LEAF ON DRUM RIVER: an Epic Poem of Climate Activism by Emilie Teresa Smith
FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2026 | DOORS AT 19:30, WORDS AND SONG AT 20:00
THIS IS A BENEFIT FOR Communities for Peace in Colombia
In 2025 Emilie Teresa Smith, pilgrim and poet, travelled (mostly over land and river) from Coast Salish Territories to Belem do Para, Brazil, for the gathering of the world at COP30. She journeyed through 10 countries and visited 42 communities, arriving by boat down the Amazon the night before the giant meeting.
Instead of writing yet another report, she collected words and verses from poets, activists and community leaders. Out of these she created an Epic Poem: Leaf on Drum River. Together with renowned Guatemalan poet, actor and playwright, Margarita Kenefic the poem was recast into Spanish, and was performed in its entirety at the Colombia Pavilion of COP30.
On Friday, April 10th we are featuring a full reading (in English), as well as an opportunity for conversation and feedback. And Colombian hot chocolate!
“Voices from what we used to call the margins are central to the future; here is a chronicle of green hope springing up from under the oppressive weight of the moment.”
Bill McKibben, endorsement for Leaf on Drum River
This will also be a fundraiser for the Colombian grassroots organization COMPAZCOL (Communities for Peace in Colombia) and their youth empowerment school Phanor es Semilla.
Come and share and build the struggle!
Also, Emilie will have just returned from Rome and the founding meeting of the international organization: Platform for Mining Divestment. And she will be heading to Colombia in late April for the inaugural meeting of the Towards a Fossil Fuel Transition Treaty (sponsored by the Colombian, Dutch and other national governments seeking an authentic path alternative to the highly ineffectual COP process).