publications

“Skywatchers is a step towards reintegrating art into my life. It is one of my tools of recovery. It gets me out of my comfort zone, living beyond self and survival. In Skywatchers we find each other."

— Joel Yates, Skywatchers Ensemble Member

Anthology of Skywatchers Voices Now Available!

This anthology of Skywatcher ensemble voices has been assembled over our 13+ year herstory. Like our performance work, these poems and short prose pieces center the words, rhythms, songs, and narratives of Tenderloin residents—stories too rarely heard. There are texts from our performances as well as writing created during our workshops. The title, Ain't Nothing Tender 'Bout That ‘Loin, is a tribute to Dino Smith, long-time ensemble member, drummer, and self proclaimed Deity of Self-Education.

"This Skywatchers anthology is more than a collection of writings; it is a collective proclamation that the people of the Tenderloin, despite their struggles, are here—living, surviving, and refusing to be silenced."

— Marvin K. White, Minister of Celebration, Glide Church

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Skywatchers Scholarly Publications

Leveraging Arts for Justice, Equity, and Public Health: The Skywatchers Program and Its Implications for Community-Based Health Promotion Practice and Research

Skywatchers artists Anne Bluthenthal, Deirdre Visser, and Clara Pinsky partnered with Rabbi Nancy E. Epstein and Dr. Meredith Minkler to explore how community arts can address the root causes of poor health—poverty, inequality, and structural racism. Featuring Skywatchers' work in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, the article highlights the power of arts-health collaborations, grounded in a values-driven, justice-focused methodology. It calls for deeper partnerships, policy shifts, and research to better understand the arts' impact on community well-being.

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Flipping the Script — Community
Grand Rounds

Grown out of our Community Grand Round (CGR) program, Lead Artist Shavonne Wong, alongside Sam Dennison of Faithful Fools and UCSF partners, co-authored an article exploring the collaboration between CGR and REPAIR at UCSF. The piece highlights a non-extractive, community-centered approach to collecting patient oral histories, aiming to challenge traditional medical practices and foster reconciliation in healthcare. Rooted in truth-telling and trust-building, the reconciliation process follows seven key steps, from recognizing harm to implementing policy change.