Spoken Word: Using Poetry and Artivism for Climate and Environment

For bonus content and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio This is an encore presentation of an interview we did in 2021 with Spoken Word Artists Awa Ndiaye and Matt Sedillo, one of our most popular shows of last year. Spoken-word poetry can be a powerful art form of personal testimony, of protest, of activating on social and environmental concerns. On this show, we look into poetry artivism, the mixing of art and activism, where words can become catalysts intended to change the way people envision their world and act within it. Awa Ndiaye [https://www.humanitei.art/about] is a spoken word poet whose work explores various themes including identity, social justice, and climate change. With an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford, she combines her formal education with her art to explore and amplify perspectives often silenced in the mainstream conversation on climate. Matt Sedillo [https://www.mattsedillo.com/] has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums such as the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge, among many others. To buy Matt Sedillo's latest book, 'City on the Second Floor': https://www.amazon.com/City-Second-Floor-Matt-Sedillo/dp/1953447899 Their spoken word demands a rethinking of popular narratives on environment and climate, mainstream narratives that often minimize or erase the experiences of the very people at the forefront of the climate crisis. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge Engineer: Blake Lampkin Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Music: Javier Kadry Episode 105 Image: Matt Sedillo-Awa Ndiaye