On episode 13 of Taking the Middle Seat, I'm talking to Steffanie Rosalez, Director at the Cook Arts Center which is part of Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities. She is a visual artist, a musician, a leader in her community and she has a machete tattoo. Basically, she's the freaking best. I know her from her leadership at Girls Rock Grand Rapids which is the transformative summer rock and roll camp my daughter has been involved in for the past few years. Steffanie and a group of other totally rad and powerful women run the camp. We talk about community and joy. We talk about tokenism and privilege. We talk about art and self care.

The Audre Lorde quote Steffanie mentions is this... "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." Powerful.

Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association page gives you lots of great information about things happening along the whole Grandville Avenue corridor.

Steffanie has also been involved in the Cultura Collective. We didn't talk about this during the interview but you should check it out!

Steffanie loves contemporary art and she's loving the PBS series Art 21.

She also loves the UICA. You should go there on family day or catch a movie. It is such a cool space. You get a gold star if you can find the picture of my family and I on their website.

Follow Steffanie's band How to Live Together on their Facebook page. You'll hear her light up when she talks about her music. She's a multi-tasking musician. T-shirts coming soon. ; )

If you're wondering how to help or get involved in protecting immigrant families, I love the organization Together Rising.

Thank you for listening and I hope you'll spend time Taking the Middle Seat this week.