Carla Bergman - Radiant Voices: 21 Feminist Essays for Rising Up Inspired by EMMA Talks

carla bergman

Let us take a moment to celebrate the eruption of radiant voices. Because previously unheard voices and stories are being shared en massemore and more folks from the margins are making their stories public, and more importantly, these voices are being listened to and amplified. From Idle No More to #BlackLivesMatter to #MeToo, one thing is certain: landscapes are shifting. These beautiful eruptions are happening rapidly like never beforein part because of the internet and social medias speed and accessibility, but also because years of hard, subtle work by individuals and collective organizers whose work has enabled deep, below-the-ground listening, and being there for each other. Acts of care in intimate community relationships empower people to share in public for the first time. These messages from below are where my hope for a better future comes from new and old stories being shared, new possibilities being unearthed.

Shifts that take hold and provide real change take time. We are up against centuries of structural violence and oppression justified by narratives of dominance that shift to survive. Often these narratives remain the loudest, amplified and shared not only by media and institutions but in our homes. Yet, there is hopebecause there are cracks everywhere in the dominant order, and these powers are fragile, especially when we work together.

We can combat these devastating patriarchal holds on our lives by collectively committing more to listening to non-dominant voices, especially in subtle, curious, generative ways, and to also listen out loudall of us, everywhere, saying loudly, I hear you. I believe you. I want to know more! An upwelling of sharing and being heard can shift things in ways we cannot fully predict or imagine, and there are countless ways for it to happen: speech, writing, other forms of expressions and actions, art, and new and loving ways of being in relationships that cut across difference. But ultimately, we need listeners, readers, and viewers; we need dialogue, and we need all of us.

This work must happen in all areas of public and private life. Countless folks are creating spaces and platforms, yet many still face barriersespecially young, Black, disabled, Indigenous, gender-non-conforming, and other marginalized folks. Moving into public life can be terrifying, even unsafe, so we need a collective push, especially from those of us with privilege and social capital: we all need to commit to amplifying and nurturing those who are not always heard. We must co-create inclusive, nurturing platforms by being open and flexible, and spaces that offer them safety. We need to profoundly trust that they know what they need to say. We must commit to listening with care and be open to the creation of rapid change. This is feminist listening.

Threads running through my collaborative work over the past dozen years include radical social change, amplification of voices at the edges, and a connection between emerging voices and seasoned folks. Projects have ranged in scope and platform from print to live talks. Radiant Voices is the offshoot of one such project, EMMA Talks, a feminist speaker series and miniart festival held in Vancouver, BC. (See pages 59.)

I have been deeply interested in social access, ways to listen and hold space for one another, and ongoing conversation about needed change. My work emphasizes the invitation and inclusion of rarely heard voices alongside well-known folks, which to me is necessary for profound mutual aid. Though not always straightforward, this curation style runs through my artistic and community engagement. At the centre of this style is my desire to celebrate stories of thrivingthe everyday breakthroughs and successes we achieve individually, collectively, and politically. My goal is to inspire, evoke change, and provide courage that enables us to act in solidarity and engage more passionately with our own powers.

In my early work, I tended to work with children and youth. Over time, my work has come to include a multitude of projects and voices. Many of these changes emerged through incredible collaboration in which we, the many youth, friends and fellow artists, heard one another, tuned into shifts in our and others lives, and from that determined what we needed to thrive and have joy. This past has now brought me to Radiant Voices , whose brilliant and creative contributors have made this project a complete joy to create.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The idea for this book came from the wonderful publisher Taryn Boyd, who thought to create a companion book of the talks from EMMA to date. I immediately loved the idea but added a bit of a twist Radiant Voices includes some talks from EMMA as well as new material by writers and artists not from EMMA: essays, a visual narrative, and poems. I saw this book as another platform and wanted to invite folks who, for a variety of reasons, might be unable to give talks in public. I also wanted to incorporate other ways of sharing stories.

Like EMMA Talks, I did not instruct folks on what to say in their essays. For this reason, the book has several themes and a diversity of writing styles and voices. This is intentional: a handful of the essays are from public talks, so they feature a variety of communication styles and a curated multiplicity of perspectives. Some of the EMMA Talks speakers pieces are personal narratives; others are essays about ideas and histories; still others are a mix of both. Key themes guiding my curation came from the essays and poems themselves: finding voice; our personal, collective, and political power; love; celebration; matriarchy; connection; and belonging. What emerged is a feminist anthology of unique, diverse, personal, and fiercely political stories. And because our stories and ideas need to be heard and felt in other ways, too, I have also included poetry and visuals. My poem Taking Flight sews the book together. Its stanzas each begin one of the books five sections, including the introduction. The poem was inspired not only by the essays in this collection, but by Julie Fletts art, which appears on the front cover, and inside front and back covers of this book. These three images tell a visual story she calls kitotitowak. The image on the inside front cover represents, to me, a finding of each others voice, the inside back cover represents a coming together to share, with the front cover exemplifying flight and soaring.

I am thrilled with these themes; I believe reading others stories of love and belonging can connect us and help us feel less alone. Connection is at the heart of our survival and our thriving. When we feel connected, seen, and heardwhen we truly feel our belongingwe feel more alive, capable, and loved. Even in our darkest times, love persists. Feeling our connection is vital to (re)imagining how we can be otherwise, especially in these troubled times. We need to hear stories and new ideations that inspire us to, together, fight, love, and take back our power. Let us continue listening to more folks stories of struggle, love, discovery, joy, and belonging.

For far too long, the stories we have heard, even within radical movements, have primarily been told by white cis men, who simply do not represent the many important voices of individuals throughout the spectrum of genders, sexual orientation, and backgrounds. That is not to say that white, cis men do not have a voicethey dobut its important to acknowledge that the stories they have shared often do not represent everyone. We know there is a deep undercurrent of past and present contributions, subtle and immeasurable, who have made our lives, and the planets life better. This book is not just about elevating identities of difference to leadershipit is also about elevating the roles that are often devalued, erased, and done by women. We need to hear these stories more often and in more places to feel our power rise so we can connect, embrace hope, feel joy, and make change.