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By Lydia Wagenknecht, Ethnomusicology PhD Student
  October 20, 2021

Josephine Jones has been involved in the arts and humanities in the West for three decades as a lecturer, discussion leader, and leader of transformative writing workshops, including her work as a Writer In the Schools resident artist in Idaho and Montana. An award-winning poet, she worked as a freelance writer, editor and marketing consultant prior to her current role (since 2006) as Director of Programs & Center for the Book at . She directs programs statewide, including Veterans Writing, Motheread/Fatheread Colorado, and grant programs. She has also served as founding Managing Editor of the online Colorado Encyclopedia. Additionally, she received (as a co-recipient with Maggie Coval, Colorado Humanities Executive Director, the Authors’ Advocate Award from the Colorado Authors’ League, which recognizes those that work behind the scenes with consistent dedication to promote current Colorado authors, future Colorado writers, and the craft of writing.

Jones holds a Master of Arts in Education, and she also teaches at the University of Denver. She strives to provide opportunities for the public to meet the arts and humanities in accessible, equitable settings. In the following interview, she discusses values in action, building relationships, and serving diverse communities.

What values do you try to uphold within your work?

I want to inspire creativity, and as a result, a greater understanding of ourselves as human beings. Because of that, I view my job as a service position as I work towards Colorado Humanities’ goal to serve all the people of Colorado. I hope to confirm for people that they are creative and amplify their voices. Since we are creative individuals, I believe that if everyone is empowered to give their gift to their community, we’ll have a world that works for everyone.

Have you ever run into conflicts in upholding your values? What did you do?

We have a rule for our writing programs in schools: if you can say it on the radio, you can use it. In some cases, it can create issues of freedom of expression, even though we want people to speak and be heard. For example, a middle school student might not be able to use the words he’d actually say when speaking in everyday life. Or, for another example, a child might want and need to tell a story of abuse, and it can create a conflict between a parent’s right to privacy and a child’s right to speak. Where do creators’ rights end?

I’ve been learning about and practicing ways to take a breath and explore conflict. Conflict is an opportunity that requires patience. In the examples I gave before, that might look like a meeting with a child’s family to allow all parties to speak and be heard.

How have you built relationships with community partners, from the beginning stages to holding relationships throughout a collaboration and beyond? Do you have any specific examples you can share? Or specific advice?

“Who do you know?” “Who do you know who knows someone?” “How are you gaining trust in the community?” I always start with those questions. Connections with people are always stronger if they come through another person who knows the person you want to connect with. Before the pandemic, I used to travel for a third of the year just to make connections!

We’re currently working on a project called Changing the Legacy of Race and Ethnicity. For every topic (e.g. policing, indigenous experience), we have an advisory panel that informs our topic. They tell us who should be involved and what the project should be; I give the group the problem and let them find the answer. I let others tell me what might be good connections from their own communities rather than trying to find all of the answers myself.

What initiatives / strategies / methods do you take to get feedback from community partners...and also participants in activities?  

For me, the most important strategies are simple: asking, listening, and acting on what I hear. I try to be approachable and open to learning from others.

How have you worked with non-dominant communities?

We have a number of programs that serve non-dominant communities. Motheread/Fatheread Colorado engages parents who are English language learners or who didn’t grow up reading. We’re not on the front lines of this project since we don’t offer classes directly. However, I serve in the background to help empower those who are providing programs through coaching and training.

An even larger undertaking is the Colorado Sustaining the Humanities project through the American Rescue Plan Grants, where I insisted on knowing whether an organization serves rural people or not. Overall, I’m an advocate for the underserved. If we set up our funding streams correctly, then the money flows where it’s needed most.

As I mentioned before, we’re also doing lots of work surrounding race and ethnicity. We hope to help people understand how they look at and communicate with one another.

How can community-engaged scholars work to build access and inclusion for nondominant communities?

Meet people where they are. In my work, we’re moving away from prohibitive grant requirements. That means simplifying the application process and translating our documents into other languages; we’ve recently translated our grant application materials into Spanish.

I also intentionally attend events and make connections with people who don’t look like me. I work to put judgment aside and just listen to people.

How has moving to a remote modality changed your project/practice?

I find it interesting that the pandemic has coincided with a period of civil unrest. I imagine that while we’re all disconnected from our usual way of doing things, we’ve been inspired to look at our own practices. The pandemic allows us, as an organization, to make changes and shift toward a more equitable environment through hiring practices and reflection on our organization’s culture. When we come out on the other side of the pandemic, we hope that the public will be able to see that we’re a renewed and relevant organization.