In this episode of The Shift: Stories of Resistance and Resilience, Dr. Alysia Harris joins Mark Travis Rivera for a powerful, thought-provoking conversation about poetry, storytelling, and the transformative power of personal testimony.

Dr. Harris shares her perspective on resistance as a creative, evolving dialogue rather than simple opposition. She invites connection, imagination, and deeper understanding across differences. She also reflects on resilience as a practice of discernment, emphasizing the importance of balancing rest and action in order to sustain meaningful work.

Together, they explore the role of storytelling in shaping collective memory and challenging dominant narratives, especially in a time when voices and histories are being silenced. Dr. Harris also unpacks the biggest misconception about poetry that you have to be good at it and reframes it as a practice of taking your life seriously and engaging deeply with your own experiences.

Through reflections on faith, identity, and human connection, this conversation is a powerful reminder that none of us is the full story on our own. It is through sharing our stories, listening to others, and embracing complexity that we move closer to true understanding and to building a more connected, just world.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Alysia Nicole Harris is a poet, linguist, and passionate intercessor. With bases in Atlanta, GA; Corsicana, TX; and Rotterdam, Netherlands, Alysia gathers communities around creative expression to cultivate social and spiritual imagination at the local, urban, and global levels.

Alysia received her MFA in poetry from NYU and her PhD in linguistics from Yale University. As a founding member of The Strivers Row Poetry Collective and an award-winning spoken word artist, she has amassed over 10 million views on YouTube. She has performed and taught workshops in creative writing and civic engagement across 12 countries for organizations such as the U.S. Missions to Ukraine, South Africa, and Jordan, NAACP, Yale Center for Faith & Culture, City Seminary New York, The Disrespected Literatures Conference, MoMA: PS1, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and numerous nonprofits, universities, and secondary schools. Her chapbook How We Must Have Looked Like Stars to Stars won the 2015 New Women’s Voices Contest.

Alysia also served as the inaugural Arts and Soul Editor for Scalawag Magazine, a publication amplifying justice, arts writing, and cultural organizing in the US South. There she developed her passion for working with emerging writers, and honed her signature approach to journalism and arts writing as vehicles for articulating personal testimony, developing an empathetic social witness, and opening up creative pathways for spiritual engagement.

During her Creative Community Care residency with City Seminary, Alysia partnered with community members to save a century-old church from demolition. In 2021 she founded Meetinghouse Revival, an organization that celebrates the history of Southern Black communities and the legacy of Black spiritual witness through the revival of historically-significant Black gathering places, intergenerational storytelling, and cultural education.

Connect with Mark:

⁠Sign up for Mark's Newsletter⁠

⁠Follow Mark on Social Media⁠

Connect with Alysia:

Instagram

Website

Questions or comments?

Email us at Hello@MarkTravisRivera.com.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/dan-snyder/returning-home

License code: ASYBPBHYUQEWOLWE

Disclaimer Note: The captions in this video are auto-generated, and while we try to ensure accuracy, you may notice a typo or error. Thank you in advance for extending grace.