CURRENT Work
In Progress
Collectives
A series of stories told through short films that combine individual narratives on a common theme into a collective one
These multimedia, immersive sound-driven stories reflect the uniqueness of the individual narratives while bearing witness to commonalities that emerge when single voices on a specific theme are knit together into one story. The series is intended to draw listeners into reflection on their own stories and how their singular identity also inhabits a space within collective narratives. In addition, the films in the series will document the unique, collective experiences of the groups being profiled.
The first project in this series was my story about the experience of nurses providing care for Covid patients at the beginning of the pandemic (see recently released work). Currently, I am working on the second film in the series which is tentatively called R♀SHI. This film will explore the experiences of the women who hold the highest teaching designation in American Zen Buddhism and who were among the first of their gender to receive this title. Now in their seventies and eighties, the Roshis are an extremely small group. I believe they each have a unique lens on what it means to lead and to serve.
Pilgrimage to Original Face
A multimedia memoir project exploring my childhood growing up on the University of Alabama campus during the 1970s
In 1969, when I was four years old, my family moved into the President’s Mansion on the University of Alabama campus⏤a three-story, 11,000 square foot home built in 1841. From this vantage point in the middle of campus, I witnessed student protests against the war in Vietnam and in support of the civil rights movement.
As my dad navigated the duties of being the university’s youngest president at the age of thirty-three, I liked to slip into spaces on the fringes, out of sight, where I could spy on the world of grown-ups. Like living in a fishbowl, there was a constant swirl of events around me for which I had no context or understanding. Yet, all my witnessing from the sidelines had an impact on shaping who I am and how I see things.
Fast forward to 2018, when I was listening to a Buddhist dharma talk and heard these words: “Show me your original face, the face you had before your parents were born.” I bolted upright and froze in place. Stunned, I felt like I had discovered the name for something I’d been searching for since I was a child.
Recently Released
CONTEMPLATIVE PAUSE
A series short films that distill wisdom from Buddhist teachings into reflective meditations.
Completed in September of 2022, the intention of this project was to create an artful and meaningful distillation of Upaya Zen Center’s Socially Engaged Buddhist Training program in 2021-2022. Through a series of three short films⏤each one of which features the voices of three different teachers⏤some of the key themes of the program are highlighted. A contemplative experience is created for the viewer by merging abtract visual imagery, with sound, and voice to immerse viewers deeply in reflection on the wisdom shared.
To read more about this project, visit the blog at Medium for the California Institute of Integral Studies Master of Fine Arts program, where I discuss my process: MFA@CIIS Blog.
Nurses on the Frontline
A collective storytelling project gathering the experiences of nurses on the frontline of care during the Covid19 pandemic.
The purpose of this project was to bear witness to nurses’ experiences providing care to Covid-19 patients as the global pandemic began. I interviewed nurses from the ER, ICU, and Covid hospital units from May through September 2021. The final product of this project is an immersive, audio-driven essay film that combines the nurses individual stories into a collective one. I am profoundly grateful to the nurses who shared their stories.
To read more my process in creating this film, see my article in the March, 2022 member newsletter for the Minnesota Coalition on Death Education and Support (MCDES): Bearing Witness: A Collective Story about Nurses in the Pandemic.