The Deep End Friends Podcast

In the episode we celebrate the co-hostess with the mostess on her 2 book deal with Harper Collins!

Anastacia-Renee (She/They) is a queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, speaker and podcaster. She is the author of (v.) (Black Ocean) and Forget It (Black Radish) and, Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere and Sidenotes from the Archivist forthcoming from Amistad (an imprint of HarperCollins). They were selected by NBC News as part of the list of "Queer Artist of Color Dominate 2021's Must See LGBTQ Art Shows." Anastacia-Renee was former Seattle Civic Poet (2017-2019), Hugo House Poet-in-Residence (2015-2017), Arc Artist Fellow (2020) and Jack Straw Curator (2020).

Her work has been anthologized in: Teaching Black: The Craft of Teaching on Black Life and Literature, Home is Where You Queer Your Heart, Furious Flower Seeding the Future of African American Poetry, Afrofuturism, Black Comics, And Superhero Poetry, Joy Has a Sound, Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota’s Garden, and Seismic: Seattle City of Literature. Her work has appeared in, Hobart, Foglifter, Auburn Avenue, Catapult, Alta, Torch, Poetry Northwest, A-Line, Cascadia Magazine, Hennepin Review, Ms. Magazine and others. Renee has received fellowships and residencies from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, VONA, Ragdale, Mineral School, and The New Orleans Writers Residency. 

Nacala Ayele is a joy coach for Black, Indigenous and People of Color. You can find out more at: https://www.joyfulpractices.info/ . She is also a massage therapist and has served as a teaching artist for Young Women Empowered sharing her talents as a culinary historian and a joy pracititioner. She has traveled to Ghana, Kenya, Guatemala, Jamaica, Trinidad, and The Bahamas to gather recipes, meet culinary historians, and gather stories of Black people of the African diaspora through food.  

Jackie Amatucci is a retired high-school teacher, artist, who has worked as a Creative Consultant for over twenty-five years.  She began working as an “art-barn facilitator” the year after Charlie Murphy and Peggy Taylor started the Power of Hope.  She has facilitated and mentored other adults to hold space, create and imagine in setting up Art Space for youth in Young Women Empowered, and Partners for Youth Empowerment.  Her artistic passions are ceramics, mixed media, artist-trading cards, watercolor, embroidery, basket-making, jewelry-making and sewing. Jackie sews and designs many of her own clothes and loves to share her skills in teaching others to discover their own creativity. “Everyone is creative”, is Jackie’s core belief.

This episode was recorded in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica with relocation specialist Davia Antonia. You can find her at https://lifeaholiccostarica.com/ . 

Leilani is a shaman and leadership visionary, interpreting messages from the unseen to bring more joy, balance, and hope to our world. She is the author of “Paradox of the Water Bearer” and the host of The Intuitive Catalyst podcast. Leilani is a leadership expert and executive coach, supporting and guiding intuitive leaders in reconnecting with their spiritual truth in service of guiding their organizations to be more intuitive, imaginative, and heart-centered.

Sonora Jha is the author of the memoir How to Raise a Feminist Son (2021) and the novel Foreign (2013). After a career as a journalist covering crime, politics, and culture in India and Singapore, she moved to the United States to earn a Ph.D. in media and public affairs. Sonora’s OpEds, essays, and public appearances have featured in the New York Times, on BBC, and elsewhere. She is a professor of journalism and lives in Seattle. Her new novel, The Laughter, is forthcoming from Harper Via in early 2023.

Howie Echo-Hawk has a lot of names and does a lot of things. They are one of the human beings, as (hopefully) are you. Music, words, jokes, laughter, joy, dancing, being hot are among her many activities. Howie produces events and art with Indigenize Productions, makes music and art under the name “there’s more,” and has so many instagrams that at this point it’s become a little unwieldy. After years and years of being a cynic, they now believe firmly that there’s more to life, there’s more to us, there’s just more. But mostly, they want to go be trans and native in the woods.

Mari Shibuya (they/she) (Duwamish / Coast Salish territory) is a Visual and Social Artist specializing in murals, community visioning through the arts, and scribing. Their work focuses on the intersection of public art activation, visual thinking and creative empowerment while inviting in the spirit of collaboration and connection. 

Shake a tambourine for Black Feminism! Sista Docta Alexis Pauline Gumbs is a Queer Black Troublemaker and Black Feminist Love Evangelist and an aspirational cousin to all sentient beings. Her work in this lifetime is to facilitate infinite, unstoppable ancestral love in practice. She leads retreats and has published several books. Find out more here: https://www.alexispauline.com/about

After a two year gap we are back. We've missed you. Check in on what Anastacia and Reagan have been up to during the pandemic and how we're framing our 4th and final season.