Terra:Soul - Incite at Columbia University

As environmental challenges grow increasingly urgent, marginalized communities continue to bear a disproportionate burden of climate catastrophe and environmental degradation.

With mentorship from Assembling Voices Fellow Neta Bomani, Kenia Hale is creating a groundbreaking community publication that amplifies diverse voices and experiences in environmental storytelling, with the concept of reciprocity at its core.

Terra:Soul will join acclaimed Black environmental publications like Black Nature and Loam in documenting the relationships between marginalized communities and their environments. This publication will trace the lineages, experiences, and interventions of Black, Indigenous, Queer, and Trans communities, moving beyond narratives of opposition to explore embodied experiences and imaginative worldbuilding.

The publication will feature five commissioned pieces exploring reciprocity across different scales and sites, examining connections between land, environment, technology, and the body. Featured works will include an intergenerational dialogue between a young gardener and an elder who planted Harlem's shade trees, an interview with a Black and Indigenous family reflecting on raising children amongst a changing climate, interviews with drag queens fighting media suppression while fundraising for Gaza, and a collaborative painting by Indigenous East Harlem organizers. Each creator will complement their work with reflections on their creative process and experience of making art in this particular moment. 

Drawing on her research on Critical Technology Ecologies and Liberatory Technologies at Princeton's Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab, Hale will explore the relationships between environment and the various technologies—digital, embodied, spiritual, and ancestral—through which we relate to it. The project will also accept submissions of poetry, writing, art, and music from the broader community.

This initiative builds on Hale's extensive experience in community publishing and environmental justice work. As a founding editor of Porch Water Press, a queer Black woman publishing press, she has supported over 50 diverse young creators in publishing and distributing their work internationally. Her commitment to accessible public knowledge and preserving diverse ways of knowing informs both her creative practice and her approach to environmental storytelling.

The project will culminate in a launch party in Harlem in early May 2025, where contributors will present and perform their work. This gathering will celebrate the publication while fostering connections between artists, activists, and community members engaged in environmental justice work.

Get involved

Interested in contributing to Terra:Soul? Find out more at Porch Water Press' website.