We recently connected with Jeneisha Harris and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeneisha, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Poetry came naturally way of tramuatic experience and community activism. I found no answers in pain, so I turned to words and found them in my writings. The artform feels like a new sector of speaking truth to power. In stead of a podium or a picket sign.. I have pen and paper

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I am a poet and the Founder of the Free Community Food Program. Poetry came by way of pain and making sense of it through reflection in writing. FCFP is a mutual aid summer program, serving free and hot meals to children in North Nashville. We follow the blue print of mutual aid programs like the Black Panther’s party Free Breakfast Program. After an arrest at a protest, I grew tired of speaking but not acting. I wanted to implement something in the community that people could touch and benefit from. Food was the way to do so in my community. We parterned with the Church at Mt. Carmel and expanded to my hometown Memphis, St. Louis and our first international location in Kiberia community of Naiorbi, Kenya in collaboration with the Seed Foundation.

Poetry and community wok intersect.

Poetry truth tells in a way that is unseen to the eye.

Community work does it by way of holding the tangible up to your face. Denying it is impossible.

These are the ways that I give back to the world and communties that have given to me.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Additional third spaces are needed to hughlight our work. Libraries, galleries, revolutionary spaces. The art should have a home to live in.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

English related internships and fellowships. Study abroad opportunties to learn about literature of all kind.
Free local spaces that provide learning opportunties.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jeneishaharris.com
• Instagram: @bigjaytoyou
• Facebook: Jeneisha Harris
• Twitter: @bigjaytoyou