AC Interview | Zedeka Poindexter

We recently sat down with Zedeka Poindexter, Amplify's 2022-23 Public Impact Grant recipient. Zedeka was awarded a Public Impact Grant by an external selection panel in the amount of $10,000 to develop new, public-facing work that interrogates the disparities Black women confront in the healthcare system. Over the course of her two-year grant term, Zedeka will conduct and transcribe interviews with Black women to gather stories that shine a light on how their lived experiences, bodies, and voices are often minimized, manipulated, and ignored when seeking medical care. Zedeka will transmute these stories into a layered choreopoem that uses sight, sound, touch, and feeling as tools to center empathy and understanding. The finished piece will have a local run and dedicated performances for audiences of Omaha-area medical practitioners specifically. As an integrated piece of her staged work, Zedeka will also make her process simple to replicate for other communities by developing an interview guide, transcript analysis toolkit, and production roadmap. Zedeka Poindexter is a North Omaha-born writer and performer. In her work, she builds a historical record through poems and essays that draw on all five physical senses to connect with readers and listeners. Raised in multi-generational homes by descendants of the Great Migration, she draws on issues of race, class, struggle, and joy to fuel her work. Zedeka has worked with the Nebraska Writers Collective for over ten years to provide writing and performance education in schools, community organizations, and correctional facilities. As Slam Master for the Omaha Poetry Slam, she guided local artists through generating new work, stage performances, and fundraising. She is the first woman, and the only woman of color, to be named Omaha City Poetry Slam champion. As a member of Omaha’s poetry slam team, she qualified for semi-finals at the National Poetry Slam. Only one other team achieved this honor in its 18-year history.

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