Did you buy yourself an indoor plant during the pandemic to cope with the stress of our early lockdown days? So did our co-host Justine, and in the process of caring for her indoor jungle, she learned all about the root system and just how connected it is to our experiences as hyphenated Canadians. In this episode, revel in stories about the earth, land, and soil. What it means to be repotted and replanted. What it means to recognize your native soil and to be connected to or disconnected from it. Today we’re digging roots, exploring how we are uprooted from one place and moved to another. And how we can either flourish or wither in this new environment. Featured in this episode: • Desiree Mckenzie is an award-winning poet, arts educator, and photographer, based out of Toronto. Her poetry has also been featured as part of CBC’s Poetic License series, VIBE Arts NExT Exhibit, and Clearbanc Financial’s International Women’s Day Campaign. In 2020, she was awarded the JAYU iAM Arts for Human Rights Award recognizing creatives doing exceptional work where the arts and human rights intersect. In March 2021, she released her EP, Wet Hair, now available on streaming platforms. Find her EP of spoken word poetry at linktr.ee/WETHAIREP and learn more about her at www.desireemckenziepoetry.com. Follow Desiree on Instagram at @desireemckenzie. • Natasha Ramoutar is an Indo-Guyanese writer living in Scarborough. She is the Social Media Assistant at the Festival of Literary Diversity, and her first collection of poetry, BITTERSWEET, was published in 2020 by Mawenzi House. Follow Natasha on socials at @spondeee. • Micaela Comeau / Just Micci is a Canadian-Acadian-Métis singer-songwriter from the French shore of Nova Scotia who often finds inspiration from nature, the environment, and love. Micci has been writing and directing children's musicals for the past 8 years and this connection with their students serves as a huge opportunity for growth, inspiration, and joy. Micci has performed at festivals including Evolve, White Rabbit and the Mi’kmaq Acadian Festival and shares their work online and on patreon.com/justmicci. Micci will draw you in, dancing between poetry and music. Support her work on Patreon or follow her on TikTok, Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram. Living Hyphen is a community seeking to turn up the volume on the voices of hyphenated Canadians. You can purchase our magazine at www.livinghyphen.ca, support us on Patreon, or find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.