Singing with Us, and for Us: An interview with musician and activist Holly Near.

• Author: Kupfer, David

Holly Near has had an amazing, exemplary life of artistry, performance, songwriting, and activism. The arc of her professional life has spanned more than five decades in a most unique fashion, singing for a more peaceful, equitable, just, and feminist world. Through her music, she has been an insightful storyteller, consistently committed to keeping her work rooted in contemporary activism. Respected around the world for her music and activism, Near has released more than thirty albums and performed in many countries.

Near was born in 1949 in Ukiah, California, into a family that encouraged creativity. At age twenty-three, a half-century ago, she wrote her first feminist song, "It's More Important To Me." About the same time, she started Redwood Records to support the release of her first album, Hang In There. Near was one of the first women to create an independent record company, paving the way for others in what had been a completely male-dominated industry.

Throughout her adult life, Near has worked and associated with an incredible array of musicians and artists. She has been recognized many times for her lifelong work promoting social change, including with honors from the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Ms. magazine, and the Legends of Women's Music Award.

Q: You've had a particularly challenging year, health-wise. Can you share that journey with us?

Holly Near: Earlier in 2022, I slipped on some ice while back East, broke my arm, dislocated my shoulder, and had surgery. After that, I decided to come back West to heal and had my timely colonoscopy. The colonoscopy did not reveal any problems in my colon, but it indicated that I had a rare form of anal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma.

The treatment recommended was radiation and a dose of chemo to make cells more likely to respond to radiation. A five-week run was prescribed. The doctors gave me a full-blast treatment because they only have one shot at it. That was really rough, it brought me to my knees. In the midst of the treatment, the radiation left fractures in my pelvic bone, which required me to walk with a cane as it healed.

Q: What happened then?

Near: In the middle of the treatment, apparently unrelated, I had a small stroke. I found myself on the phone with my niece, and then her mom, Krissy. I'm not sure how that happened, but I was talking without forming words. Krissy said, "Holly, you are having a stroke. Call 9-1-1."

Once home, the family kicked in and did round-the-clock care until I passed the danger zone of having another more massive stroke. The doctors ordered a heart monitor for thirty days so they could see if there were any abnormalities. Apparently not. But my heart got radiation during my first bout with cancer in 2014, so I must now consciously...