The Anna Jinja Show
The Anna Jinja show focuses on the stories, issues, and questions connected to adoption and foster care experiences.
The host is an international adoptee with biological roots in Korea and adopted roots in the United States. As you can imagine, her journey and experiences as a transracial adoptee are multifaceted. Her experiences have been with the pain of discrimination and rejection as well as the joys of self-discovery and learning to embrace all aspects of her identity.
Along the way, she has discovered that she is not alone. We’re all – in some ways – adopted into or out of homes, cultures, communities, and relationships as we grow and evolve. This show illuminates the theme of adoption, in all ways, in our lives. And how those experiences create who we are and who we are yet to be.
Her hope is that through engaging with the guests and creative content, we are welcomed home in this world, cradled in the belief that we belong, that we are worthy, and that we are loved.
So stay tuned, and you may discover your own adoption story.
The Anna Jinja Show
Fischer Wallace & Stephanie Kendrick
Join us on The Anna Jinja Show for a powerful exploration of creativity and connection! This week, photographer Fischer Wallace and Athens' Poet Laureate Stephanie Kendrick share their collaboration journey, blending photography and poetry to tell deeply personal stories.
Discover how their artistic pairing inspired Stephanie’s moving poem, "A Prayer for Distortion," weaving themes of trust, vulnerability, and personal growth. Stephanie Kendrick is the 2023/24 Poet Laureate of Athens, Ohio. She is the author of In Any of These Towns (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2022) and serves as the editor of the local poetry newsletter Periodical Poetry. With a Master’s in Social Sciences from Ohio University, Stephanie is deeply involved in her community, including through her work at the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Her poetry has been published in notable journals such as Gyroscope Review, Still: The Journal, and Poets Reading the News.
Fischer Wallace is a talented photographer and mental health advocate, employed with the Athens Photo Project, where she explores the intersection of art and recovery. Through her work with Recovery Reframed, Fischer harnesses the power of visual storytelling to reframe narratives around mental health, offering new perspectives on healing and resilience. Her photography is deeply personal and reflective, using creative expression as a means to foster connection, challenge stigma, and inspire others on their own recovery journeys.
Fischer's dedication to both her art and advocacy makes her a powerful voice sharing why art works and why it matters. Whether you're passionate about visual or literary arts, this episode will inspire you to see the world—and yourself—through a new lens. Don't miss it!
Creative Interchange:
Poem Dedication: This piece is dedicated to Fischer Wallace with Athens Photo Project.
Prayer for Distortion
I think of you and your lens— how you might capture a memory
How you mish catch all the shadows in this room, blend them to make space for the light.
There is magic here, in this space between you and me, what is created when we sit together-
the solace of shared stor, enutter steady
the air we breathe and the way we share that, too.
I think of you and your lens, consider my own fears of exposure-Have you heard you have a gift?
A composer of every noise that holds a
you are a visual weaver, storyteler, artist.
There is magic here
and by magic I mean trust, and by this I mean I trust you-
to see me, distort me into my own new woman.
Guest Links:
https://www.facebook.com/athenspoetlaureate/
https://athensphotoproject.org/people/bio/fischer-wallace/