Women and Whales First: Poetry in a Climate of Change

Seattle Civic Poet Jourdan Imani Keith and Jae Eun Kim close out this seven-part podcast. They discuss the impacts of environmental toxins on whales and Jourdan’s family. Jourdan Imani Keith is a storyteller, essayist, playwright, naturalist and activist. A student of Sonia Sanchez, her TEDx Talk, "Your Body of Water," the theme for King County's 2016-2018 Poetry on Buses program won an Americans for the Arts award. Her poetry is largely anthologized. She has been awarded fellowships from Hedgebrook, Wildbranch, Santa Fe Science Writing workshop, VONA, and Jack Straw. Her memoir in essays, Tugging at the Web, is forthcoming from University of Washington Press. Women & Whales First, Poetry in a Climate of Change is a collaboration between the Civic Poet, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Urban Wilderness Project, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. More at www.urbanwildernessproject.com

Seattle Civic Poet Jourdan Imani Keith interviews Rasheena Fountain. She talks about migration and displacement for humans and whales. Originally from Chicago, Rasheena Fountain is a multigenre writer and interdisciplinary educator living in Seattle. A past Walker Communications Fellow with National Audubon, she is currently a MFA Prose Candidate at the University of Washington, where she is working on an environmental essay collection. Website: rasheenafountain.com Women and Whales First: Poetry in a Climate of Change is a collaboration between the Civic Poet, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Urban Wilderness Project, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. More at www.urbanwildernessproject.com

Seattle Civic Poet Jourdan Imani Keith interviews Savannah Smith. Savannah talks about being drawn into the mystery of the marine world. Savannah grew up in an animal-loving home. Her early exposure to a variety of different creatures taught her that every animal no matter the size or species, has its own unique characteristics and soul. Savannah is passionate about fostering positive outdoors experiences for BIPOC, especially in marine environments. Women and Whales First: Poetry in a Climate of Change is a collaboration between the Civic Poet, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Urban Wilderness Project, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. More at www.urbanwildernessproject.com

Seattle Civic Poet Jourdan Imani Keith interviews Kamna Shastri. Kamna talks about the lullabies of her youth and the songs of the whales. Kamna Shastri is a community journalist with a background in sociology and environmental studies. Shastri is especially interested in the messiness of cultural identity and breaking down the false distinction between humanity and nature. Poetry has been her lifelong method of self-expression. Women and Whales First: Poetry in a Climate of Change is a collaboration between the Civic Poet, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Urban Wilderness Project, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. More at www.urbanwildernessproject.com

Seattle Civic Poet Jourdan Imani Keith interviews Ebony Wellborn. Ebony talks about ancestry and scuba-diving. Ebony Wellborn is originally from the South but has been an active community member in King County for the last three years. As her life has progressed, Ebony has learned just how interconnected we are with our non-human friends. Women and Whales First: Poetry in a Climate of Change is a collaboration between the Civic Poet, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Urban Wilderness Project, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. More at www.urbanwildernessproject.com

Seattle Civic Poet Jourdan Imani Keith interviews Aleyda Marisol Cervantes. Aleyda talks about the risks associated with gender, colonialism, and environmental activism. Aleyda Marisol Cervantes is a self-identified third world woman, who grew up in a small town in Guadalajara, Mexico. She cowrote and published a chapter in the anthology Gendering Globalization, Globalizing Gender: Postcolonial Perspectives, edited by Gül Çalışkan. She currently works at a community college building bridges between underrepresented students and the world of higher education and serves as a board member in Mujer al Volante, an organization cultivating leadership and autonomy for immigrant women. She also makes the time to write and dream a little more in occupied Coast Salish territory. Women and Whales First: Poetry in a Climate of Change is a collaboration between the Civic Poet, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Urban Wilderness Project, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. More at www.urbanwildernessproject.com

Seattle Civic Poet Jourdan Imani Keith interviews poet, artist, and activist Jae Eun Kim. Jae reveals the mythological connections between dragons and whales. An alum of the University of Washington, Jae has worked at non-profits Powerful Voices and Young Women Empowered and facilitated many arts-based and social justice education programs for young people. Kim creates within various mediums, speculative fiction, poetry, urban mythology, performance, visual and fiber arts. In 2015, they were invited to stay at Hedgebrook for a short-term writers residency. Women and Whales First: Poetry in a Climate of Change is a collaboration between the Civic Poet, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, Urban Wilderness Project, and Jack Straw Cultural Center. More at www.urbanwildernessproject.com