By Elizabeth Howard

Episode Summary

Elizabeth Howard talked to Jeannine Otis in February 2022, when the singer was leading writing workshops based on her book The Gathering: City Prayers, City Hopes. Recently, Jeannine learned that Living with Hope, which developed into a theatrical piece and an audiobook from those workshops, is under consideration for a Grammy Award. Jeannine believes that “art is a gift” and plays an essential role in bringing together our “beloved community,” in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

We invite you to listen to our earlier conversation to learn more about how the project evolved and about the life and career of the extraordinary Jeannine Otis.

Episode Notes

Living with Hope on Spotify

Jeannine Otis

For years, Jeannine Otis, jazz pianist, vocalist, conductor, and educator, has used music and poetry to bring healing to communities in crisis, including those in prisons, community centers, and churches.

Jeannine Otis was born and raised in Detroit and now lives on Staten Island. She has been a singular and substantial voice for decades, drawing equally from jazz, classical, dance, gospel, and pop genres. New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini described Otis as a “show-stopper” in the role of Ella Worker in Downtown Music Production’s staging of The Cradle Will Rock.

She is a graduate of Wellesley College, where she was a Presser Music Scholar and the first African American to receive that award. She also holds a master’s degree from Emerson College in Boston, where she was a teaching fellow. Jeannine has toured as a vocalist with many distinguished artists, including Donald Byrd, Grover Washington Jr., Vishnu Wood, and Arthur Prysock. She is the music director of St. Mark’s in the Bowery in New York City.

The Short Fuse Podcast  is hosted by Elizabeth Howard. She talks with artists, writers, musicians, and others whose art reveals our communities through their lens and stirs us to seek change through their art, music, ideas, and performances. James Baldwin reminds us that “artists are here to disturb the peace.” Her articles related to communication and marketing have appeared in European Communications, Investor Relations, Law Firm Marketing & Profit Report, Communication World, The Strategist, and the New York Law Journal, among others. Her books include Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Blackberry Pie, (Thornwillow Press, 2011), A Day with Bonefish Joe (David Godine, 2015), and Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back (Easton Studio Press, 2016). @elizh24 on Instagram.

Gerald Kent is the producer and editor of the Short Fuse. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, he is a talented musician and audio engineer who has been releasing his own music independently since 2021. Alongside his artistry, he’s built up experience working with multiple clients in the podcasting space, from editing to full-scale production.

Evelyn Rosenthal copyedits the Short Fuse. She is a singer specializing in jazz and Brazilian music, a freelance editor, and the former editor in chief and head of publications at the Harvard Art Museums. She writes about music for the Arts Fuse and copy edits the magazine.

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