Jackleen de La Harpe’s work speaks to the power of storytelling, a journey that spans across her career in journalism, Indigenous reporting, and her current creative explorations. After retiring in 2022 from her role as the founding Executive Director of Underscore Native News—a platform dedicated to covering Indigenous issues in the Pacific Northwest—De La Harpe is now exploring the world of creative writing. Her current projects explore the themes of sustainability, food sovereignty, and poverty, as she transitions from journalism to fiction and poetry.
Throughout her career, de La Harpe has skillfully highlighted the intersection of community, culture, and the environment, giving voice to critical, often overlooked issues. She has bylines in major publications such as The Boston Globe, The Providence Journal, and ICT. Before her time at Underscore Native News, she founded The Metcalf Institute for Marine + Environmental Reporting in Rhode Island, an initiative that bridged the gap between environmental science and journalism.
Now, in her post-journalism chapter, de La Harpe is exploring familiar topics, with a new approach. “My strength in writing is really more descriptive and observational,” she explains, noting how her shift from the clear, direct language of journalism to the more interpretive realms of fiction and poetry has been a natural evolution. “While my training has been in journalism, my mind is moving over here—to the poetry, fiction side.”
A key element of de La Harpe’s work, both past and present, is her focus on food sovereignty. She’s particularly interested in how food intersects with poverty and the stigma often attached to food insecurity. “I’ve been writing some essays about food, looking at poverty,” she says. “One question I have is, how is food shared without stigma?”
De La Harpe’s personal connection to the Pacific Northwest has also shaped her work. Growing up in Seattle, she spent much of her childhood immersed in the rural landscapes of the region, where sustainability and a close relationship to the land were daily realities. These experiences inform her approach to food systems and environmental issues, both in her past journalism work and her current writing.
Now, de La Harpe is writing fiction, a shift she finds exciting and liberating. “I hope I can write fiction, but something like that about poverty, and anchoring how to look at it not straight up but creatively,” she shares. Through fiction, she seeks to explore the topic in ways that statistics and reportage might not capture.
Her storytelling will continue to challenge readers to think deeply about community, equity, and sustainability.
Join de La Harpe with other residents, Sylvia Friday and Arunas and Katie Oslapas for the open studio on November 7th.
