A Town Called Slaughter – Mateo Bracken

December 31, 2025

Mateo Bracken’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a manuscript of Auburn, Washington’s settler colonial history in verse. In his conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they discuss where he turned for information on the history of Auburn, the multiple meanings of the name “Slaughter,” and why he’s called to write about Auburn’s […]

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Robert Francis Flor – The Christmas Snow Globe

December 24, 2025

Robert Flor produced radio adaptations of a number of his plays through his Jack Straw Artist Support Program residency. In The Christmas Snow Globe, a young, wheelchair-bound Filipino girl accidentally drops the family’s snow globe, which held her favorite ice skater and inspiration, breaking it. Her mother seeks to repair the family heirloom. Link: Robert’s […]

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Reruns – Connor Watkins-Xu

December 17, 2025

Connor Watkins-Xu’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a book of poems covering themes of trauma, depression, and struggling with faith, which he hopes will “carry emotions and revelation.” In his conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they discuss his journey from Alabama to Washington State, some of the poets who’ve influenced him, […]

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All Over the Map – Hillary Behrman

December 3, 2025

Hillary Behrman’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a novel called All Over the Place and a collection of short stories called Lake Effect that explore human care and intimacy in a world that breeds doubt and isolation. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they discuss some of the themes of […]

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Randal Bays – The Traveller’s Return / Josie O’Neill’s

November 26, 2025

Randal Bays‘s new album Trad and True, produced in part through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program, is a collection of Irish traditional music and original tunes, recorded in Ireland and the US over the last few years with contributions from Susan Waters, fiddle; Willie Bays, flute; Owen Bays, concertina; Geraldine Cotter, piano; Mick Kinsella, […]

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Sheila Bristow and Ellaina Lewis – The Want of You

November 12, 2025

“The Want of You” is from a new song cycle based on the poetry of Harlem Renaissance writer Angelina Weld Grimké by composer/pianist Sheila Bristow and soprano Ellaina Lewis, recorded through the Jack Straw Artist Support Program. On November 21st at Jack Straw, Sheila and Ellaina will perform the songs and discuss the joys and […]

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The Forest Bison – Nhatt Nichols

November 5, 2025

Nhatt Nichols’s project for the 2025 Jack Straw Writers Program is a non-fiction graphic novel about the history of the Białowieża Forest, a World Heritage Area that sits between Poland and Belarus, and how the forest and humanity influence each other. In her conversation with curator Kathleen Alcalá, they explore how she first became interested […]

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Suchitra Iyer – Mazhe Mazhe

October 29, 2025

Suchitra Iyer’s album Sunaad, produced through her artist residency at Jack Straw, is a collection of Hindustani classical compositions by Indian-American composers from the Pacific Northwest. The album reflects the nurturing community of classical music practitioners who have created a space for shared learning and growth. The songs showcase different aspects of North Indian music, from […]

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