This Year’s Recipient: Mukethe Kawinzi!
We are please to announce that Mukethe Kawinzi is the recipient of the 2025 ALOCASIA Microgrant for Queer Nature Writers.
Mukethe Kawinzi is a shepherd in coastal California where she stewards a herd of Spanish cashmere range goats to feed the soil. She has farmed in sustainable and organic agriculture for five years, with a focus on small ruminants, artisanal cheesemaking, non-violent livestock handling, and regenerative grazing.
Her writing illuminates the smut and splendor of the natural world, race in rural spaces, the peculiar wit of livestock animals, and the pains and pleasures of physical labor. She is inspired by the languages and rhythms
inherent to the space of the farm, colored folk who work land, and is oriented, ultimately, toward song, dance, and serenity.
Our sincerest thanks to everyone who applied. We were overwhelmed by the volume of incredible work by so many talented writers. We look forward to reading more of your work in the future. ALOCASIA couldn’t exist without all of you and your enthusiastic exploration of plants and nature and queerness in poetry and prose.
Supported by funding from Accelerate Resilience L.A., a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.