Joe Kadi, picture by Juliana Hu Pegues
Get to know our four first generation poets and activists before Summit! This spotlight is on Joe Kadi
Joe Kadi is a writer, teacher, and editor who lives in Canada’s Rocky Mountains. He edited the groundbreaking anthology Food for Our Grandmothers: Writings by Arab-American and Arab-Canadian Feminists in 1994. This book, the first of its kind, gave voice to the histories, experiences, and visions of Arab feminists. Kadi is also the author of Thinking Class: Sketches from a Cultural Worker, a book of essays and poetry addressing issues of race, gender, sexuality, and class. He contributed to the recent anthology Arab and Arab American Feminisms, edited by Abdulhadi, Alsultany, and Naber.
Kadi lived in the Twin Cities for most of the 1990’s and participated with arts organizations such as Asian American Renaissance and Mizna, A long-time member of the GLBTQ community, Kadi now lives as a transgender man. He is a musician, a yoga student, environmentalist, and a teach of Women’s Studies at two Canadian universities.
Personal Statement: “I’m excited to learn from creative people and to connect in meaningful ways with artists and activists. This Summit provides us with such a wonderful opportunity!”
2011 APIA Spoken Word & Poetry Summit, Twin Cities 
I’m super excited that Joe Kadi will be at the Summit! He has been such an important figure, in women of color feminism, for Arab American arts and activism, and was a leader in the Twin Cities for many years. ~ Juliana