Host Lala welcomes poet, writer, oral historian, activist, and former Minneapolis City Council president Andrea Jenkins to Snack Size. Jenkins shares how meeting Gwendolyn Brooks and later Haki Madhubuti inspired her writing, and how a college poetry contest helped launch her publishing path. She discusses balancing art and public service, including creating work during the pandemic and after the murder of George Floyd, and previews a memoir about her eight years in office and the art made during that time. Jenkins reflects on being the first out Black transgender woman elected to public office in the U.S., the importance of mentors and her mother’s advice to “love who loves you,” and finding rare spaces where Black trans people don’t have to explain themselves. She defines success as overcoming adversity and opening doors for others, urges people to live authentically, and looks ahead to focusing on writing, books, readings, and plays.
00:00 Welcome to Snack Size
00:55 Meet Andrea Jenkins
02:27 Cafe Setting and Introductions
02:59 Artist and Advocate Identity
04:55 Origins of a Writer
07:45 Memoir and Public Office
09:52 Mentors and Support Systems
12:27 Living Openly and Belonging
15:06 Youth Inspiration and Advice
18:17 Drag Visibility and Change
20:25 Defining Success and Legacy
22:15 Authenticity and Hope
24:11 Whats Next and Farewell
24:50 Outro and Sponsor Credit