Release Date: May 2nd 2023

Welcome to the “Under the Sycamore Tree” podcast, produced by Rebel Women Lit and Queerly Stated and hosted by Carla Moore of Moore Talk JA. We are delighted (!) to bring you the stories of two dozen feminist and Queeribbean organizers from eight nations across the Caribbean, who represent the Women’s Voice and Leadership - Caribbean grantee organizations of Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and the Equality Fund. This project was made possible in partnership with Global Affairs Canada.

We’re a literary community – storytelling is what brought us together and what brings us to you. We will tell this network of stories in a somewhat circular, but holistic way. Our podcast is also a call to action – we are using their stories to name the need for local, diasporic, and international support that centers, facilitates, and sustainably funds this movement, of which the WVL grantees, Rebel Women Lit, Queerly Stated, and our host Carla, are a part.

Join us starting Tuesday, May 2, 2023, with the release of our Episode 0: “Sankofa Tings.” Like, rate, subscribe, review! Please! We want this podcast to reach as many as it can. 

Episodes

Our podcast has a total of 11 episodes (0 - 10), which will be released in two batches. Our first batch will be episodes 0 - 5, which will be released weekly beginning on May 2, 2023. Our second batch of episodes, 6 - 10, will be released after a short summer break. Each episode is dedicated to a theme related to the work of Caribbean feminist and queer organizing: Eldership, Justice and Judicial.

Precedents, Youth, Families, Queer Communities, Feminist Leadership, Sex worker organizing, Feminist-led agriculture, and Caribbean Indigeneity and rematriation.

Other Things

• Check out our show notes! We did so much research for this podcast and our show notes are where we leave our cookie crumbs from each episode! There is so much which didn’t make it into the episodes, so you’ll find more to pursue in the notes.

• Please review our trigger warnings before listening to each episode. They are listed in the episode description, as well as the notes and on our webpage. 

• You might notice a mix of American and British English writing conventions (months and day positions switched in dates; “z’s” in place of “s’s” and vice versa, color and colour…) This is because we are a diasporic team, and our writer just so happens to be one of the American. We hope you will excuse / enjoy this bit of diasporic happenings.

Our Team!

• Carla Moore is our host! Carla Moore is major! In addition she is an Artist, Activist, Academic, and Alchemist with a two-decade body of work in community and personal transformation. She advocates for radical authenticity and decolonised freedom through her  work as a public speaker, international consultant host,  researcher, content creator,  diversity equity and inclusion trainer, master facilitator, curriculum developer, gender specialist, human rights activist,  author and transformational life coach. Visit her website, and follow her movements on Twitter and Instagram @mooretalkja. Also, hire her!

• Our Producer is Dave-Ann Moses! Dave-Ann is a Jamaican cultural organizer and community builder. She is a part of Rebel Women Lit and WE Change JA, as well as Founder of Queerly Stated, a Queeribbean Media House! Follow her movements via Queerly Stated on Twitter and Instagram @QueerlyStatedJA.  

• Our Writer and Researcher is Jacqui Brown! Jacqui is a Jamaican-American cultural organizer and apprentice literary scholar. Jacqui is a part of Rebel Women Lit and Queerly Stated, is the Special Projects Lead for The Luminal Theater (A Black Nomadic Arthouse Cinema), and is pursuing a Doctoral degree in Comparative Literature. 

• Our Outreach Coordinator is Ashley Dalley! Ashley is a Jamaican cultural producer. She is co-host of RWL’s other podcast, “Like a Real Book Club.”

• Our Executive Producer and Editor is Jherane Patmore, Founder of Rebel Women Lit. Visit Rebel Women Lit’s website, as well as their Twitter and Instagram @RebelWomenLit!

• Our Editor is Safiyah Chiniere, Jamaican-American filmmaker, cinematographer, editor, and photographer. Visit her website and YouTube channel @SafiyahChiniere to take in more of her work. Also, hire her!

I hope you connect with these texts and enjoy the episode even further!

Sincerely; We see you,  

Jacks.