Join a dynamic roundtable discussion with local business and organization representatives who find inspiration in the distant past. Discover how they bring joy from the premodern world into modern, inclusive spaces. Stay for an engaging Q&A session! Learn more about the featured speakers below.
Speakers
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Gigi Coulson
Gigi Coulson is the president and executive director of Costumers of Color, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates welcoming and safe multicultural spaces in historical costuming and public history. She is a retired environmental sociologist, author, living historian, researcher, and traveler.
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Monica Schley
Monica Schley is a harpist, poet, mother, songwriter, wedding musician, harp instructor, bandleader of The Daphnes, and touring artist. As a therapeutic harpist, she worked for five years with Providence Hospice and Highline Medical Center as a Certified Clinical Musician. She has also arranged the songs of Hildegard of Bingen for folk harp.
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Jessica van Hattem
Jessica van Hattem served as the first corporate DEI Officer for SCA, Inc. (Society for Creative Anachronism) and continues to educate within the DEIB community. Professionally, Jessica’s background is in technical writing specializing in procedural and policy documentation.
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Rosa Vissers
Rosa Vissers is the co-owner of Hildegard Ferments & Botanicals, the smallest brewery and apothecary in Seattle, crafting a diverse array of specialty beers and plant medicines. Named after the twelfth-century mystic, Hildegard brings together Rosa's love for plants, creativity, and community building in a beautiful way.
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Robin S. Reich (Moderator)
Robin S. Reich is Assistant Professor of History at Seattle University and Managing Director of the Medievalist Toolkit. She specializes in the history of intercultural interaction in the medieval Mediterranean and teaches and researches on a wide range of topics, including the history of science and medicine, women's bodies in the Middle Ages, the use of art and craft in medieval life, and perceptions of the Middle Ages in popular culture and political discourse.
