DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Dr. Craig Santos Perez, an indigenous Chamorro from the Pacific island of Guam. He discusses the history of colonization and militarization that Guam has faced, and the impacts it has had on the land, water, and people. He shares how poetry has been used as a form of political speech, resistance, and decolonization by the Chamorro community.
Perez explains how he uses poetry to explore themes of identity, culture, and the environment. He sees poetry as a way to humanize complex issues, tap into emotions, and inspire audiences. His book 'Habitat Thrashed' deals with topics like plastic pollution and the entanglement of modern life with destructive systems.
The conversation also touches on the role of poetry as therapy and a space for healing from trauma. Perez invites listeners to engage with poetry journaling as a way to process anxieties and emotions in a creative, empowering way.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Poetry can serve as a powerful form of political speech, resistance, and decolonization for indigenous communities.
- Chamorro poets use poetry to explore themes of identity, culture, environmental justice, and the impacts of militarization on Pacific islands.
- Poetry has the ability to humanize complex issues, tap into deep emotions, and inspire audiences in unique ways.
- Writing and reading poetry can provide a therapeutic space for healing from trauma and cultivating resilience.
- Engaging with poetry can help nurture ecological consciousness and connection with the natural world.
- Poetry offers a creative outlet for processing anxieties and finding empowerment during difficult times.
- Collaborative poetry anthologies amplify the voices of Pacific Island writers and poets on environmental and social issues.
- Practices like hiking can help poets stay grounded and connected to the land they write about.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Poetry, the arts, music, the humanities in general really do have that power to humanize and to touch the emotions when speaking about various topics. And of course, poetry as political speech does similar rhetorical work while also still tapping into really deep personal emotions.“ by Craig Santos Perez
- “For me, poetry has. Has always been a powerful space for healing, for dealing with trauma, for kind of cultivating resilience in times of crisis or even depression.“ by Craig Santos Perez
- “So to me, this really spoke to the power of poetry in our community to. To move audiences, to educate, to critique, and to protest.“ by Craig Santos Perez
- “I feel so inspired by the voices of other Pacific writers speaking about these topics. And I hope anyone listening, listening to this episode, we'll check it out, and hopefully you too will be inspired by our voices.“ by Craig Santos Perez
- “And so for me, that really speaks to the power of poetry, not only to inspire us, but to help kind of nurture our own ecological consciousness, which perhaps has been suppressed by our urban lives and our connection to technology as well.“ by Craig Santos Perez
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Episode Information
Green Dreamer: Seeding change towards collective healing, sustainability, regeneration
Kamea Chayne
10/11/22
"Poetry has always been a powerful space for healing, dealing with trauma, cultivating resilience in times of crisis or even depression..."
In this episode, we welcome Dr. Craig Santos Perez, an indigenous CHamoru from the Pacific Island of Guam. He is the co-editor of six anthologies and the author of five books of poetry and the monograph Navigating CHamoru Poetry: Indigeneity, Aesthetics, and Decolonization. He is a professor in the English department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Some topics we explore in this conversation include a glimpse into the recent history of Guam and its Pacific Islander communities, the challenges of demilitarization and de-nuclearization amidst the global empires’ endless pursuit of domination, using poetry as political speech and literary therapy, and more.
(The musical offering featured in this episode Eye of the storm by Ali Dineen. The episode-inspired artwork is by Sneha.)
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