LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER TWIN CITIES 2026
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT -- GRATEFULLY -- TO CELISIA STANTON PHOTOGRAPHY
LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER TWIN CITIES
2026 CAST
Lupe Castillo
Lupe Castillo identifies as a Granddaughter, Daughter, Mother, and Grandmother to her first luvs of her life, Xicana/Indigena/Mestiza, non-bianary, Poet, Writer, and Culture Bearer. She has created HeartSpeaks as she continues to nurture communities with story and truth telling through Creative Expression—Writing—Healing Circles. She released Alma y Corazon, Writing in the Rhythm of Life, with her long-time friend, comadre Teresa Ortiz. Lupe is the recipient of the City of Minneapolis Arts and Cultural Affairs Creative Response Fund, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Artist Futures Cohort Grant 2023-2025 and the Minnesota Humanities Council Cultural Heritage Grants 2022-2023.
Kathryn Ganfield
Kathryn Ganfield is a nature writer and outdoorsperson. She lives in St. Paul with her husband, 3 children, and a floppy-haired dog. Her best days are spent in the woods, camping, hiking, and cooking over the campfire with her family. Kathryn teaches at the Loft Literary Center and has published widely in literary journals. As the Minnesota Zoo’s communications specialist, she’s honored to write about the lives of animals and advocate for wildlife conservation. In 2025, she was awarded a Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant to travel to Namibia to write about efforts to save the endangered black rhino.
Jackie Henry
Jackie Henry is a psychologist, consultant, writer, and mom of four spirited daughters who keep her laughing, grounded, and learning to embrace the beautiful chaos. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and spends much of her time in motion, planning the next trip, chasing creative ideas, and toeing the line between too much and just right. When life gets loud, she escapes to the family cabin, where she can slow down in the woods and remember what matters. Jackie writes the Substack Less Thinking, More Living, where she reflects on the small, ordinary moments that somehow end up meaning the most.
Maggie Kase
Maggie Kase is first and foremost a mother, advocate, chauffeur, and assistant to teens Greta and Tucker. She is a loving and devoted friend, who has accepted her identity as a Minnesotan after relocating here 20 years ago to see about a guy. With a background and education in creative writing, Maggie is thrilled to be able to get back to her literary roots. When she isn’t reading, playing tennis, or nagging her children, Maggie is likely in her cozy room eating popcorn and recharging her social battery.
Bridget Keller
Bridget Keller is a mom of two soon-to-be-adult kids and two teen dogs, and a grandma to a cat, husky, ball python, gecko, and a kakariki parrot. A former speech team kid, she has dabbled in writing through journaling and poetry since childhood but chose a sensible career in the sciences. After twenty five years of service with Park Nicollet, she is now contemplating what she wants to do when she grows up. Bridget lives in Minneapolis with her family. She is an avid skier, loves to be outdoors, and on any dance floor spinning 80's classic alternative tunes.
Dralandra Larkins
Dralandra Larkins is an award-winning educator, spoken-word poet, and author of Before I Lie (2025). A recipient of The Loft Literary Center Teaching Artist Fellowship, she has received awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. Dralandra is a COMPAS teaching artist and leads the Write to Thrive program with 826 MSP. Her work has been featured by MPR, KFAI, Insight News, and Pioneer Press, and presented at the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud State University, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. She is thrilled to make her debut in 2026 Listen to Your Mother and celebrate this powerful stage.
Alison McGhee
Alison McGhee is a critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling writer of poems, essays, picture books, and novels for all ages, including Never Coming Back and Someday. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages. She founded the creative writing program at Metropolitan State University and taught there for many years. She’s a gardener, a traveler, an outdoorswoman, a quiet activist, and the mother of three grown children. Alison lives in Minneapolis, but she was born and grew up in the foothills of the southwestern Adirondacks, where many of her books are set.
Sherry Pofahl Johnson
Sherry Johnson, M.Ed., was raised in neglectful tension by a union-steward mom and Army-sergeant dad. After a joyful decade teaching writing & theatre, Sherry retired to focus on supporting her autistic child. But a series of events forced her to rethink everything midlife: a failed relocation, two concussions, her parents’ deaths, and her own diagnoses: autism & ADHD. Empowered by community, Sherry now coaches neurodivergent leaders, performs often, and writes daily. Current projects include two memoirs featuring neurodivergence & queerness; a one-woman variety show; a Rust Belt folklore series; and the Neuroqueer Storyweavers podcast. Keep up with Sherry at writersherryj.com.
Jennie Robinson Kloos
Jennie Robinson Kloos is a mom to three amazing kids and has the most wonderful spouse. With her family, she loves to travel, adventure, camp, canoe, hike, read, and play strategy board games. But what they do more than anything else is cuddle with, share photos of, and delight in the antics of their two cats and one dog. Jennie is fulfilling a lifelong wish to do a multi-year thru-hike of the Superior Hiking Trail. She’s tackling the 4th section this summer and eyeing the finish line for next year. Jennie's career has been in higher education administration and she currently works at the U of M and thoroughly loves it. Jennie is a morning person, a swimmer, a watercolor beginner, a gardener, a project starter, sometimes a project finisher, and an obsessive planner.
Linda Stuart
Linda Stuart is the Director of Global Education Innovation at AFS International, leading the digital education offers and product development strategy. She is an experienced intercultural trainer and qualified administrator of various global competence assessments. Fluent in Spanish, she holds a master’s degree in International Studies from the Universidad de Chile. She’s given over 125 public presentations and this will be the first one about herself. She’s a part-time talent manager for her child actor. She resides in Minneapolis with her husband, 10 year old, and mini-husky. The big kids (25 and 23) are adulting—elsewhere.
Joanna Talle
Joanna Talle’s proudest accomplishment and top priority is being a devoted Mom to her two amazing kids, Zoey and Theo. Beyond motherhood, Joanna is a passionate creator and curator of art. Joanna especially enjoys reading and writing memoir and she was honored to take first place in the January 2026 Moth Twin Cities Story Slam. Joanna is also a longtime singer with the Minnesota Chorale, and serves as a board member for several non-profit organizations, including 29:11 Intl Exchange, Dark & Stormy Productions, and the Alliance Francaise MSP. Joanna currently resides in the west metro with her children and their sweet german shepherd Raya.
Liz Ward
Liz Ward loves words — speaking them, hearing them, and producing them. Prior to becoming a mother and settling in St. Paul, Liz traveled the world meeting people, sharing life, and connecting. She still loves global exploration, speaks English and Spanish, and has made a career of intercultural leadership and communication. Despite her love for writing, for years Liz forgot to make time for it amidst the practical and the hard. Today, she writes intentionally to love and connect with herself and others and is dedicated to loving and connecting as loudly as she can for as long as possible.
Maggie Wood
Maggie Wood is a South Minneapolis resident and mother to seven – two feline furballs and five feathery fowls. She views her time in Minnesota in two chunks: “the first 10 years I was forced to be here” and "the 12 years post-college, I’ve chosen to be here.” She enjoys long walks around Powderhorn Park, the occasional international trip, strength training, local coffee shops, and daily FaceTimes with her best friend. Her neighbors have not-so-subtly hinted at the bedraggled state of her yard – with their help, she hopes to cultivate a teeming pollinator garden this year.
