A Q&A with—and farewell to—Ploughshares’ inaugural Content Creator Cohort

My journey to Ploughshares began in 2018 with air conditioning and lefse. I was a theology undergraduate studying peace methods in Oslo, Norway—the home of the Nobel Peace Prize. That summer, the Nobel Peace Center was recognizing the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)’s achievements in nuclear disarmament, and on an unusually warm Norwegian afternoon, our group visited the Center for a dose of elusive Nordic A/C and an exhibit none of us would soon forget: Photos of a decimated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, audiovisual testimonies from Hibakusha, and stories of near-misses during the Cold War. We left the Center with a pensive feeling that whatever issues our group had argued about for a whole summer were a bit trite in comparison.

During my following six-year stretch of work in interfaith communications, the ICAN exhibit was always in the back of my head. So when I landed at Ploughshares in the spring of 2025, it felt like a full circle moment with that afternoon in 2018, and remains the story I tell when people ask me what inspired me to get involved with this field.

One of my first charges as Ploughshares’ Communications Manager was overseeing our Story Center’s inaugural Content Creators Cohort. Working with these spectacular young professionals introduced me to dynamics of nuclear threat reduction I wouldn’t have thought to explore on my own—ethical investing, the spiritual dynamics between death and nuclear proliferation, and utilizing visual art to tell family stories. Supporting their work has been an encouraging experience as a young(ish) professional new to the nuclear threat reduction field, and each creator brought a bold and accessible perspective to what can be daunting subject matter.

We wrapped up the cohort’s time with Ploughshares a few weeks ago, and to send them off, I asked them to reflect on their approach to the nuclear weapons threat, and what other young people can learn—from across all fields—about getting involved with this work. (In each of their names, we hyperlinked author profiles so you can read and share their ever-relevant work for our Story Center.)

The creators came from the fields of finance, art, end-of-life support, and nuclear threat reduction, so we wanted to know: What inspired you to be a part of our content creator program in the first place?

For Jasmine Owens, a writer and trained death doula, the opportunity was creatively driven, leading to the creation of the Atomic Alchemy zine series. “For so long, the only writing I had been doing was political analysis for work,” she said. “I wanted to create a project just for me, on a topic that I was interested in and could use to find my writing voice again. Thankfully, Ploughshares offered me a supportive space to do just that.”

MacKenzie Cordova, a graphic designer and artist, likewise spoke of the creative opportunity, and created several art pieces to accompany her work for the Story Center: “Ploughshares gives artists and creators a wonderful space to express themselves to the fullest.” Her work often focused on her experiences as a fifth-generation New Mexican Downwinder: “I want to take any opportunity to talk about the Downwinders,” she told us. “Who we are, and what we have been through, so people can get a complete picture of the consequences of the atomic bomb.”

Endeavoring to make the nuclear issue more accessible was a driving motivator for Grant Bradski, Sustainable Investing Initiative Senior Coordinator at As You Sow. He said: “I was drawn to the idea of making nuclear risk more tangible. It’s such a high-stakes issue, but it can feel abstract or overwhelming.”

The cohort created content for the Story Center between six–ten months, and I was curious if their perspective on today’s nuclear threat shifted during this time.

For Jasmine, the time reinforced how trust and relationships are paramount to success in the field. “We need to start with how we relate to and interact with each other,” she said. “Because that informs how we move through the world and what we choose to give our attention and energy to.”

MacKenzie spoke about how deep and wide the roots of the nuclear issue runs in our country. “It is important to examine the oftentimes hidden impacts nuclear technology has on society and the environment,” she said. “Uranium mining, waste disposal, testing: these are all things that have important, devastating impacts on the people around them, and often go ignored and forgotten.”

Grant’s work at As You Sow helps align people’s investments with their values, and he noted a realization of how intertwined nuclear weapons can be with everyday investing. “Nuclear weapons are a surprising blind spot for many investors,” he said. “People care deeply about climate or human rights but often don’t realize they may also be financing nuclear weapons manufacturers.” 

Through programs like the Nuclear Futures Fellowship, as well as the content creators cohort, Ploughshares advocates for empowering the next generation of professionals in our field.

This inaugural cohort worked both within and outside of the nuclear threat reduction field, so I asked them what advice they’d give to young people interested in joining this work.

Advocating for an expanded definition of “expertise” in the field was a core value for Jasmine: “It can seem like an intimidating field to enter into, but it was designed that way on purpose to maintain the status quo,” she said. “Your perspective matters … bring all your creativity and innovation and empathy with you, because we desperately need it.” 

MacKenzie likewise encouraged people to stand up for their stories and interests: “Do not be afraid to share your story, do not be afraid to listen, learn, and mess up. The field needs youth who are willing to lead!”

Grant also warned against feeling beholden to the field’s status quo: “You don’t have to be a policy expert to have an impact,” he said. “Start where you are, and look for the hidden connections. Often the most powerful contributions come from bringing a new lens to an old problem.”

If you take anything from our content creators’ reflections, take this: the nuclear threat reduction field is wide, but it can always get wider. Tools of art, finance, spirituality, and beyond, are all critical pieces in solving the nuclear puzzle. 

One of the hardest parts of saying goodbye to this cohort is no longer getting a front-row look at their innovative, and frankly, cool contributions to their fields. We asked each of them what they have coming down the pipeline that readers can keep an eye on:

• Jasmine Owens started a Substack, Vultura Atomica, which is “a death doula’s take on pop culture, politics, and apocalypse.” You can subscribe here.
• Grant Bradski’s Invest Your Values program recently launched the Social Justice Funds tool, a free online platform scoring thousands of investment funds on racial justice, gender equality, corporate diversity, and LGBTQ+ equity. You can check it out at: socialjusticefunds.org.
• MacKenzie Cordova’s artwork is currently on display at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in New Mexico, and soon, she’ll be flying to New York to speak to the United Nations about her story.

We hope you’ll take a moment to catch up on Jasmine, MacKenzie, and Grant’s works on our Story Center, and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first in-the-know when new pieces are published.