S3E27, Part 1: Isaiah Powell on His Journey to California

NYC hip-hop artist turned SF city gardener? Why the hell not? In this podcast, Dragonspunk Grows gardener Isaiah Powell charts the early stories of his life's journey. His family moved all over the East Coast when he was young. He went to four different high schools, then got into the University of Miami immediately as a 17-year-old. At such a young age, Isaiah didn't take college seriously and he soon dropped out. He went back to New York City and started to pursue a career in hip-hop. After eventually graduating from Columbia University and getting and losing a number of jobs, a fellow Columbia student friend recommended that Isaiah move to California to work on a farm near Santa Cruz. Toward the end of his stay there, he met Danielle online. And when he returned to New York, the two moved in together. They decided to move to the Bay Area after learning they could live in a house that Danielle's family owned. Danielle moved first, then Isaiah came out a few months later. He soon started volunteering at the Florence Fang Asian Community Garden, which was just down the hill from his home. And that work was the inspiration for what eventually became Dragonspunk Grows, which Isaiah will talk more about in Part 2 on Thursday. Meanwhile, you can help support Isaiah's work on the garden by donating to their GoFundMe. ​We recorded this podcast at Dragonspunk Grows in the Bayview in July 2020. Special thanks to Erin Lim of Bitch Talk Podcast for letting us know about Isaiah and his farm. Photography by Michelle Kilfeather