Kisha
recently finished a Masters degree in Environmental Studies at the University of
Montana, where she completed a series of essays titled, Voices Hinged: A
Triptych of Reflections on Farming and Ranching in the Bitterroot Valley. As
a writer, she has focused on the "liminal space" between humanity and the
ecology in various forms, including the ability of a piece of obsidian to
conjure memories of the death of a loved one, and the tangible relationship
between farmers and ranchers and working landscapes. She writes: "I am always
interested in the quieter voices that do not bustle for attention or shove their
way to the top of the News Hour -- voices that speak softly over cups of coffee
and mingle with a backdrop of crows and tractors. I am drawn to these softer
voices and daily moments because they offer touchstones of human hope and
fallibility."
"The everyday moment also offers an entryway into a person's life,
incrementally revealing stories of powerful change. My essays on farming and
ranching intentionally hone in on these voices, which have been neglected and
silenced by lengthening chains of distribution, consumption and ignorance. In
doing so, I hope to enliven the work and life of the daily farmer and rancher in
order to reconnect eaters with growers and the land, and to shift the common
perception of what it means to farm into a living, viable, connected part of our
culture. As we recognize these relationships and the inherent economic,
ecological and social costs of our food purchases on farmers, ranchers and
working lands, we will be able to re-imagine the systems of food production and
distribution, systems that we rely on for every other aspect of our lives."
Kisha is presently developing an essay on the rising number of female farmers
in the United States and the historical role of women in farming. "To do so,"
she writes, "I hope to parallel the stories of a woman currently
farming in western Montana and my great-grandmother, who owned and managed a
North Carolina tobacco farm." She is also working on a collection of lyric
essays and plan to teach a course called, "From Working Land -- The
Literature of Agriculture."