RAdiant voices

an audio painting

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Let us take a moment to celebrate the eruption of radiant voices.

Because previously unheard voices and stories are being shared en masse—more and more folks from the margins are making their stories public, and more importantly, these voices are being listened to and amplified. From Idle No More to #BlackLivesMatter to #MeToo, one thing is certain: landscapes are shifting.

These beautiful eruptions are happening rapidly like never before—in part because of the internet and social media’s speed and accessibility, but also because years of hard, subtle work by individuals and collective organizers whose work has enabled deep, below-the-ground listening, and being there for each other. Acts of care in intimate community relationships empower people to share in public for the first time. These messages from below are where my hope for a better future comes from—new and old stories being shared, new possibilities being unearthed.

This audio painting is a compilation of some of these radiant voices! It is storytelling at its best: vulnerable, heart centered, raw, and authentic. These stunning stories were in the book, Radiant Voices: 21 Feminist Essays for Rising Up Inspired by EMMA Talks.  This collection was edited by Grounded Futures’ lead curator, carla bergman, and published by Touchwood Editions. Many of the essays in the book are also online at emmatalks.org.

Radiant Voices was put together because we believe that all of us need to hear these stories more often and in more places to feel our collective and individual power rise so we can connect, embrace hope, feel joy, and make change.

We believe that sharing and listening to our stories can fuel action, connections, and new possibilities. The brave voices, like the ones in this audio painting, are essential to our survival—together, we are many, and we can change the landscapes of our lives.

Produced by Grounded Futures in partnership with Joyful Threads production

 Music by Sour Gout //  Art by Julie Flett

This compilation was made with the support of the City of Vancouver, Cultural Services, SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, Listening House Media, and Arts in Action.

A special thank you to eMERGENCY hEARTS for the inspiration.

 

Playlist

  1. Intro, written and read by carla bergman (1:57)

  1. Hovering*, written and read by carla bergman (0:38)

  1. Sanibe, written and read by Christa Couture (9:38)

  1. Assemble, written and read by carla bergman (0:38)

  1. Telling a New Story, written and read by Tasha Kaur (8:59)

  1. Formation, written and read by carla bergman (0:34)

  1. Downstream Ritual, written and read by Lara Messersmith-Glavin (18:16)

  1. Spirit. Magic. Revolution, written and read by Shaunga Tagore (11:53)

  1. Alighted, written and read by carla bergman (0:45)

  1. Lilac Tree, written and  read by Jamie-Leigh Gonzales (1:03)

  1. Ascending, written and ready by carla bergman (0:39)

  1. What I Know About My Brother, written and read by Walidah Imarisha (11:59)

  1. In the Shadow of Bluebeard’s Castle, written and read by Margaret Killjoy (10:14)

  1. Soaring, written and ready by carla bergman (0:28)

*each stanza of carla’s poem is from the poem titled: Taking Flight

Contributors

In motion graphic of person near a tree. They are wearing a jean jacket and glasses. The image is cut off at their waist and their arms are out to the side. They are spinning, captured in a still photo.

carla bergman

is an independent scholar, filmmaker, writer and mom. She has spent the past two decades working with community to create collaborative multi-media platforms that range from print to films.

A person centred in the frame looks directly at the camera. They are wearing a beige sweater and the image is cut off at their thighs. They are on a pink background.

Christa Couture

is an award-winning performing and recording artist, a non-fiction writer, and broadcaster. She is also proudly Indigenous (Cree), disabled, a mom, and queer.

A black and white photo of a person facing to the right of the image. Their left arm is lifted, the hand resting on a wall in front of them. They are wearing a patterned shirt with flowing sleeves. The image is cut off at the hips.

Jamie-Leigh Gonzales

is a Portuguese/Squamish mother, filmmaker, podcast creator, photographer, and poet living on the stolen land of the Coast Salish people. She loves the Land and the stories that come from it, and she celebrates Ancestors from here and afar.

A black and white image of a person looking directly at the camera. They are wearing a black shirt with white polka dots and the image is cut off at the bust.

Walidah Imarisha

A historian at heart, reporter by (w)right, rebel by reason, Walidah Imarisha is an educator, writer, public scholar and spoken word artist.

A person looks directly at the camera. They are wearing a black shirt and the image is cut off at the bust. There is a fence and trees in the background.

Tasha Kaur

is a settler of Punjabi descent living on the unceded territory of Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples. She is passionate about exploring how creativity and social change overlap.

Black and white image of a person looking directly at the camera. They are wearing a dark shirt with no sleeves and the photo is cut off at the bust. The background is out of focus trees

Margaret Killjoy

is a transfeminine author and editor currently based in the Appalachian Mountains. She spends her time crafting and complaining about authoritarian structures.

A person is looking directly at the camera. They rest their chin on their left hand, which has some visible tatoos. They are wearing glasses and a dark top. The image is cut off at the shoulders.

Lara Messersmith-Glavin

is an editor, performer, and coach based in Portland, Oregon. Her own writing focuses on women, science, mythology, and commercial fishing in Alaska, where she grew up. 

A person is looking up and to the right of the photo. They are wearing a white top with no sleeves. The image is cut off at the waist and the background is a pink gradient with white stars

Shaunga Tagore

is a writer, astrologer, performer, and brown femme queer unicorn co-creator with the Universe.