Catherine Harris-White: Women Authoring Change
Catherine Harris-White is a singer-songwriter and a Hedgebrook alumna. We asked her about her work and about being a Woman Authoring Change. Tell us about your work as a writer—do you write in multiple genres/forms?When creating I let the format come to me in whatever way it may be. Sometimes freewrites that become songs, lyrics that become stories, tweets that become articles. I love a challenge; it's the best way for me personally to grow. With that said I have written many stories, poems, and articles and look forward to diving into a novel and screenwriting. All these genres of expression matter to me. Do you consider yourself an activist?I consider myself a universal feeling being. So yes, I am an activist. I am active in my world and in my community as well as in the galaxy. I am proactive and my creative creations should deliver this message. Would you characterize your writing as activist? Why or why not?Creating is a form of activism. A sign of rebellion in the style of expression and documentation of the human journey. I do identify my writings as activism. After many years of participating in rallies and protests I realized that it wasn't the best way for me to work towards a better, peaceful world. So now I write, sing, act, and read to help the movement. What impact do you hope your writing will have in the world?I pray my work invites more people to do so, that the idea of my creative presence encourages more to take their craft to the next level and to expand their experience on this planet. My hope is that my words leap off the page/song/stage and into the souls of many, transforming into positive action. What's the best feedback you've received from a reader/audience member?The best response was from those who felt inspired to share their work as well as those who tell me my work is needed in the world and not to give up. I hold those comments in a special place in my mind and heart for dark days—not to hang onto them so much to become narcissistic, but enough to stay balanced.
About Catherine Harris-White:
Catherine Harris-White is a singer/songwriter/producer/actress based in Seattle, Washington. She has been acting since the age of 14 when she began her career onstage performing in "MAAFA" at the Moore Theatre in Seattle. She continued her stage work portraying "Rizzo" in the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute production of "Grease" presented at the Paramount Theatre. Due to her persistence, she worked the Intiman Theatre stage for several years in its "Black Nativity" play as well as "Skin of Our Teeth" directed by Tony Award-winning Bartlett Sher.Since then she has refocused on music, successfully signing to Sub Pop records with her group THEESatisfaction in 2011. As a musician she goes by "SassyBlack". Black is a space aged Goddess of “electronic psychedelic soul” & “hologram funk” exploring the concepts of sound through deep compositions. With roots in classical & jazz, her voice is often compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Erykah Badu & Georgia Anne Muldrow. Her production value and creativity is reminiscent of Roy Ayers, Pharrell & Herbie Hancock. Graduating with a Bachelors in Music from Cornish College of the Arts in 2008, Black has traveled the world performing in cities such as LA, Barcelona, Lisbon, London, Brooklyn, Shanghai, Sydney & more.In the summer of 2015 Sassy independently released her EP “Personal Sunlight“ which garnered attention from Okayplayer, Exclaim!, Afropunk, Pitchfork & more. Her debut solo album No More Lame Dates is set to be released May 17th, 2016. Although Ms. Harris-White’s musical endeavors have taken her far, she could not ignore the acting bug, especially when given the opportunity to work legend Martin Scorsese appearing as Ruth Brown in the HBO show “Vinyl”. Whether on your screen or in your ear keep your senses open for more of Catherine Harris-White.
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