Hear AfA on KGNU’s “Outsources”

A few weeks ago, Art from Ashes facilitator Franklin Cruz and youth participant Rachel Icolari joined KGNU’s Jeffrey Hoyle on “Outsources,” KGNU’s programming focused on LGBTQ+ news.

In the segement, Franklin and Rachel shared their perspectives on poetry, queer expression, youth expression through poetry and the transforming power on Art From Ashes programming.

“Really what we want our youth to understand is, for one, being able to express themselves because, especially for our queer youth, there’s not really a platform for people to have a meaningful listening conversation with them,” Franklin explained. “We find that if you just give them a few minutes to write down something that’s really integral to their identity or what they’re going through, and just listen, they’ll feel so much more equipped to handle the everyday processes that they have to go through simply because they find support.”

In the half hour segement, they covered a variety of AfA programming, the transformative effect poetry can have in the lives of queer and struggling youth, and their own personal experiences.

Check out the segement for yourself at this link, and hear the powerful words for yourself. A special thanks to KGNU for featuring us and our work. Art from Ashes looks forward to continuing to share more of ourselves and our efforts with the Denver and Colorado community.