'VOICES: a sacred sisterscape,' An Audio Play Centering Black Women's Stories

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Episode: 'VOICES: a sacred sisterscape,' An Audio Play Centering Black Women's Stories
Date: July 3, 2024
Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: V (formerly Eve Ensler, Founder of V Day) & Hollis Heath (Producer, Actor, Writer, Educator)

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Overview: Main Theme and Purpose

This episode of All Of It spotlights "VOICES: A Sacred Sisterscape," a new audio play created through V Day—an organization dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. The work centers stories by and about Black women from around the world, using audio as a medium to foster deep listening, connection, and authentic representation. The conversation explores how the project came to be, its creative process, and its ambition to honor the vast interior experiences of Black women, moving beyond suffering to celebrate joy, complexity, and solidarity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Inspiration and Motivation

• V (Eve Ensler) explains that after George Floyd’s murder and the global reckoning with systemic racism, the V Day movement recognized a need to center new stories, specifically those of Black women (03:43):

  "It became very clear to me... it was time really for a new piece to be at the center of our movement... that really focused on the lives, the visions, the feelings, the heart, the stories of black women around the world."

• Collaboration began with poet Aja Monet and producer Hollis Heath, who called for women around the world to submit their stories, gathering around 900 submissions.

2. Creative Process

• Hollis Heath describes the process, including a "listening tour" on Instagram and a retreat to review submissions (06:17):

  "We had women on Instagram sharing their stories and artistic practice... we went away on a retreat and really combed through all of the selections."

• The project’s soundscape, crafted by composer Lafimbear, aims to connect and ground listeners emotionally throughout the audio play.

3. New Directions: From The Vagina Monologues to Sacred Sisterscape

• The hosts and guests discuss the evolution from The Vagina Monologues (1996) to this new work (08:11):

  "I think I want to create a soundscape so that people don’t get caught in the look of Black women and colorism and judging, but where they really... go in and listen, listen, listen to the stories..." (V, 08:32)

• Focus shifts to hearing rather than seeing, specifically to counteract visual stereotypes and marginalization.

4. Highlight: Ode to Stretch Marks

• An excerpt is played celebrating stretch marks as symbols of growth and self-acceptance (09:27–11:22).
• Notable quote (Voice Actor/Poet, 10:29):

  "If I could have only known then how I feel now. Gorgeous and free with each line that goes back down my thighs and curls back up to its place of leisure."

• Hollis Heath shares why this story was essential:

  "...all of our experiences with just our bodies changing and how that impacts us our entire lives." (10:58)

5. Casting and Representation

• The casting focused on finding dynamic voices able to embody the stories’ interiority, encouraging connection and community, not just visual identity (11:43).

6. Embracing Change in Body Positivity

• V reflects on whether our culture has shifted enough for women to embrace their stretch marks:

  "I fear we’re really being pushed backwards... But I think right now, I think we need the voices of all women, and that includes trans women and non binary people on the front lines..." (12:26–13:29)

7. Multilingual & Global Scope

• Stories are presented in Swahili, French, and English to reflect the diverse geographies and experiences of Black women (14:09):

  "We have such a... limited idea of who black women are in the world. And they speak many languages and they come from many countries and they occupy space in many regions." (V, 14:09)

8. The Power of Audio Storytelling

• Audio is positioned as an intimate, transformational medium, especially when experienced in groups with guided questions for reflection (15:12–16:44):

  "...you put on your headphones, you put in an eye mask, and you all go into this experience... It was physical, it was sensual, it was political, it was radical." (V, 15:27)

9. Sound Design & Musical Choices

• The recurring musical and thematic refrain "You Are the Sun" is praised for grounding the piece and linking its many moods (17:00).

10. Highlight: Sexual Agency & Pleasure

• Excerpt: A story about a woman taking charge of her pleasure, told through a "flight" analogy (18:07–18:50).
• Quote (Voice Actor, 18:35):

  "For the first time, I wasn’t just a passenger, you know, like, that's what was different. And now that I know how to fly, I don’t think I can ever settle for barely crawling, you know."

• Hollis Heath:

  "It’s so special to hear Black women in particular share what they desire and be bold about it in a society that regularly... tells us not to be." (18:59)

11. Nuance: Joy, Grief, Discomfort

• The piece intentionally includes moments of joy, grief, and discomfort. Hollis explains these are necessary to reflect the full spectrum of Black women’s lives (20:05–21:06).
• V:

  "The whole piece is like a Black woman’s mandala... a collective, which is really the truth of our existence." (21:06)

12. Art as Activism

• Storytelling is linked directly to activism (21:42):

  "...The more we bring the stories to the center, the more we empower those who are telling the stories... That’s how we change racism. That’s how we end, and that’s how we really begin to value each other in a way that changes the entire discourses." (V, 21:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• V (Eve Ensler), on the power of listening:

  "...not only listened to the stories of women, but honored the stories of women and acted on the basis of what women are saying..." (08:43)

• Hollis Heath, on solidarity:

  "...making space for everyone’s stories to be heard is really going to connect us and save us, quite honestly." (13:53)

• V, on the importance of communal listening:

  "...you listen in community because there’s something about that experience that is so strong..." (16:44)

• Hollis Heath, on feeling seen:

  "...to honor the fullness of our experiences... was important to acknowledge all those different waves..." (20:20)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:40 — Episode introduction and premise by Alison Stewart
• 03:43 — V on inspiration and need for Black women’s stories
• 05:14 — Hollis Heath on joining and project intentions
• 08:11 — Comparison to The Vagina Monologues
• 09:27 — "Ode to Stretch Marks" excerpt
• 10:58 — Discussion of importance and casting of this piece
• 12:26–13:29 — On culture change and inclusion
• 14:09 — Importance of different languages and global Black experience
• 15:12–16:44 — On the power of audio storytelling
• 17:00 — Sound design and music choices
• 18:07–18:50 — "First time feeling pleasure" airplane analogy excerpt
• 20:05–21:06 — Joy, sadness, and discomfort in the stories
• 21:42–21:45 — Storytelling as activism and empowerment

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Final Takeaways

• "VOICES: a sacred sisterscape" represents a profound evolution in V Day’s work, intentionally refocusing the cultural conversation.
• Audio format is used both as an artistic and political tool to encourage empathy and deep connection.
• The piece honors Black women’s lives in their full multidimensionality—joy, pain, sexuality, transformation, and solidarity—offering new space for listening, understanding, and action.
• Listeners are encouraged not just to hear these stories passively but to gather, reflect, and engage collectively.

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Available now on all streaming platforms.

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Transcript

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[V (Eve Ensler)]

Let's go.

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. A new audio offering spotlights stories written by, narrated by and centering on Black women across the world. It's titled A Sacred Sisterscape. Presented by V Day, an organization to end violence against women and girls. The project is a tapestry of lived experience, such as experiencing real pleasure for the first time or bringing a life into the world, or lessons such as learning to love your stretch marks. As you listen, you'll be transported into a world where each story, each voice and each moment resonates with authenticity and truth. Let's listen to a preview. This is the intro of Voices, A Sacred Sisterscape.

[Voice Actor/Poet]

You are the Sun. Where are you running to? Mother asked, deeply concerned as we darted.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

To hide under the shade, a shield.

[Voice Actor/Poet]

From the sun, the cracks on our skin, she said.

[Alison Stewart]

A review of the audio in essence states when you press play, don't be surprised if you laugh, cry or do both, sometimes simultaneously. Definitely expect that you might reflect on your own experiences. A Sacred Sisterscape is now available on all streaming platforms. Joining us to discuss is V Day founder, Tony award winning playwright and author.

[Interviewer/Host]

Of the Vagina Monologues. V, formerly known as Eve Ensler. Vee, welcome to all of it.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Thank you. Thrilled to be here.

[Alison Stewart]

Also joining us is audio plays producer.

[Interviewer/Host]

Actor, writer and educator, Hollis Heath. Hollis, welcome to all of it.

[Hollis Heath]

Thank you so much for having us.

[Interviewer/Host]

V. What was the inspiration behind Voices a Sacred Sisterscape? Why focus on the stories of black women?

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Well, V day is a 26 year old movement, and for many years, the Vagina Monologues was our core text of the movement. And it was played and done thousands and thousands of places around the world to raise money, change consciousness, to end violence against women. And it became very clear to me right after George Floyd and really the kind of reckoning that was going on in this country, that it was time really for a new piece to be at the center of our movement. And I knew Aja Monet, who is a brilliant poet and a visionary thinker, and I went to her and said, what do you think about the idea of creating something that could really be the new piece for our movement that really focused on the lives, the visions, the feelings, the heart, the stories of black women around the world? And she was totally game. And with Hollis, they went out and put out a call to women across the planet to send in their stories. And they created, I think we had around 900 submissions. And they wove together this beautiful, beautiful sisterscape, the soundscape of the voices of women, which now is beautifully produced by Lafembaire and her music, and which will now go out into the world.

[Interviewer/Host]

Hollis, how did you become initially involved in the project and what about its intentions struck you?

[Hollis Heath]

Well, Aja and I have known one another for many, many years. We started together both as poets, and I went on to work in act, you know, be an actor and an educator. But when she said, hey, I want to put this piece up, she knew that I'd just produced and performed a piece around gentrification in Harlem and knew that I knew so many black artists and black women who could be a part of it. And, you know, the opportunity to work with V, just recognizing what a legend she is, how much her work informed my own there. It was just something I absolutely couldn't say no to, you know, and just the idea that we would be capturing stories from women around the world, really for me was what made me say absolutely yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

What was the creative process for developing this. This audio offering? That's what I've been calling it.

[Hollis Heath]

Sure. I love that. I love that word of offering. So first it looked like us putting the call out. So that was a process in itself. We did something called a listening tour and a listening series. And so we had women on Instagram sharing their stories and artistic practice. And so once we received those submissions, we went away on a retreat and really combed through all of the selections. And once we found the pieces, we got to bring on, as Bea said, brilliant, brilliant producer and composer Lafimbear. And we highlighted, like, what the themes of the piece were and really gave it over to Lafimbear to really create the audio behind it that ties the entire piece together. And so, you know, once. Once that process was up is when we were able to bring the piece to Ghana. And, you know, we, Aja and I had spent a lot of time there and in the weeds with Lafimbert figuring out pieces and casting the. The audio play. And so it made sense to start there. But it's. But it's been an absolute joy to bring it back home to the United States and New York City, where we shared it at the Apollo last month.

[Alison Stewart]

As the artistic director of the project, Aja Manet wrote an announcement. While the Vagina Monologues been performed by, with, and for diverse communities around the world, it's time for new art and new stories to be at the center of our movement against violence, poverty, racism, and patriarchy. The Vagina monologues was almost 30 years ago. Can you believe it? I'm like, I remember that. With this new audio play, this new audio offering, how is it in conversation with the 1996 work the Vagina Monologues?

[V (Eve Ensler)]

That's such a good question. You know, I think it's all about going inside the stories of people and women, right? And I think one of the beautiful things that Aja said to me at the beginning is I think I want to create a soundscape so that people don't get caught in the look of black women and colorism and judging, but where they really put on their headphones and put on their eye mask and go in and listen, listen, listen to the stories and hear the stories, because so often black women are not heard and not listened to. And I think this is in keeping with a movement which has not only listened to the stories of women, but honored the stories of women and acted on the basis of what women are saying in terms of standing up for their rights and fighting for them in terms of ending violence against them.

[Alison Stewart]

We're discussing a new audio play titled A Sacred Sisterscape with V Day founder V and producer Hollis Heath. Let's listen to a little bit more. This is a little piece from Voices, A Sacred Sisterscape. This is an ode to stretch marks.

[Voice Actor/Poet]

I remember getting these at 11, when I grew 6 inches in the summer. Too fast and the skin can't catch up, blasting me with the mark of a girl growing into her own. Colored with beautiful hues of red and purple. Rows of sorts stretched out for everyone to see. And then I covered it with clothes and makeup and excuses of how it came to be so young. It was genetic. And everyone in my family has them as my defense. Are you getting fat? She said haughtily. I said, no, it's just in my genes. Angry and ashamed that someone could put the beauty of the womanhood growing inside of me down. How could she? How could he? How could they.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Really?

[Voice Actor/Poet]

How could I? I never wore shorts unless they covered the stretch. I didn't wear bathing suits unless I was sure you couldn't really see the marks or. I wore a towel around my waist until the exact moment I jumped into the pool. It was there. I felt safe. Safe from the calling of names and from my envy of the girls that didn't have any at this age. Jealousy and shame. Such a waste of cheat. If I could have only known then how I feel now. Gorgeous and free with each line that goes back down my thighs and curls back up to its place of leisure.

[Interviewer/Host]

So, Hollis, tell us who wrote it and who performed it.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Sure.

[Hollis Heath]

So this piece is performed by Liz McKell. And actually, Bea was super involved in casting, and we're so grateful for her voice. And the piece is by Renee Wilson, and it was one of the first pieces that we read that we were like, this has to go in. Just because all of our experiences with just our bodies changing and how that impacts us our entire lives. So we really love the peace.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Stretch marks and we love Liz Michael, who recorded. She's just an amazing actor and performer from Texas.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, you were asking about. You did the casting for this.

[Alison Stewart]

What were you looking for.

[Interviewer/Host]

Looking for in your casting?

[Hollis Heath]

We were looking for voices that were dynamic people that were actors who were excited about this project and, you know, could really illuminate the stories. You know, as. As V said and as Aja noted, you know, we wanted people to dig into the interior world of black women and not be so attached to the visual identity. But make space for there to be connection and compassion and community so that solidarity could be built.

[Alison Stewart]

Vee, you know, it's. I'm curious what you think the change in our culture is that women can embrace their stretch marks like in that piece, rather than hide them.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Well, you know, it's an interesting question because I wish I could tell you that the Vagina Monologues is irrelevant. But I feel now, with this incredible pushback we're seeing with women's rights in this country particularly, but everywhere in the planet, I fear we're really being pushed backwards. And I think it's really critical that the voices of black women are in the world right now so that we know their stories, we know their lived experience, we know what they're going through. And not just suffering and not just oppression, but joy and celebration and desires and all the things that make up a life. And I think right now, I think we need the voices of all women, and that includes trans women and non binary people on the front lines telling what's going on, speaking their truth, talking about their bodies, making their sexuality out and in front. Because I feel the wave of right wing attacks are stronger than they've ever been in my lifetime.

[Alison Stewart]

Hollis, did you want to add anything?

[Hollis Heath]

No, I really feel like we captured it. I think, you know, we're in a really. We're in a moment where going inward is going to be super, super important. And making space for everyone's stories to be heard is really going to connect us and save us, quite honestly.

[Alison Stewart]

We're discussing a new audio play titled A Sacred Sisterscape with V Day founder V and producer Hollis Heath. So, V, in this play, you hear stories told in different languages. Why was it important to include those stories?

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Well, I think what Hollis and Aja were really wanting to do was make clear that, you know, we have such a, I think a limited idea of who black women are in the world. And they speak many languages and they come from many countries and they occupy space in many regions. And I think it's so beautiful that you have French and you have Swahili and you move from different languages to understand the scope of black women's lives and experiences and geographies and storytelling. And I think that was what both. Hollis. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, Hollis. I think. Yeah. And maybe you want to say more on that.

[Hollis Heath]

No, no, absolutely. I think you really captured it, but it was important to us to represent as many, many voices as possible. And so it was really important that we captured not just English voices, but As V said Swahili and French to be included as well.

[Interviewer/Host]

Something that's unique about this project V is that it's entirely audio based. How does the audio format enhance or transform the storytelling experience compared to other mediums like theater or film or just poetry?

[V (Eve Ensler)]

I so love this form. And, you know, I've now I've seen it done and performed in Ghana. I saw it done at TedX, I saw it at Ted Women, and I saw it done at Harlem at the Apollo. And I have to say, there is something about being in community with other people who you lay down with or sit in a chair, you put on your headphones, you put in an eye mask, and you all go into this experience where you listen together and you are somehow all in the resonance of the storytelling and you're somehow all in your own interior, but you're connected to other people. It's such a profoundly moving experience. And I was at Harlem when we did it, you know, a few weeks ago, and I can't believe the kind of responses people were having. It was. It was physical, it was sensual, it was political, it was radical. And I really urge people when they download this, to do in their groups because there's a set of cards that go with it that really suggest how you talk about it afterwards, that you do it in community, you do it with a group, you really. So you listen in community because there's something about that experience that is so.

[Interviewer/Host]

Strong, the role of sound design and music is so important in voices. Hollis, what is a specific choice or element that you made that you thought was really crucial to the discussion?

[Hollis Heath]

Well, one of my favorite pieces.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

In.

[Hollis Heath]

The audio play is it's called you'd Are the Sun. And it kind of opens the piece and it's a refrain that happens throughout. And I think having that refrain really grounds the entire experience. And so I'm so grateful for our sound designer, Lafembaire, who really, you know, was the architect behind the sound, but allowing the. There to be a refrain. So that kind of, as you move through these different moods of the piece, you're able to come back and ground. So that's something that I. That was a choice that I thought was really special.

[Interviewer/Host]

Let's listen to another piece of the play. Voice is a sacred sisterscape. This is the fifth piece, Untitled, written by Delisha Sa and performed by Zhonya Love Johnson. Now, in it, she's on the phone with her girlfriend, telling her about a time where she felt actual pleasure and in control of her sexuality with a man. And she's using a plane as the analogy.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Let's listen.

[Voice Actor]

There was this one moment of turbulence when he tried some fancy that I guess he'd seen on a movie or something, And I wasn't feeling it. And normally I would just let it happen and hope that it ends soon. But this time, I moved his body to the right coordinates and told him to stay the course. And soon we were soaring again, like, for the first time, I wasn't just a passenger, you know, like, that's what was different. And now that I know how to fly, I don't think I can ever settle for barely crawling, you know.

[Interviewer/Host]

They should call that that girl, let me tell you.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

What were your first impressions of that piece, Hollis?

[Hollis Heath]

Oh, man, I remember. I believe I was in the park. We're trying to find different spaces to go through all the submissions. And I remember Aja running up to me and being like, have you gotten to the page? And the piece about the sex in the airplane? And I was like, no, not yet. So I found where it was and was like, oh, man, this absolutely has to be one of the pieces. I think, you know, it's so special to hear black women in particular, share what they desire and be bold about it in a society that regularly, you know, tells us not to be. Not to acknowledge our sexuality, to make us feel small. I think that it was really important to include a piece like this, and so was very, very excited. And Zanya Love Johnson is an incredible actor and the perfect, perfect choice to bring this piece to life.

[Alison Stewart]

Vee, when you're.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

And it's funny. And it's funny.

[Hollis Heath]

Yeah, it is funny.

[Alison Stewart]

When you're listening to voices, there are moments where the listener experiences joy, but also there's sadness, and there's grief, there's discomfort. Why was it important to leave the space for the listeners to sit through the uncomfortable moments as well?

[Hollis Heath]

Because that's life. That's truth. You know, and to V's point, a little bit earlier, you know, we didn't want it all to be about suffering or all to be about black women's brokenness. But I do think that to honor the fullness of our experiences, to honor the depth and breadth of who we are, was important to acknowledge all those different waves I think about. There's a piece called Anger, and just. It's. It's a piece about figuring out how to connect with and acknowledge anger and the process in which the artist goes through to do that. And so for us, it was just really important to make sure that all the colors were present. Yeah.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

And I think the whole piece is like a black woman's mandala. It's like with all these different voices. Right. You have the universe of women, black women's voices and experiences, and it's made up of a collective, which is really the truth of our existence. And we're always changing in that sometimes I'm angry, sometimes I'm sad, sometimes I'm desirous, sometimes I'm funny. And it's all rotating. But I love that this kind of chorus of writers has created this gorgeous mandala.

[Alison Stewart]

V, your work has always been rooted deeply in activism.

[Interviewer/Host]

How does voices continue that legacy?

[V (Eve Ensler)]

Oh, I think, look, you know, storytelling is the basis of activism. You know, part of what. Part of what patriarchal, racist, you know, capitalism has done is. Is try to suppress and undermine and curtail the stories of the oppressed or the stories of the marginalized or the stories of those that aren't in the center. And I think the more we bring the stories to the center, the more we empower those who are telling the stories, you know, and I. That's what's so beautiful about this piece is that, you know, to bring forth black women's voices and to say they matter and to say, put on your iPhones and put on. Put on your eye mask and your headphones and take the time. Go into this experience. Love them, listen to them, honor them, cherish them. That's how we change racism. That's how we end, and that's how we really begin to value each other in a way that changes the entire discourses.

[Interviewer/Host]

A Sacred Sisterscape is available now on all streaming platforms. I've been speaking with V Day founder V and producer Hollis Heath. Thanks so much to both of you.

[Hollis Heath]

Thank you for having us and welcome back.

[Interviewer/Host]

Thank you.

[V (Eve Ensler)]

We're grateful. We're grateful. Thank you.

[Interviewer/Host]

Coming up, documentary filmmaker Penny Lane. Her movie is called Confessions of a Good Samaritan. She donated her kidnare to a stranger. That's next, right after the news.

[Bic Soleil Advertiser]

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[V (Eve Ensler)]

Let's go.

[Huggies Advertiser]

This episode is brought to you by Huggies Little Movers. It's fun having a baby that loves to move, but it can be challenging to find a diaper that can keep up with them. Huggies Little Movers is designed to move with your baby with either the double grip strips or the new HugFit 360 degree waistband. You can be confident relying on Huggies Little Mover. Your active little ones. Huggies Little Movers made with double grip strips or the new HugFit360 degree waistband so your little double can keep moving like you. Huggies. We got you, baby.