diaspora. All are invited to speak their truths.
Our Values
Tabi Po is rooted in three core values:
Kapwa: This is the recognition of a shared identity, an inner self shared with others.
Pakiramdam: This translates to “shared perception” or “shared inner perception.” It is a sensitivity to or an attunement with others (kapwahan).
Kagandahang-loob: This guides a person towards authentic acts of goodness and generosity; towards a nurturing that has its origin in genuine empathy.
Support and Community
Tabi Po is run entirely by volunteers and artists. We operate with limited funds, donated space, and deep community care. Whether you’ve attended, read, donated or just spread the word – thank you. You are part of this story, too.
“Tabi tabi po,” we say, to step gently among the unseen. At Tabi Po, we say it to make the unseen seen.
Amanda Ngoho Reavey
Founder & Co-Host
Amanda Reavey (MFA) is a poet, interdisciplinary artist, and Emeritus Poetry Fellow at Black Earth Institute. She is the author of Marilyn (The Operating System, 2015), which won the 2017 Best Book Award in Poetry from the Association for Asian American Studies. Amanda’s work explores memory, tenderness, and healing through miniature forms and rituals. Amanda earned an MFA in Writing & Poetics from Naropa University and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work from Concordia University. She is the Co-Vice President of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and lives in Milwaukee with her two cats.
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Seth Copeland
Co-Host
Seth Copeland (PhD) grew up in southwest Oklahoma and currently lives in Milwaukee with his wife and two kitties. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Poet Lore, Painted Bride Quarterly, Kestrel, Dream Pop, Yes Poetry, The Shore, South Dakota Review, and Yalobusha Review, among others. While finishing his PhD at UWM, he served as Poetry Editor and then as Managing Editor for Cream City Review. In addition, he has edited the online journal petrichor since starting it in 2016. He is the Chapbook Coordinator for the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and currently a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
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