A Passion for Poetry, Music, and Food

Ayinde Howell is in the middle of a long day. He's kicking back at one of his cafe's dozen glass-topped tables, reading a book and listening to the Roots.

He could be deep in thought, working on a piece of poetry, or he could just be waiting for a customer. His unassuming demeanor seems ready for either. Poetry has become his passion after growing up in the natural food business and opening this café, Hillside Quickies, on the corner of Northeast 41st Street and Brooklyn Avenue Northeast in the University District.

Howell has become so involved in his poetry that he's moving to Los Angeles in a few weeks to pursue it exclusively. He has performed spoken word poetry with the Urban Scribes Project, a group he co-founded, for a few years now. He got started at Verbal Tea, a spoken word gathering housed at his cafe, The cafe has succeeded in its niche market for three and a half years so far.

'I just need to see how far I can go'
Seattle, as an artists' community, is relatively small. For Howell, local success came fairly quickly. It has been a good training ground, but he explains, "I just need to see how far I can go." Los Angeles is where he intends to find out.

Non-mainstream hip-hop artists who aren't pandering to the status quo inspire his art, which he describes as a fusion of spoken word and hip-hop. "If they can do it, I can do it," he says confidently. "There is a thirst for something different."

Three years ago, Howell welcomed spoken word event Verbal Tea to Hillside Quickies, but did not perform at first. "I was always a fan of spoken word poetry, but I never thought I could do it," he says. He began writing to express his thoughts coming out of a breakup in October 2000. That became his well-received debut.

Soon, the Urban Scribes Project was founded, and at its peak included seven poets. As co-founder, Howell was always a part of that. The performing group includes spoken word poets and musicians. Poets perform at Verbal Tea every third Friday. The Urban Scribes perform at the Experience Music Project's Liquid Lounge every second Wednesday, where the performance is more musically oriented. In between, the group performs events as requested. They were booked regularly during Black History Month with performances for students, including those in a high school in British Columbia.

Howell explains that the type of show depends on the venue. Verbal Tea is more tailored for the spoken word poetry of the group's four poets, including Howell. At the Liquid Lounge, the group works with musicians--a drummer, bassist, and keyboardist--for a more musically oriented show. Eventually, he'd like to add a percussionist, guitarist, and possibly a DJ to fill out the sound.

Though poetry is his outlet, music is an integral part of his art. When he performs, he says, "I feel what I am saying so much that it will usually push me back and forth or side to side." His goal is to merge talent with passion to create art people want to see.

Verbal Tea attracts many young people with its proximity to the UW campus. Those involved have tended to be young people whose ideals are changing. "Something that can feed someone like that is very powerful," he says. These people in transition are often students. He cites Choge, who earned his Ph.D. and now teaches at Indiana University, and Irwin, who completed his Masters of Fine Arts at UW and now teaches in South Africa, as artists who grew up in the Urban Scribes community.

When Howell announced at Verbal Tea that he was leaving, one woman told him these events had changed her life in the eight months she'd been coming. That reaction moved him: "Something that can feed someone like that is very powerful."

A taste of something you won't get anywhere else
A bell rings when you enter Hillside Quickies. Immediately to your right you see a deli case full of natural sodas, pasta salads, and pre-wrapped sandwiches. Next to that is a glass case with a few trays of baked goods. The menu is printed on a stack of photocopied, typed sheets stapled together and resting on the glass countertop.

The menu looks at first like an average sandwich shop menu, but closer inspection reveals intriguing differences. Everything is vegan: The Mama Africa Burger with its grain patty of quinoa and millet, the Crazy Jamaican Burger's sweet and spicy tempeh patty, a TLT--Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato, The Evil One wrap made with thinly-sliced seitan steak. Condiments include potato salad, cabbage, and vegan mayonnaise. There is even something called Macaroni and Yease, which improves on traditional Mac and Cheese with its slightly spicy nutritional yeast and zero animal products.

The cafe's unassuming veneer contrasts with its exciting menu, matching the comforting with the sublime. It's a perfect complement for its owner, who seems quiet at first but quickly reveals his charm and passion.

Hillside Quickies has been around three and a half years now at its location a block off the Ave. In a neighborhood notorious for high turnover rates--Howell says he's seen around five ethnic restaurants come and go in the space next door--he partially attributes his success to the cafe's niche market.

Items served in the cafe grew from his mom's ideas, and everything is made in-house. As a lifelong Rastafarian vegan who grew up in the natural food business, Howell finds he has an edge. Most people don't know how to cook vegetarian food, he explains. At Hillside Quickies, they make food vegans can't get anywhere else--flavorful sandwiches, soups, salads, and the like. Most vegans are limited to Thai, Mediterranean, and sometimes Indian cuisine in restaurants.

Even so, doing business near the UW suffers from serious drawbacks he feels the city's revitalization plan won't fix. The neighborhood empties during summer, but rents keep climbing by upwards of 15% annually. He suggests the city should have used money spent on repaving the Ave to help disadvantaged businesses survive.

Howell was looking to set up shop in other neighborhoods, including Capitol Hill, but the University District space happened to be available at the right time for the right price. "I don't know if I chose the area or if it chose me," he says.

Trying to make a difference
While Howell is in L.A., his sister will run the shop. She has been working with him for awhile now and does all the baking. He's giving it a year, but feels this is home. He was born and raised in Washington. "I'm sure I'll be back."

"The state of the time breeds the artist," he says. Right now the time demands people to buck the trends of the nation, especially war. Howell hopes to educate people through his art and foster community development with events like Verbal Tea.

"I'm trying to make a difference, day to day, be it through feeding people or knowledge."

(for Advanced Reporting)