SoundPages Podcast

Mary Pan’s project for the 2024 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of lyric essays focusing on themes of mental health, caregiving, identity, and the idea of retrospective diagnosis.  In her conversation with curator Nisi Shawl, they discuss the challenges of navigating the healthcare system, the stories she encounters during her medical practice as […] The post The Metagnosis Vignet...

E.J. Batiste’s project for the 2024 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of poems two years in the making, covering a range of topics including her experience as a person of color in the rural south, femininity, prayer, and history. In her conversation with curator Nisi Shawl, they explore her recent name change and […] The post I Shall – E.J. Batiste appeared first on Jack Straw...

McKenna Princing’s project for the 2024 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of fairy tale retellings set in the Pacific Northwest that focuses on social justice issues. In her conversation with curator Nisi Shawl, she delves into the stories she wrote as a kid, the process of writing characters with underrepresented identities, and why […] The post The Boy and the Pennies – McKe...

Allison Masangkay’s project for the 2024 Jack Straw Writers Program is a zine that will be a culmination of past work exploring manananggal (a female presenting winged mythical creature in Filipino folklore) based on her experiences of disability, gender, colonization, imperialism, and more. In her conversation with curator Nisi Shawl, Allison delves into why she […] The post They Say Art Is...

Elyse Hauser’s project for the 2024 Jack Straw Writers Program is a series of essays covering her work researching the deep sea in Bergen, Norway in late 2023. In her conversation with curator Nisi Shawl, she discusses how the research she did as a journalist has the potential for creative writing works, how deep sea […] The post Searching for a More Real Sea – Elyse Hauser appeared fi...

Josh Griffin’s project for the 2024 Jack Straw Writers Program is a book of poems dedicated to the life and legacy of his mother, Carolyn Jane Griffin, who passed away in 2018. In his conversation with curator Nisi Shawl, he talks about how his mother encouraged him to pursue his art, choosing to write about […] The post A Healing Journey – Josh Griffin appeared first on Jack Straw Cul...

Kaitlyn Teer’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a non-fiction book about the love, fears, and contradictions of mothering in a climate crisis and how mothering can be a force for social change. In her conversation with curator Priscilla Long, she talks about how her conversations with her daughter have shaped her […] The post Hope in a Time of Disaster – Kaitlyn Teer...

Nancy Mburu’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a novel titled Sauti, which translates to The Voice. The novel follows a performing poet named Nuru, who loses her voice when she immigrates to the United States from Kenya. In her conversation with curator Priscilla Long, she talks about how she first started […] The post Sauti – Nancy Mburu appeared first on Jack Straw...

Julene Tripp Weaver‘s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a memoir titled 365/24/7 that delves into Julene’s experience working in AIDS service while keeping her own AIDS status private. In her conversation with curator Priscilla Long, she talks about the strategies she used to prevent burnout while working in AIDS social services, […] The post 365/24/7 – Julene Tr...

Jim Cantú’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Program is a collection of poems that cover the ignored historical stories of People of Color, Indigenous People, and Latinos. In his conversation with curator Priscilla Long, they talk about how Jim first got interested in studying his indigenous heritage, the way his wife encouraged him to […] The post Remembering Indigenous and Latino History &#...

Brian Dang’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of poems inspired by Brian’s ability to speak their family’s language (Cantonese) but not being able to read or write it. In their conversation with curator Priscilla Long, they talk about how Cantonese has framed the way they think, how realistic writing […] The post I Can’t Wait Any Longer – Brian Dang appea...

Carla Shafer’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of poems exploring the themes of family, the natural world of the Pacific Northwest, and social justice. In her interview with curator Priscilla Long, she talks about the relationship between political activism and art, the founding of Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater Open […] The post Making a Foothold For Pea...

Sumu Tasib’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of short fiction covering on themes of gender, relationships, and psychology that uses characters and narratives to create empathy and understanding. In their conversation with curator Priscilla Long, they talk about their 2023 Jack Straw Program, their earliest artistic influences, and the […] The post Golden Threa...

Stephen Reed Griggs‘s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is an essay titled “How Long Should Music Last?” In this essay, Stephen muses on the legacy of recorded music in Seattle. In his conversation with curator Priscilla Long, he reflects on the first time he played music, his first time he was truly […] The post Time Beautified Is Music – Stephen Reed G...

Hana Choi’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a piece of short fiction that takes place at an immigrant detention center. The piece focuses on a group of detainees who perform a séance to summon the spirits of their fellow inmates who committed suicide. In her conversation with curator Priscilla Long, she […] The post Séance – Hana Choi appeared first on Jack Straw Cul...

David K. Rea‘s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Program is a collection of poems and prose writing. In his conversation with curator Priscilla Long, he talks about his life after newspaper work, his daily writing practices, and how he considers himself a lifelong student of poetry. “I’d like to have a few people I’m […] The post The Words Were Writing Themselves – Davi...

Geri Gale’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Program is a memoir titled PK, Cancer & the Tragic Ruts of Time that delves into the emotional complexity of breast cancer while also being a love letter to her wife PK and to the world. In her conversation with curator Priscilla Long, she talks about the […] The post PK, Cancer & the Tragic Ruts of Time – Geri Gale appeared first on...

Garfield Hillson’s project for the 2023 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of poems that explore what it means to practice joy in a world that is constantly trying to take it away from marginalized people. In his conversation with curator Priscilla Long, he talks about why he decided to investigate joy in his […] The post Inching Towards Joy – Garfield Hillson appeared first on...

Ruth Schemmel’s project for the 2022 Jack Straw Program is a collection of short stories about women who don’t fit in. In her conversation with curator Michael Schmeltzer, she talks about the series of events that led her to take her art seriously, as well as the expectations placed on women in the modern day. […] The post Difficult Women – Ruth Schemmel appeared first on Jack Straw Cu...

Carrie Beyer’s project for the 2022 Jack Straw Program is a collection of poems in which she explores giving voice to church women who would normally be silenced. In her conversation with curator Michael Schmeltzer, they talk about the German-American Anabaptist community which inspired her project, the hidden soundtrack for survival and liberation in her […] The post Windows Into Desire &#8...

Erin Langner’s project for the 2022 Jack Straw Program is a collection of essays in which she uses works of art to reflect on her time growing up in the Chicago suburbs. In her conversation with curator Michael Schmeltzer, they discuss how the music from her adolescence inspired her project, why objects can be vessels […] The post Resee – Erin Langner appeared first on Jack Straw Cultu...

Vincent Rendoni’s project for the 2022 Jack Straw Writers Program is a poetry book titled A Grito Contest in the Afterlife that celebrates the lessons he’s learned from his elders. In his conversation with curator Michael Schmeltzer, they talk about his origin story as a storyteller, his inspirations as a writer, and the way he […] The post A Grito Contest in the Afterlife – Vinc...

Emily Parzbok’s project for the 2022 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of essays centered on female archetypes. In her conversation with curator Michael Schmeltzer, they talk about how her relationship with these archetypes has changed over time and the grace in telling complicated stories. “I think I often want there to be confusion […] The post Constraints and Jumping Off Points &...

Jessica Gigot’s project for the 2022 Jack Straw Writers Program is a poetry manuscript in response to ecological grief. In her conversation with curator Michael Schmeltzer, they discuss the unique aspects of ecological grief, the lessons she’s learned about nurturing from being a farmer and a new mother, and how the ideas in her previous […] The post As Long As You Need Holding – Jessi...

Helen Anderson’s project for the 2022 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of short stories living at the intersection of the recognizable and the uncanny. In her conversation with curator Michael Schmeltzer, they talk about the writers that inspire her, maintaining relationships in the age of social media, and what she thinks makes for […] The post The Absurdity of Life – Helen...