Dr. Andy's Poetry and Technology Hour

Lisa Dominguez Abraham, Maya Khosla, and Dr. Susy Zepeda

April 06, 2023 Dr. Andy Jones
Dr. Andy's Poetry and Technology Hour
Lisa Dominguez Abraham, Maya Khosla, and Dr. Susy Zepeda
Show Notes

On the 4/5/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Dr. Andy’s first guest is poet and writer Lisa Dominguez Abraham, who discusses exploring familiar themes from different angles, then shares a poem celebrating craft in a world of automation. Wildlife biologist and Poet Laureate emerita of Sonoma County Maya Khosla joins the show to talk about rallying climate action and drawing on indigenous practices, and then shares a poem interpreting the harmony of the natural world. Finally, associate professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UC Davis Dr. Susy Zepeda discusses her new book Queering Mesoamerican Diasporas, centering traditional spirit work in her research, and developing curricula that resonates with and galvanizes young scholars.

Lisa Dominguez Abraham’s collection Mata Hari Blows a Kiss won the 2016 Swan Scythe Chapbook Contest, and her 2018 book Coyote Logic was published by Blue Oak Press. She has recent work in COMP: an interdisciplinary journal and Puerto del Sol.

Maya Khosla is a biologist and writer focusing on forest biodiversity and fire-safe practices. As Sonoma County Poet Laureate (2018-2020), she brought Sonoma’s communities together to heal through gatherings, field walks, and shared writing after the recent wildfires. She is the winner of the 2023 Fund for Wild Nature Award and co-winner of the Environmentalist of the Year Award from 2020 Sonoma County Conservation Council (SCCC). Her books include All the Fires of Wind and Light (Sixteen Rivers Press; 2020 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award), Keel Bone (Bear Star Press; Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize), and Web of Water: Life in Redwood Creek. Her writing has been featured in award-winning documentary films including Village of Dust and City of Water

Susy Zepeda, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Chicana/o Studies department at the University of California, Davis (Patwin land). Dr. Zepeda’s scholarly work is intentionally transdisciplinary, decolonial, and feminist in a community-centered and grounded way. Her research and teaching focus on: Xicana Indígena spirit work, decolonization, critical feminist of color collaborative methodologies, oral and visual storytelling, and intergenerational healing. She established two courses at UC Davis, Decolonizing Spirit and Food Justice. Dr. Zepeda’s writing appears in the 2019 anthology Voices from the Ancestors: Xicanx and Latinx Spiritual Expressions and Healing Practices, and in 2020 Zepeda published the essay, “Decolonizing Xicana/x Studies: Healing the Susto of De-indigenization” in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies as part of the Dossier: Fifty Years of Chicana Feminist Praxis, Theory, and Resistance. Zepeda’s first book, Queering Mesoamerican Diasporas: Remembering Xicana Indígena Ancestries, published by the University of Illinois Press is part of the Transformations: Womanist, Feminist, and Indigenous Studies book series.

Professor Susy Zepeda will be in conversation with Gina Aparicio, Visual Artist and Art Professor at Sierra College, at the next UC Davis Humanities Institute Book Chat, taking place Wednesday, April 12, 2023, from 5:30pm - 7:00pm at I-House, 10 College Park in Davis.

Maya Khosla and Lisa Dominguez Abraham will read at the Poetry Night Reading Series on April 6th.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.