Terisa Siagatonu
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Terisa Siagatonu | |
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| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Poet  |
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| Website | https://www.terisasiagatonu.com/ |
Terisa Tinei Siagatonu is a Samoan spoken word poet, arts educator, and community organizer.[1][2][3][4] In 2012, she was awarded a Champion of Change Award for her activism.[5]
Early life[edit]
Siagatonu was born in San Francisco, CA.[3] She was the first on her father's side to attend college.[6] Siagatonu graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2011 with a Bachelor's Degree in community studies and a minor in education.[6][7] While there, she experienced spoken word for the first time and began writing.[8] During college she competed in poetry slams, taught spoken word poetry to students, and was a Youth Speaks mentor.[6] She earned a Master of Arts in Marriage/FamilyTherapy from the University of Southern California.[6][9]
Career[edit]
She served as Project Director for the Pacific Islander Education and Retention project (PIER) at University of California, Los Angeles.[4]
She is a slam poet and coach.[10] She works as an activist in LGBTQ rights, racial justice, mental health, gender equity and climate change,[11] President Obama recognized Siagatonu with a Champion of Change Award in 2012.[5] She spoke at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference.[5][12][13] One of her concerns is Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano.
Her work as a Kundiman Fellow and 2019 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 100 List Honoree, was published in Poetry Magazine and was featured on Button Poetry, CNN, NBCNews, NPR, Huffington Post, KQED, Everyday Feminism, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, and Upworthy.
Siagatonu is a queer Samoan woman and activist. She spoke at the Obama White House and to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France. She stated that the most memorable moment in her career was receiving President Obama’s Champion of Change Award in 2012.[14]
Works[edit]
- Raise Up - Terisa Siagatonu, Millennium Stage, November 10, 2014
- "Trigger" Terisa Siagatonu Button Poetry, December 21, 2014
- "Moana Means Home" Terisa Siagatonu, April 21, 2018
- "Ethnic Studies" Ink Knows No Borders, March 3, 2019
References[edit]
- ^ "Terisa Siagatonu". Poetry Foundation. May 22, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ Poets, Academy of American. "About Terisa Siagatonu | Academy of American Poets". poets.org. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ a b "'The Reason Why Land Has a Pulse in the First Place'". KQED. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ a b "Terisa tinei siagatonu". The White House. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Terisa Siagatonu > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences". dornsifelive.usc.edu. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Terisa Siagatonu". Queer Arts in Los Angeles. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ Zain, Haneen. "International stages to the Quarry, alumna Terisa Siagatonu returns for dedication ceremony". UC Santa Cruz News. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ NEGRON, LOREN. "Event celebrates Indigenous women". The Daily Evergreen. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ "Educator discusses indigenous perspectives on climate change". The Justice. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ "Student speaks her mind, finds home in open-mic poetry". Daily Bruin. November 6, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Event at Washington State University celebrates Indigenous women". www.samoanews.com. September 22, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ Cohan, Ellen (April 25, 2016). "Terisa Siagatonu". Climate One. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Pacific Islander Poets Use Art, Stories to Urge Climate Action at UN Conference". NBC News. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ Siagatonu, Terisa. "Poet. Educator. Community Leader". Terisa Siagatonu. Retrieved August 8, 2021.