Rooted Resilience

This episode brings together excerpts from several of the creatives we interviewed throughout 2025. You’ll hear poetry, music, and spoken word woven into short segments—offerings that invite you to pause and consider how you find warmth and light in times of uncertainty, and the power we each carry to create it. 💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

In this episode of Rooted Resilience, we talk with Pamela Means, a bi-racial and queer singer-songwriter, jazz musician, activist, and educator. A native of Wisconsin, Pamela arrived in Boston in her 20’s, toured nationally and internationally in her 30’s, and is now an anchor to the western Massachusetts music scene.Pamela has been compared to both Tracy Chapman and Ani DiFranco and has also been described as a cross between Suzanne Vega and Jimi Hendrix, and an heir to the legacy of Nina Simone. In Pamela’s own words, “really, I'm just me."Pamela shares generously in our interview, opening up a window to her experiences and reflecting on musical inspirations, foundational moments (the good and the bad), and core beliefs, starting with her childhood and teenage years growing up in Wisconsin that shaped her and the music that comes through her.💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

Today, we bring you a conversation with three of the co-directors of Translate Gender, a trans-led, consensus-run non-profit organization based in the Northampton area supporting trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive community members to find our power and autonomy.With support programming for youth and caregivers, community gatherings and events like the Trans Day of Visibility Resource & Art Fair, QTBIPOC affinity spaces, trainings and consulting, and more —Translate Gender is an organization that’s become a beacon of hope and a model of community convening for TNGDI individuals, families, and our allies in the region.From re-parenting themselves to building more possibility for trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth, listen to this episode to hear Shai, James, and Mr J. of Translate Gender speak about their experiences in care, co-leadership, and co-creation as members of the group guiding this innovative organization.💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

In this special episode of Rooted Resilience, we sit down with Cassandra Holden, Executive Director of BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity in Florence, Massachusetts. As an organizer, producer, and creative visionary, Cassandra has played a central role in reimagining what community-centered arts spaces can be.BOMBYX has served as Rooted Resilience’s fiscal sponsor from the very beginning—helping launch the project, offering guidance and resources, and hosting our first live event in its historic sanctuary. Together, we talk about what it means to hold space for creativity in times of scarcity, how fiscal sponsorship works, and how artists can build more sustainable futures through collaboration, care, and abundance thinking. 💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

How do you transform grief, politics, and identity into a living, breathing work of art?In this episode of Rooted Resilience, we sit down with Karol Matuszak, a Polish-born actor and performer now based in Ashfield, MA, and a company member of Double Edge Theatre. Karol opens up about his journey across borders—from Catholic school in a small Polish town, to experimental stages in Scandinavia, to outdoor spectacles in rural New England, and how each step fueled his artistry and activism.At the heart of our conversation is Rainbow Exodus, Karol’s first solo performance, which weaves together personal memory, queer histories, and protest. Through stories of migration, love, faith, and resilience, Karol shares what it means to create art that is both deeply personal and urgently political.💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

What does it look like to build a creative business that’s as committed to community as it is to craft?In this episode of Rooted Resilience, designer, multidisciplinary artist, and Small Victories owner Isa Wang (he/him) takes us inside the evolving world of his Northampton, MA–based shop and studio. From plantable seed cards to enamel pronoun badges, Isa’s work blends illustration, environmental stewardship, and LGBTQ+ advocacy into products that inspire connection and care.Isa shares the winding path from his first mock storefront in art school to a thriving creative hub at Thornes Marketplace—and the conscious choice to merge all sides of his identity and business into one unapologetically queer brand. Along the way, he opens up about what it means to support other makers, navigate corporate partnerships, and create immersive retail experiences that feel like small but meaningful acts of joy.💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

In this moving episode, we speak with Leo —a gifted jazz vocalist whose voice glides effortlessly over hip hop beats, lush keys, and syncopated rhythms. Echoing the ingenuity of Stevie Wonder and the intimacy of João Gilberto.An autistic, Black, trans artist, Leo speaks candidly about navigating identity, burnout, and grief while carving a path in the music industry. From early performances shaped by masking to a pandemic-era return to songwriting and the necessity of community, Leo’s story is one of honesty, emotional wisdom, and fierce creative resilience.Join us as Leo reflects on the power of unmasking at work, reclaiming his creative voice, and nurturing his inner child. He shares the challenges and hopes surrounding his current creative work, and how reconnecting with collaboration and community has helped him rediscover his worth—both as an artist and as a person. 💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

Episode 4 — Writing Resistance with Hannah MoushabeckHow do you carry forward a legacy of liberation—and create new paths along the way?In this powerful episode of Rooted Resilience, we speak with author, editor, and publisher Hannah Moushabeck, whose debut picture book Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine (2023) marked a groundbreaking return of Palestinian stories to U.S. children's publishing. As a partial owner of Interlink Publishing—her family’s radical, independent press—Hannah is working to reshape what it means to publish with purpose.We explore the intersections of identity, intergenerational resistance, and joy, as Hannah shares candidly about growing up Palestinian in Western Massachusetts, confronting censorship and backlash, and finding refuge in local Arab community spaces. With honesty, humor, and heart, she reflects on navigating grief and resilience—and why choosing to tell your truth can be the most radical act of all.💌 Episode extras, transcripts & events: rootedresilience.substack.com🌱 Support the project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

🎧 Episode 3 — The Revolution Will Be Well Fed with Corrie Locke-HardyWhat happens when you blend radical joy, social justice, and a love of baking? In this episode of Rooted Resilience, we sit down with Corrie Locke-Hardy (she/they), the queer educator, activist, and author behind The Revolution Will Be Well Fed: Recipes for Creating Community (Raspberry Bow Press, 2024). As the founder of The Tiny Activist and co-creator of Queer Kid Lit Camp, Corrie shares how her work bridges pastry and pedagogy, resistance and recipe.Tune in as Corrie reflects on her early days in the hospitality industry, their ADHD-fueled creativity, and the winding path that led to their debut cookbook—a project filled with granola bars, political essays, and a generous helping of hope. We also dive into the magic of queer community spaces, the challenges of publishing radical content, and what it means to nourish both body and movement. Whether you come for the cookies or the call to action, this conversation will leave you feeling full. 📚 Learn more: thetinyactivist.com 🎙️ Show notes, bonus content & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

M and Jey are two artists building community both independently as makers, and together as co-organizers of Yet Another Queer Pop Up Market (YAQPUM) — a growing venture that centers two spirit LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC artisans, makers, and creatives exploring their craft in Western Massachusetts. In this episode of the Rooted Resilience podcast, Luc talks M and Jey about their collaboration as co-organizers of YAQPUM, and their creative practices and motivations as individual makers and artists selling their work locally and globally. Connect with Yet Another Queer Pop Up Market: Website: yet-another-queer-pop-up-market.mailchimpsites.com/Instagram: instagram.com/yetanotherqueerpopupmarketConnect with M:PortfolioConnect with Jey: Website: foundandfaded.coInstagram: instagram.com/found_and_fadedFor more bonus content and extended show notes, visit rootedresilience.substack.com. Sponsored by: Granting Organizations: Mass Humanities, Mass Cultural CouncilOfficial 2025-26 Season Sponsor: Lemon BakerySpring Equinox Sponsor: High Five BooksProduced by:Directors: Luc Abbott and MProducers: Bloom Local in partnership with Bombyx Center for Arts & EquityPodcast Editor: MBlog Editor and Research Lead: Luc Abbott Podcast Technical Consultant: Jey Weisgerber Follow the Rooted Resilience project on Substack and Bluesky. 💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience

Indë contends with American imperial systems of division, using multimedia compositions to combat the lynching, disenfranchisement, and misrepresentation of queer people of color. In the first episode of the Rooted Resilience Podcast, we share an interview with Indë about the roots of their creative practices and methodologies, recent performance exhibitions, and how he sees his work evolving. Connect with Indë:Website: artbyinde.com YouTube: youtube.com/@artbyindeInstagram: instagram.com/artbyinde/More Links: linktr.ee/artbyinde For bonus content and extended show notes, visit rootedresilience.substack.com. Sponsored by: Granting Organizations: Mass Humanities, Mass Cultural CouncilOfficial 2025-26 Season Sponsor: Lemon BakerySpring Equinox Sponsor: High Five BooksProduced by:Directors: Luc Abbott and MProducers: Bloom Local in partnership with Bombyx Center for Arts & EquityPodcast Editor: MBlog Editor and Research Lead: Luc AbbottPodcast Technical Consultant: Jey Weisgerber💌 Episode extras & transcripts: rootedresilience.substack.com 🌱 Support the Rooted Resilience project: givebutter.com/rooted-resilience