PHOTO: Ingrid Chiemi Schroffner performs at her poetry party to celebrate the release of her fourth book on Sunday, Aug. 4. Photo by Christian Maitre
You may have noticed something in the space in front of Newtonville Books in Newton Center on Sunday afternoon. People sitting and smiling while a woman with a guitar filled the air with song.
It was a “poetry party” marking the official release of the book Something in That Space by singer and songwriter Ingrid Chiemi Schroffner.
It’s Schroffner’s fourth book, and it fuses her song lyrics with various pieces of photography and visual art that inspired her songwriting.
The performance outside was an intimate affair. The artist’s friends and neighbors filled the seats, absorbing her unique brand of storytelling.
Helping the audience understand and connect with her art was immensely important to Schroffner.
“I enjoyed being able to perform some of the music and to see also that people got it,” Schroffner said. “I see people looking and getting it and that, to me, matters. The connection matters.”
To bridge this connection between the audience and her music, Schroffner provided artistic context to many of her songs. “Stones Traversed,” for example, was inspired by a painting she saw by Portland, Maine, artist Leah Salow.
“Rocks hang together, maybe they converse. Like people they feel each other. To be examined, not traversed,” she sang.
Lyrics and legal briefs
Schroffner’s lyrical works started as social media posts on platforms like SoundCloud and BandCamp, after her sister-in-law encouraged her to incorporate visual art into her music.
According to Schroffner, her lyrics were born out of a newfound freedom many were able to experience during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown when working from home.
“I was commuting before, and then suddenly I wasn’t commuting,” she said. “I had two hours to play music that I didn’t have time to play [before].”
Scroffner performed in choral and other music productions starting at a young age while growing up in Hawaii.
Her musical career continued at Boston College, where she performed for the school’s chorus as she earned a law degree. Music helped her process experiences that oftentimes people avoid talking about.
Because of this, all proceeds from Scroffner’s book go towards the Fred T. Korematsu Institute. Named for the Civil Rights leader who protested against the imprisonment of Japanese Americans in Internment Camps during World War II, the institute seeks to carry on Korematsu’s legacy of civic action and education on racial equity issues.
Scroffner is an advocate for health education, serving as the co-chair of the board at Asian Women for Health. The organization aims to reduce stigma around Asian women seeking help for medical issues and provides a platform for the community to share their personal health struggles.
Scroffner currently serves as the senior associate attorney of the Umass Chan Medical School, giving legal advice on contractual obligations and healthcare law.
Her book was a hit, with all copies at Newtonville Books selling out that night. And she expressed immense joy at seeing her friends and colleagues coming to support her performance.
These friendships and community music can create what drives Schroffner’s musical writing.
“People have different modes through which they connect with things best,” she said. “Mine happens to be auditory, which I feel can evoke visceral, resonating responses.”