IKantKoan

04/03/2026

Thought I’d do an intro for myself, too!

Hi! I’m Jessica, the creator and performer of TEA PARTY AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

This is me seducing a kelidoscope at SXSW.

For other art I can’t explain but felt compelled to make, join us April 9 - May 14 in Philadelphia, San Diego, and L.A.!

Tickets in bio!

04/03/2026

Joseph Ahmed, everyone!

Joe is the Director of TEA PARTY AT THE END OF THE WORLD and a core creative collaborator who has shaped my creative life for the better part of a decade!

Joe has come up with the best ideas in the show, is quick with an elevated Dad joke, and coined many an incredible company name for when I inevitably rebrand because no one can pronounce mine.

This is Joe literally navigating a tangle of knots, totally unphased, which could knot be a better visual representation for their skills! (special thanks to Jeff Evans for making the Knot Box)

To see more of Joe’s deft maneauvers, check out the show April 9 - May 14 in Philadelphia, San Diego, and L.A.!

Tickets can be found in bio!

04/02/2026

Ashlin Aronin, everyone!

is the sound designer for TEA PARTY AT THE END OF THE WORLD and was a fellow artist-in-residence with me up in the Arctic.

This is Ashlin blending play and professionalism like the pro they are.

That sound at the top of the video? That’s a glacier calving.

For more sounds of the Arctic, and more of Ashlin’s incredible work, check out the show April 9 - May 14 in Philadelphia, San Diego, and L.A.!

Grab tickets from bio!

03/05/2026

Death, tea, or glacier curious? Join me, Director , and Sound Designer at April 23-26! Tix in my biography : )

TEA PARTY AT THE END OF THE WORLD is an Immersive, interactive, cozy and cutting little gathering exploring the aromas, tastes, and reverse thought spirals of “the end of the world”.

Photo by the brilliant and unobtrusive

03/02/2026

Our journal issue from Svalbard is out! We are proud to present a very special journal issue on Arctic environment, art, and culture, which is the artistic fruit of a sailing expedition to Svalbard that reached 80˚ N latitude:

“On the Cold Edge: Creative Meditations on Svalbard,” edited by Hester Blum, Candace Jensen, and Jacinda Russell, Regeneration: Environment, Art, Culture 2:1-2 (2026): https://www.regeneration-journal.org/issue/1298/info/.

The twenty-three contributors to this special issue of Regeneration are artists, writers, and researchers who sailed around the high Arctic archipelago Svalbard on a tall ship with the expeditionary residency program The Arctic Circle. The multimedia, interdisciplinary, creative meditations featured in “On the Cold Edge”—nearly 100 individual works—are drawn from and respond to our experience of Arctic flora and fauna; anthropogenic climate change; the history of resource extraction; the sound of calving glaciers; the Northern Lights; the rhythms of a masted sailing ship; and Svalbard’s geological outlandishness.

We are honored that our expeditionary work appears in Regeneration: Environment, Art, Culture, which won the 2025 Best New Journal Award from the Counsel of Editors of Learned Journals. We thank Regeneration editors Stephanie Foote, Dana Luciano, and Anthony Lioi for publishing this monumental project.

“On the Cold Edge”
Editors: Hester Blum, Candace Jensen, and Jacinda Russell

Contributors:
Joan Albaugh
Leonor Anthony
Ashlin Aronin
Hester Blum
Sergei Chernikov .chernikov.1
Dianne Chisholm
Harley Cowan
Jessica Creane
Laurie Glover
Brian House
Candace Jensen .cjensen
Hannah Larrabee .larrabee
Andrea Legge
Felicia LeRoy .lr
Jia-Jen Lin
Alexandra Lockhart
Zoriça Markovich
Terhi Nieminen
Alma Noor
Osceola Refetoff
Jacinda Russell
Paula Sćiuk
Drea Zlanabitnig

02/01/2026

Here’s what a read in 2025. The list is heavier on audio books than past (and present) years, but contains a few notable reads, for sure. It’s annotated, as always, for your perusing pleasure and efficiency : )

Shout out to and for contributing mightily to this years reading experience!

What struck a chord with you this year? If you have a top read (or more) from the last year, recs are very welcome!

04/09/2025

I’m thrilled to be one of 22 speakers who will present at the Climate Storytellers’ Summit on April 10! I’ll be speaking about making Tea Party at the End of the World and how to play through eco-grief and eco-anxiety.

Join us live online to hear from people harnessing the power of climate storytelling across ages and stages, topics and time zones. The diverse lineup of speakers includes a journalist, poet, data analyst, healthcare executive, dancer, author, anthropologist, photographer, professor, oral historian, indigenous rights advocate, high school and college students, retired park rangers, and documentary filmmakers, among others. Each of us will share a five-minute pecha-kucha-style presentation about the ways that climate stories can disrupt business as usual, grapple with history and inspire hope.

Conceived by Professor Bethany Wiggin, moderated by climate scientist and presented by , , .change.communication & , this Summit and its companion documentation and resource hub offer a platform to present climate storytelling work and to learn and connect with others working in this important space.

Stream the Climate Storytellers’ Summit live on Thurs, April 10 from 4-6pm EST! Full details and free registration through the link in bio.

03/17/2025

01/13/2025

This is truly one of my favorite gatherings of the year, especially when I get to ask big questions to brilliant friends and collaborators in the field.

This year I’ll be moderating two Salons: Big Ideas on Limited Resources, and What Theatre and Games Can Learn From Each Other.

Speakers hail from Disney; Meow Wolf, PHI, Electric Forest, Hasbro, Wasteland Weekend, Third Rail Projects, Albany Park Theater Project, Mighty Coconut, New Canvas, and Phantom Peak.

01/01/2025

The annual reading round up! 63 books read and I achieved this year’s goal of reading at least one paper book each month.

I annotated a few key books from the year. If you’re looking for recommendations, or have them to give, as always, let me know!

03/08/2024

Hello SXSW 2024! Excited to be in Austin and to co-host our playable Small Agency Meet-Up with my wonderful collaborator Amy Hua for the third year running!

12/31/2023

Here we are, the final day of 2023. There have been some excellent reads this year and they are noted in bold with the smallest of takeaways. It’s been a strong year for series’ and collections, particularly for fiction, with a couple of real gems in there. If you’re looking for a read to start the new year, please don’t hesitate to reach out! This post a combined paper/audio list and I’d be happy to weigh in on how the format impacted the experience. Here’s to more great reads in 2024! 📖📚❤️