Artspeak Radio with Great Plains SPCA and Miguel M. Morales

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poet/activist Miguel M. Morales and Marissa Pappas Great Plains Senior Major Gifts Officer. MIGUEL M. MORALES grew up in Texas working as a migrant/seasonal farmworker and child laborer. He was a finalist for the 2023 Kansas Poet Laureate. Miguel is a Lambda Literary Fellow and alum of VONA Voices and of the Macondo Writers Workshop. As a journalist, Miguel earned numerous awards including the Society of Professional Journalists' First Amendment Award. In addition to the anthologies featured here, Miguel's work also appears in Pilgrimage and Raspa magazines, Green Mountains Review, Hawaiʻi Review, Texas Poetry Review, Duende Journal, and other print and online publications. Morales is a prominent Kansas City, Missouri-based Latinx writer, poet, and community organizer. He is well-known for his work advocating for and uplifting farmworker communities and LGBTQ+ voices. Literary and Community Work • Writing: Morales is a Lambda Literary Fellow and an alum of the Macondo Writers Workshops and VONA/Voices. • Anthologies: He co-edited the widely recognized anthologies Pulse/Pulso: In Remembrance of Orlando and Fat & Queer: An Anthology of Queer and Trans Bodies and Lives. • The Common: He co-edited a landmark farmworker portfolio for The Common literary journal, highlighting essays, poems, and art by agricultural workers. • Local Involvement: He is a core member of Kansas City’s Latino Writers Collective and regularly participates in local arts and reading events, such as those at The Writers Place. • Rocket Grants Project Morales was awarded a Rocket Grant—a program administered by the Charlotte Street Foundation and the Spencer Museum of Art. His envisioned project supports farmworker youth in creating a dedicated poetry and art chapbook, drawing on his over twenty years of experience with youth education programs. Where to Follow His Work You can keep up with his writings, readings, and community projects via these platforms: • Instagram: @trustmiguel • Facebook: Miguel M. Morales - Writer • Books & Anthologies: Browse his catalog and edited collections on his Amazon Author Page MARISSA PAPPAS, Senior Major Gifts Officer, Great Plains SPCA- As an independent 501(c)(3) no kill shelter, with a 97% life release rate, GPSPCA provides lifesaving services for approximately 6,000 animals annually in the greater Kansas City area. Great Plains SPCA exists because of our caring Kansas City community and generous donors. We offer a lifelong, full-circle approach for pets and their human companions with our three-pronged approach: prevention, adoption, retention. When we began as Animal Haven in 1966, we committed to working as the community shelter, filling in a need that didn’t exist at the time. Today, our commitment remains to the cities and residents we support. As Kansas City’s premium family shelter, we continue to support the seven municipalities that we are contracted with including Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Lake Quivira and Johnson County Parks and Recreation and unincorporated Johnson County. We work every day to provide best in class care for homeless pets, reuniting lost pets with their owners, and serving those in greatest need through our HERO, Pups for Parolees, Public Behavior classes and Pet Food Pantry programs. Our commitment to matching pets with forever homes is at the center of everything we do. Our Mission To drive change in our community through innovative programs that promote adoption, outreach and a better life for pets and the people who love them. As an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our lifesaving services for animals can only be provided because of your generosity and commitment to our mission. Great Plains SPCA exists solely because of our caring Kansas City community and gracious donors like you. • We proudly report a live-release rate of 97% or higher.  Our live-release rate is calculated by the number of adoptions, returns to owner, transfers and other live outcomes for a given time period divided by the total number of animals the shelter brought in for that same period. • We offer a lifelong, full-circle approach for pets and their human companions with our three-pronged approach: prevention, adoption, retention. Great Plains SPCA is located at 5424 Antioch Dr. Merriam, KS 66202 (913)831-7722 www.greatplainsspca.org Lend A Paw is a donation match drive. This summer every contribution made to Great Plains SPCA will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling the support for our pets. Will you Lend A Paw to help us raise $670,000 by July 31?