Issue 23 | Winter 2021

This first volume of The Nasiona’s music series encapsulates all the glorious highs and the searing lows of navigating the world as an empathetic, curious individual. The works contained in this volume — from mournful piano compositions, dazzling spoken word, spellbinding vocal layered-songs, to beautiful instrumentals — express the intricacies of being an artist of color in a too-often indifferent world; and like the scent that lingers long after the downpour, these masterpieces ask you to sit awhile, to close your eyes, to pay attention […]

Most environments are not designed to include and value everyone because they fail to center the concerns of those in the bottom rungs of our class and caste systems. I speak with Vanessa Weathers, Founder & Principal Consultant at Conscious Employee Experiences, to further explore design thinking and its relationship to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We critique the desire to build teams based on cultural fit, and we dissect the difference between managers and leaders. Musical guest: Mallika Vie. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Tony Tennyson’s track “Beat of the Tye” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Jinnat’s track “Enlight” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Whitney & The Saying Goes’s track “Somebody Must’ve Prayed for Me” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. whenthecitysleeps’s tracks “For Emma” & “The Rain” are featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Chromic’s track “Lightless” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Annah Sidigu’s track “The Lynchpin” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Stephanie Henry’s tracks “Snowflakes at Midnight” & “Nocturne in G Minor” are featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Samantha Pearl’s track “Don’t Let Me Go” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Beezy Montaña’s track “Hail Mary” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Eki Shola’s track “Change the System” is featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. Mallika Vie’s tracks “Bluebells Still Grow” & “Since My Baby Said Goodbye” are featured in the volume. […]

This series spotlights musical artists from The Nasiona’s first compilation album, Volume 1: Petrichor. San Palo’s tracks “Rainy Day,” “Fall,” & “Try“ are featured in the volume. […]

Given the centering of Euro and Anglo authors, thinkers, artists, etc., our education systems in the US and Canada are still forms of colonial assimilation and propaganda. In the spirit of decolonizing our education, we introduce you to Fernando González, the philosopher of authenticity. To learn more about one of Colombia’s most influential and controversial writers, we speak with Gustavo A. Restrepo Villa, executive director of Corporación Otraparte, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and amplifying Fernando González’s work. […]

As a Black-Filipino United Statesian man with multiple sclerosis, Joe Sparkman talks about the “Scarlet Letter” of his diagnosis, the challenges he has faced getting a job, interactions he has had with doctors, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted his life and mental health. This is a candid conversation about the realities and the insidious nature of intersecting systems of oppression in the United States. […]

And the winner of THE NASIONA’s Micro-Nonfiction / Poetry Writing Prompts Series, Tournament #4: IF I WERE TRULY FREE is … […]

In the US, we’ve been radicalized to assume ourselves as great, at our detriment. Our superiority complex will be our downfall if we do not course-correct immediately. A turbulent future is here and on the horizon. The intensity of that turbulence will depend on how we prepare and act today. On today’s episode, I share an editorial I wrote following the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol, and play an audio story that takes you through the different turbulences and warnings of the 20th century. […]

Deborah Taffa, a citizen of the Quechan (Yuma Indian) Nation, shares two personal essays. In Act 1, she tells the story of a Native woman who leaves her ancestral land and lands in Missouri, where a disappearing lake and the confusion of a binational marriage force her to examine the relationship between motherhood and community. In Act 2, she speaks of a daughter’s familial connections to the land. As she leaves her mother’s hospital bed, Taffa reflects on healing and prayer, her tribal myths, and the injustice of tourism in her homeland. […]

“When you’re mixed-race, someone’s always telling you who you’re not.” That’s the first line from Tamara Jong’s personal essay, “In Between,” which succinctly captures the essence of what it means to be mixed-race. Tamara Jong is a Canada-born mixed-race writer and cartoonist of Chinese and European ancestry. In November of 2019, Julián Esteban Torres López spoke with Tamara about her experience of being in between races, languages, and religions, and her journey to find a footing, identity, and community.  […]

In the US, we’ve been radicalized to assume ourselves as great, at the detriment of ourselves, our country, and the world. Our collective arrogance, self-absorption, and superiority complex will be our downfall if we do not course-correct immediately. A turbulent future is here and on the horizon. The intensity of that turbulence will depend on how we prepare and act today.  […]

Teatro Luna is an ensemble of Latina/x femmes and Women of Color creating empowering theatre, media, and training for social impact. On the 18th of June, 2020, Julián Esteban Torres López spoke with three of these radical culture makers and got a glimpse into Teatro Luna’s history, evolution, values, and sisterhood: Christina Igaraividez, Alexandra Meda, and Liza Ann Acosta. Here’s the conversation. […]

And the winner of THE NASIONA’s Micro-Nonfiction / Poetry Writing Prompts Series, Tournament #3: THE FIRST TIME WAS ALSO THE LAST is … […]