Advertise on podcast: SoundPages Podcast

Diane Nguyen’s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a series of vignettes that focuses on the challenges of motherhood as a queer millennial, the everyday life of queerness, and reproductive health. In her conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they talk about what it’s like to grow up as a Vietnamese-Laotian in […] The post Viewing Windows – Diane Nguyen appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Kevin Dean’s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a debut collection of poems that, in his own words, “explores the link between the personal and the political, as well as how places shape our identities and memories.” In his conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they talk about his transition from writing […] The post The Space Where You Can Be the Most Vulnerable – Kevin Dean appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Alejandro Pérez-Cortés’s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of poems that play with absurdity and irony, and critique world history. In his conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they talk about how he chooses the titles for his poems, why he leans into humor in his writing, and why he […] The post Another Iberian Poet in New York? No! – Alejandro Pérez-Cortés appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Elissa Favero’s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of ekphrastic essays that explore the lives of women and visual art. In her conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they talk about why she chooses not to introduce the artwork she’s writing about at the onset of her essays,  if the […] The post The Queen Is Dead – Elissa Favero appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Maiah A Merino’s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a collection of poems that, in her own words “explores systemic contracts and agreements we have with those in our families as well as other societal systems.” In her conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they talk about how her work as a […] The post Red Painted Woman – Maiah A Merino appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Rasheena Fountain’s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a series of poems that represent her relationship with her place, history, and her relearning of those relationships. In her conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they speak on what the environment means to Rasheena, on the idea of why there has to be […] The post Memory Riffing – Rasheena Fountain appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Ruth Marie Tomlinson‘s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a long-form non-fiction manuscript that delves into the river routes from Seattle, WA to Two Dot, Montana, and imagines what it would be like to swim those paths. In her conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they talk about her inspiration for the […] The post If I Could, I Would Swim the Columbia – Ruth Marie Tomlinson appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Gabriella Garcia‘s project for the 2026 Jack Straw Writers Program is a series of poems, each overlaid on maps of rivers and mountains where the poems take place. In her conversation with curator Claudia Castro Luna, they talk about the story of her  opera A Spring Like This, her interest in writing from non-human perspectives, […] The post Topographies – Gabriella Garcia appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Jason Prokowiew’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a braided memoir about his Russian father’s adoption by the Nazis who murdered his family at the start of World War II, and the trauma he carried into parenthood. In his conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they talk through the reason his father had […] The post War Boys – Jason Prokowiew appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Makayla Danielle Gay’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a series of poetry collages that combine poetry with archival film from her family. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they discuss the process of going through archival material, why she says art-making is an act of community, and the challenge of […] The post I Go Back to Both Sides of the Dream – Makayla Danielle Gay appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Mia Tong’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a mythology-inspired Young Adult adventure duology. The story revolves around a young adult named Vana, her caretaker who contracts an illness, and Vana’s journey to find a cure in a vast country she knows little about. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they […] The post The Parasol Maker – Mia Tong appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Mateo Bracken’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a manuscript of Auburn, Washington’s settler colonial history in verse. In his conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they discuss where he turned for information on the history of Auburn, the multiple meanings of the name “Slaughter,” and why he’s called to write about Auburn’s […] The post A Town Called Slaughter – Mateo Bracken appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Connor Watkins-Xu’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a book of poems covering themes of trauma, depression, and struggling with faith, which he hopes will “carry emotions and revelation.” In his conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they discuss his journey from Alabama to Washington State, some of the poets who’ve influenced him, […] The post Reruns – Connor Watkins-Xu appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Hillary Behrman’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a novel called All Over the Place and a collection of short stories called Lake Effect that explore human care and intimacy in a world that breeds doubt and isolation. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they discuss some of the themes of […] The post All Over the Map – Hillary Behrman appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.

Nhatt Nichols’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a non-fiction graphic novel about the history of the Białowieża Forest, a World Heritage Area that sits between Poland and Belarus, and how the forest and humanity influence each other. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they explore how she first became interested […] The post The Forest Bison – Nhatt Nichols appeared first on Jack Straw Cultural Center.