This coming summer marks the 20th annual Poetry Postcard Fest, which has been described by its co-founder Paul Nelson, and others as a "peace building project." To honor this project, and to take advantage of the eye of the world being turned toward Seattle this summer for the FIFA World Cup, I have embarked, as a part of Cascadia 2050, on a community art project. 

The project is inspired largely by the story of Fujitaro Kubota. In 1907 he arrived to the United States, via San Francisco, as a Japanese immigrant with a powerful interest in gardening and Japanese Black Pine seeds in his pocket.

Recently I have been taking this action when I get a text asking me for more money for act blue or a democrat. I respond with the following: How about you guys stop asking us for money all the time and try to solve the issues a different way. 

My partner Sousan and I participated in the “No Kings” protest in Seattle’s Cal Anderson park and in the 70,000 person march! We carried this banner.

In these times I have often found it overwhelming when considering what I can do to help. I want to save the world, of course, but the advice I’ve received again and again is to start small. So I’ve sent letters to my elected officials in the state of Washington, attended gatherings like Hands Off, written poems to writers on the inside,

I send Thank You postcards to Republicans and others, who stand up to Trump.  I also follow the site, Chop Wood, Carry Water  https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com and write our Senators and Congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, when appropriate, asking them to take action, especially around the injustice to immigrants.

I participated in the following: Women’s March Bellevue, Protest Seattle Central College, Protest in Bothell, Mayday protest Lake Forest Park, Northshore Education Association protest in Bothell

I've been socially involved in one way or another through charity and volunteer work encouraged by my family as a child, leading to being more politically educated and involved as a teenager. My focus in my involvement has always been centred around education and art in some way, from working for education-based nonprofits in college to being involved in the local DIY music scene of Tucson, Arizona.

As younger versions of ourselves, we engaged in a number of social and political actions over the years. Now, considerably older and not as spry, we look for opportunities to support people who are putting their lives and bodies on the line. Since the November election, we have donated money to organizations fighting in the courts and other campaigns on behalf of people adversely affected by this administration’s policies, including the ACLU, Immigration Defense Fund, Vote Vets, Democracy Forward, Planned Parenthood, Immigrant Defense Project, Avaaz.org, and the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.