How do we creatively increase empathy? What about increasing compassion for ourselves? Last year I experienced chronic pain for 8 months, which made me think a lot about empathy for those in pain of any kind—physical, emotional, or mental. Are our societies built for those who suffer from chronic pain? Can we increase empathy through art? Reading the book Your Brain on Artand talking with its co-author Susan Magsamen has really inspired me in the ways that so many people are already doing this.
Do we begin with more compassion for ourselves? How do we set intentions around practicing that self-compassion. I thank a guest from Season 2, Ceci Najar, who wrote a memoir called Unf*ckupable: A Love Story for inspiring me with the list she made when she decided to change her life. Sitting down and writing 100 things to see, do, or have helped her to believe that she deserved to have things that had always felt out of reach before.
How do you set intentions? Do you, like me, feel resistance to the idea that you deserve the things on your list? I’d love for you to share! Reach me at arthealsallwoundspodcast.com.
Listen, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 4 Finale
100 Things: Setting Intentions
Season 4, Episode 23
Today, I’m joined by Susan Magsamen, Founder and Executive Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Applied Neuroscience. She’s also the co-author of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, which explores how aesthetic experiences impact the human brain and body. In our conversation, Susan shares where her fascination for the intersection of art, science, and education stems from. She describes the research and writing process for Your Brain on Art, and goes into detail about some of the standout sections of the book, including the role art can play in community building and physical healing.
So much of Susan’s work is centered around the extraordinary ways art measurably changes the brain, body, and behavior. By breaking down the silos between scientists and artists, this knowledge can be translated into specific practices that advance individual and communal wellbeing. Your Brain on Art is an approachable starting point for understanding how humans are wired for the arts and ways we continue to evolve through creative expression. Susan is also the Co-Director of the NeuroArts Blueprint. We dive into the five-year global initiative she and her team are building in the field of neural arts. Their goal is to ensure art becomes a part of mainstream medicine and public health conversation.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How Susan and co-writer Ivy Ross brought Your Brain on Art to life
● Key terms and concepts related to the neuroscience of art
● Examples of the physiological, psychological, and sociological impacts of art
● What gives Susan hope about how art can support communities in addressing certain social issues
● Insights from research that shows how art can impact the progression of certain diseases and disorders
Guest Info:
● Your Brain on Art Website
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Susan Magsamen of the International Arts + Mind Lab
Agent of Belonging—Co-Author of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us
Season 4, Episode 22
Today, I’m joined by Rigo 23, a painter, muralist, and activist who has undertaken collaborative art projects with some of America's political prisoners. In our conversation, Rigo expands on the inspiration and process behind two of his works: His recent February 31st Exhibit that includes work with, and inspired by, the Angola 3 and a large-scale statue of Leonard Peltier based on one of Peltier’s self-portraits.
Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox, and Robert King, also known as the Angola 3, were subjected to a combined 114 years in closed cell restriction, which is the longest known solitary confinement incarceration in world history. February 31st is an exhibit that invites viewers to explore the work of Rigo 23 that was a collaboration with Wallace, Woodfox, and King, and inspired by the unique worldview that Herman, Albert, and Robert developed during their years of deprivation and inhumane conditions.
Rigo also shares the story behind his statue of Leonard Peltier, an Indigenous rights activist who is still serving a prison sentence from when he was wrongfully convicted of murdering two FBI agents in 1975. The statue Rigo created, based on Leonard Peltier’s self-portrait, has traveled around the country, and exemplifies how art can harness support for those unjustly imprisoned.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The personal experience that sparked Rigo’s interest in learning about the lived experiences of political prisoners
● The lasting impact on Rigo from his relationship with the Angola 3 and Leonard Peltier
● How Leonard Peltier’s self-portrait in prison inspired Rigo to create a solidarity statue How the sculpture of Leonard was stolen, then found with community help
● Art as a way to go beyond structural division by race, gender, and beliefs
Resources Mentioned:
● February 31st show at the Anglim/Trimble Gallery
Guest Info:
● rigo23info@gmail.com
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Rigo 23: Painter, Muralist, and Activist
Agent of Belonging—Collaboration That Transcends Barriers and Harnesses Support for Political Prisoners
Season 4, Episode 21
Today, I’m joined by dancer, choreographer, and cultural leader Alleluia Panis. In our conversation, Alleluia expands on the vision behind her captivating performances, many of which are inspired by her lived experience as a Filipina immigrant.
Alleluia describes how many of the indigenous Filipino traditions have been forgotten due to the dark history of colonialism in the country. As the Artistic and Executive Director of KULARTS, Alleluia’s mission is to reintroduce the world to contemporary and tribal Filipino art. In her personal quest to reconnect with her indigenous self, she invites others to question where they might also be estranged from their true identity.
Alleluia’s curiosity has led her to explore more of her lineage and global history. After her research phase, she collaborates with other artists to develop characters, storylines, and corresponding dance pieces. Alleluia shares details of how this process unfolded for performances like for ‘She, Who Can See,’ ‘Nursing These Wounds,’ as well as her current project about the relationship between the US military and the Philippines. She also touches on the retreats and workshops she hosts in tandem with indigenous tribes in the Philippines.
Listen to, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Alleluia’s journey to becoming a dancer and performer
● Why it’s so important to Alleluia to represent the immigrant experience on stage
● Dance as a form of meditation and prayer
● How Alleluia works to find the balance of a piece that communicates her truth, but also invites others to find themselves in it
● What Alleluia notices about the next generation of young artists she works with
Guest Info:
● Alleluia’s Instagram
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Alleluia Panis: Dancer, Choreographer, and Cultural Leader
Agent of Belonging—Decolonizing Art, Discovering Yourself
Season 4, Episode 20
In today’s episode, I’m joined by body-based artists and activists Kai Hazelwood and Sarah Ashkin. Kai and Sarah are co-founders of Practice Progress, an anti-racist facilitation practice that addresses structural, professional, and interpersonal white supremacy through embodied learning. In our conversation, Kai and Sarah describe what body-based learning is, particularly through the lens of their LISTEN IN workshops, which are race-based spaces that address the physiological impacts of racism. In Kai’s BIPOC Affinity Circle, the focus is on repairing the rest and care gap that so many people of color people face. She leads participants through embodied rest, practices that settle the nervous system, and frameworks for setting boundaries. Sarah facilitates the white working group and guides members to build awareness around what it means to actively be anti-racist. Kai and Sarah share examples of modalities that support the collective unlearning and healing in both workshops. In addition, Kai and Sarah are partnering with Arcos Dance to host their third annual UNtensive workshop. The four-day virtual gathering is designed for educators, artists, or really anyone who wants to explore the embodied nature of rupture and repair.
Listen to, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The distinction between body-based artists and dancers
● Recognizing the ways that different groups embody white supremacy
● The physiological toll of covert and overt racism
● Building community around anti-racism and embodiment
● Why Kai and Sarah decided against facilitating workshops in multiracial spaces
● What to expect from the UNtensive workshop
Resources Mentioned:
● Sign up for the upcoming UNtensive workshop
● Kai’s essay: I'm Breaking Up With Dance: I Can't Heal In The Same Relationship That Hurt Me
● Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
Kai Hazelwood and Sarah Ashkin
Agents of Belonging—Embodied Learning and Anti-Racism: Unpacking White Supremacy Through Body-Based Practices
Season 4, Episode 17
Today, I’m joined by Brittany Delany, a dancer, choreographer, and co-director of the dance and social justice collective GROUND SERIES. We discuss the latest project from GROUND SERIES called “Free the Body,” an interactive art installation at The Coachella Valley Art Center that explores what it means to free the body within personal, cultural, social, and political settings. In our conversation, Brittany describes the inception of this project and how different elements of writing, sound, movement, and visual art were introduced. She shares what people can expect from the installation, including the various workshops the collective is hosting with local nonprofit organizations. When Brittany found herself in a cycle of rage and frustration brought on by the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the overturn of Roe v. Wade, she joined with collaborators to channel that energy into “Free the Body,” using the text Abolition. Feminism. Now as inspiration. Brittany unpacks the refuge that this project offers her and what she hopes people will take away from the experience. She also highlights ways that the collective is working to engage with local community organizations and foster restorative justice services within the Coachella Valley community.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Dance through the lens of politics, spirituality, and research
● Brittany’s perspective on what it means to free the body
● Rage as a powerful motivator for artists
● The fortification of community through in-person events
● The core curriculum and methodology of “Free the Body” workshops
Resources Mentioned:
● Abolition. Feminism. Now. by Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica Meiners, Beth Richie
Guest Info:
● Coachella Valley Art Center Website
● Brittany's Instagram
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
Brittany Delany, Dancer and Choreographer
Agent of Belonging—Free the Body: Exploring Personal, Cultural, Social, and Political Liberation Through Interactive Art and Movement
Season 4, Episode 16
Today, I’m joined by Shavonne Allen, Joel Yates, and Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes, three members of Skywatchers, a performance ensemble based in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Skywatchers is an interdisciplinary, intergenerational, mixed-ability, and multicultural performance group that aims to amplify the voices of Tenderloin residents. Their mix of movement, music, visual art, and spoken word get to the core of what the Tenderloin is, which, despite the despair that is visible on the streets, is a place of abundant generosity. In Dazié’s words, community members in the Tenderloin have been given a limited view of themselves based on what outsiders see on the surface. The Tenderloin is an inclusive neighborhood where people support their neighbors and forge social spaces despite the hostile architecture that discourages social gathering in the area. Skywatchers performances explore the real, raw, lived experiences of ensemble members and life in the Tenderloin, but also share a vision of how things could be. Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié highlight the impact their art has on the neighborhood and reflect on how their lives have changed since joining the ensemble.
Listen, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The history of the Tenderloin neighborhood and how it became a containment zone for the city’s biggest unsolved social issues
● How Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié were introduced to Skywatchers
● The story behind the ‘Opulence Portraits’ and ‘Towards Opulence' pieces
● Examples of what hostile architecture looks like, particularly in downtown San Francisco
● What Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié have gained from being part of Skywatchers
● What other Tenderloin community members gain from the work of Skywatchers
Guest Info:
● Towards Opulence, the Opera at The Cutting Ball Theater
● Skywatchers on Facebook
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Skywatchers, Featuring Shavonne Allen, Joel Yates, and Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes
Agents of Belonging—TOWARDS OPULENCE: Calling Forth Our Collective
Capacity to Create Change
Season 4, Episode 15
Today, I’m joined by filmmakers Shweta Ghosh and Priyanka Pal to discuss their work together on We Make Film, a feature documentary about filmmaking by people with disabilities in India. Through a series of ‘interview workshops,’ the film highlights the creative ways that filmmakers with disabilities articulate their perspective and artistic vision, despite the accessibility challenges they face. Shweta and Priyanka connected on the idea of making a film where people with disabilities can bring their professional experience, as well their story, into their production process. What started out as Shweta’s PhD project in 2015 eventually became a deep dive into the dynamics within communities of people with disabilities, how they engage with each other, and how they define themselves. In our conversation, Shweta and Priyanka expand on stand-out moments from interviews and how those conversations opened their eyes to small, yet powerful ways to create a more accessible and inclusive filmmaking environment. They also describe how they’re working with the next generation of artists to challenge stereotypes and welcome diverse voices both in front of and behind the camera.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Why it’s so important to Priyanka, a filmmaker with a locomotor disability, to create a new narrative for how people with disabilities are portrayed in mainstream media
● Shweta’s process for defining the project scope and finding people for each role
● The surprising ways that different participants interpreted Shweta’s interview prompts
● How Shweta’s father’s disability shaped her perspective as an able-bodied filmmaker
● Priyanka and Shweta’s vision for how film crews and media can be more accessible and inclusive
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
Agents of Belonging
Artists in this series do work that is about inclusion, expansion, and dissolving the barriers that divide and define us as those who belong and those who are other.
Priyanka Pal and Shweta Ghosh
Agents of Belonging—We Make Film: Exploring Accessibility and Inclusion
In the Indian Film Industry
Season 4, Episode 14
Today, I’m joined by the members of Crying Uncle Bluegrass, a California-based bluegrass band. Fiddle player Miles Quale teamed up with his brother Teo, a mandolin player, bassist Andrew Osborn, and guitarist John Gooding to jam together almost five years ago when they were all in their early-to-mid teens. Together they represent the next generation of the community-driven bluegrass genre.
In our conversation, the four members share how they were introduced to this type of music and what inspires them to continue playing it. They first crossed paths at the Father's Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley, CA. Festivals are a common theme in our discussion as they’ve played a critical role in their growth and success as musicians. Miles and John describe how the collaborative nature of bluegrass lends itself well to spaces that promote community building, jamming, and workshops that are often featured at these events. Because it’s not everyday that you meet a group of young musicians playing bluegrass, I wanted to get their perspective on mixing traditional sounds with modern trends. They reflect on how they’ve evolved musically and the gratitude they have for the rich history of bluegrass music. They also share what they hope to accomplish as a band and what they’re looking forward to in the near future.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How Miles, Teo, Andrew, and John came together to form Crying Uncle Bluegrass
● Each band member’s relationship to bluegrass music
● The influence of new players on this traditional genre
● A look back on their most memorable performance at the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France
● What they love most about bluegrass as a genre and community
● The story behind the name ‘Crying Uncle’
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Crying Uncle Bluegrass
Cultural Evolutionaries—Bluegrass Roots, Modern Shoots: The Future of Bluegrass Music
Season 4, Episode 13
Today, I’m joined by Jason Wyman, an artist, creative coach, and co-founder of Queerly Complex, a creative hub and community platform. In our conversation, Jason shares what led them to creating a gathering space for making sense of the world and helping other creatives find their place in it. In a society that demands simplicity and easy-to-consume ideas, Jason likes that they’re willing to sit with the pain, trauma, and suffering of the world to question their personal beliefs and find where they fit in. Between getting kicked out of a seminary for being an openly queer person to becoming estranged (and then reuniting) with their family, Jason has always sought refuge with people who know what it’s like to move in the margin. They describe how their queerness became directly tied to understanding racism and committing to anti-racism work, which has eventually expanded into Queerly Complex. Jason emphasizes the importance of giving space for the entire emotional spectrum and learning how to show up even in the face of depression, anxiety, and overwhelm. Instead of bypassing the reality of social injustice, Jason encourages people to create change on an individual level, which infinitely ripples out into the world. One of the greatest tools in that process is to surround yourself with other people who celebrate your complexity and how you create amongst the chaos.
Listen, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What Queerly Complex is and the story behind the name
● What brought Jason to the idea of creating space and community for ‘queerdos and comrades’
● An beautiful example of what's possible between a straight father and a queer child
● How Jason came to tie their visual work and consulting work together
● Why Jason doesn’t believe that balance exists in activism
● Current projects and initiatives at Queerly Complex
Guest Info:
● Immigrant Artist Network Website
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Jason Wyman of Queerly Complex
Cultural Evolutionary: Embracing Complexity: Navigating Queerness, Anti-Racism, and Creativity
Season 4, Episode 12
Today, I’m joined by Mathew Gabriel Gonzales (aka Philthy Dronez), musician and music producer, to explore the roots behind his signature West Coast Cumbia sound. As an Eastside San Jose native, Mathew draws inspiration from the hip hop, funk, and cumbia rhythms he grew up around in his vibrant neighborhood.
In Mathew’s words, music doesn’t have borders, which is why he celebrates the multicultural melting pot of Eastside San Jose. In our conversation, Mathew gives an overview of the history of cumbia and why it’s had such a major impact on his life. He describes the throughlines of the genres he mixes, namely how they’ve all emerged from collective oppression.
Between the flashy lowriders, steaming bowls of pho, and lively music streaming from every direction, outsiders might write Eastside San Jose off as ‘rowdy’ or ‘disorderly.’ But to Mathew, that’s what makes the city so beautiful and what he hopes to portray in his innovative music. He shares his plans to travel through Europe this year and show people around the world what West Coast Cumbia is all about.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Mathew’s musical background and how he started developing West Coast Cumbia
● The history of Eastside San Jose’s old nickname, “Sal Si Puedes” to United Farm Workes “Si, se puede”
● How the Vietnamese and Latino cultures intersect in San Jose
● What drew Mathew to experiment with cumbia music
● Mathew’s vision for expanding the reach of West Coast Cumbia
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Mathew Gabriel Gonzalez, aka Philthy Dronez
Cultural Evolutionary: Wepa Life: West Coast Cumbia from Eastside San Jose
Season 4, Episode 11
Today, I’m joined by Roy Miles, aka Ghetto Geppetto, a filmmaker, motion graphics artist, puppet maker and puppeteer, toy maker, and animation artist. On top of his impressive resume, Roy is also a former student of mine who stands out as one of the most creative people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
Roy has an animated universe called “Hoodland'' that's somewhat of a West Coast version of Sesame Street. Growing up in the 70s and 80s in East Oakland, Roy looks back fondly on his childhood of biking around the city with his friends and experiencing the liveliness of different neighborhoods. In our conversation, he describes how he draws on those memories to create the multidimensional characters and storylines in the Hoodland series.
Even though we can laugh at some of Oakland’s unique qualities and reflect on the rich history and culture of the city, there’s no denying how gun violence and disparity have deeply impacted the community. Roy looks back on how he leaned into his creative practice to cope with depression after his wife and children were caught in the crossfire of a shooting. He also explains why he’s not planning on leaving Oakland.
Listen, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Moments and people from Roy’s childhood that are represented in Hoodland
● Celebrating the multiculturalism and close-knit communities in East Oakland
● Struggling with creativity and a sense of artistic purpose after tragedy
● Honoring the creative ingenuity and expression of people from East Oakland
● Why Roy is committed to staying in East Oakland
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Roy Miles, Filmmaker, Puppeteer, and Toymaker
Cultural Evolutionary: Hoodland Chronicles: Art, Community, and Resilience in East Oakland with Ghetto Geppetto
Season 4, Episode 10
Today, I’m joined by Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea, aka La Doña, to discuss the inspiration and meaning behind her “Femmeton” music.
As a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and educator from The Mission in San Francisco, CA, La Doña’s music draws on many of the social-political issues of her neighborhood. From women's empowerment and trans-inclusivity to gentrification and climate anxiety, she offers an honest look at her life as a young, queer, Latinx person in the Bay Area.
La Doña brings an intentional femme perspective to the typically misogynistic themes of reggaeton. In our conversation, she walks us through two songs: Cuando Se Van and Nada Me Pertenece. She also opens up about the pressure that so many Bay Area musicians experience and factors that ultimately drive them out of the city. But despite those challenges, Cecelia is dedicated to continuing to show up for her community and keep her culture alive.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The inspiration behind La Doña’s music and lyrics
● How gentrification has disrupted the cultural fabric of many Bay Area communities
● Challenging the narrative that musicians need to move to LA to be successful
● How La Doña and other Bay Area artists work to maintain space for their culture
● Experiences that have informed Cecelia’s songwriting process
Guest Info:
● Nada Me Pertenece Music Video
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newslette
Promoted Podcast:
La Doña, Singer-Songwriter and Multi-Instramentalist
Cultural Evolutionary: The Empowering Sounds of Femmeton
Season 4, Episode 9
Cultural Evolutionaries
Artists whose work, formed within the culture of their communities convey the traditions they were raised with. What’s exciting though, is that their work also reflects the realities of change, in terms of housing costs, displacement, climate change, and incorporates other creative influences, be it musical, visual art, community work, or activism.
Today, I’m joined by legendary film and sound editor Vivien Hillgrove to discuss her upcoming documentary, Vivien’s Wild Ride.
After being diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that blurs central vision, life as Vivien knew it completely shifted. Her experience losing her eyesight transported her back to the confusion and isolation she felt as a pregnant teen who was persuaded into giving her daughter up for adoption. In Vivien’s Wild Ride, she explores how secrets and sadness shape our lives and the freedom that’s available when we finally release that shame.
Vivien describes how she’s been grappling with the reality of losing her sight, which is one of the most crucial senses that filmmakers rely on. After the initial shock and adjustment, Vivien has discovered that her loss of sight provides a unique perspective on blindness both as a condition and a metaphor.
In our conversation, Vivien brings us back to one of the darkest periods of her life and talks about how her introduction to filmmaking brought her out of it. She shares stories of how her film community embraced and empowered her to live her truth and express it through art. Vivien’s Wild Ride expands our understanding of loss, love, and healing.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Vivien’s main motivation for creating a memoir documentary
● The three stories that unfold in Vivien’s Wild Ride
● Vivien’s description of the ascent into creativity and Charles Bonnet syndrome, a condition that causes visual hallucinations
● Processing grief and trauma through art
● What Vivien hopes the audience will take away from Vivien’s Wild Ride
Guest Info:
● Vivien's Wild Ride on Facebook
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Promoted Podcast:
Vivien Hillgrove, Editor and Documentary Filmmaker
Vivien’s Wild Ride: A Documentary Journey Through Love, Loss, and Healing
Season 4, Episode 8
Today, I’m joined by award-winning artist, playwright, and librettist Catherine Filloux to discuss how she explores the intersection of social justice and theater in her work. In our conversation, Catherine expands on the stories that have captured her heart and informed her career, including the survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and the Dirty War in Argentina. Where Elephants Weep is a rock opera that follows the love story of two Cambodian-Americans who return to their homeland. Catherine outlines the expansive research that she and composer Him Sophy did to bring this story to life and explains why she’s dedicated to exploring the generational impact of the Khmer Rouge regime. Because the play was banned after it was broadcast for the first time on Cambodian national television, Catherine and Him Sophy are updating and relaunching it next year. Catherine’s also working on a one-woman play about the extraordinary life of visual artist and activist Claudia Bernardi. Catherine gives an overview of what we can expect from How to Eat an Orange and why she was inspired to pursue this story. We also discuss the potency of storytelling in the theater, especially as we’ve been driven towards screens and experiencing art alone. Catherine leaves us with an inspiring message about her passion for honoring survivors' stories and highlights why it’s revolutionary to remember.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Catherine’s early introduction to theater and what sparked her interest in playwriting
● An honest look at the United States’ complicity in international conflict
● Why Where Elephants Weep was banned in Cambodia
● The deep impact of the Khmer Rouge regime on Cambodian arts and tradition
● An overview of Claudia Bernardi’s activism in Argentina
● Using the theater as a setting to honor the victims and survivors of human rights violations
Guest Info:
● Catch Where Elephants Weep on Broadway on Demand through April 22, 2023
● Stay updated about the premiere of How to Eat an Orange at La MaMa
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
Catherine Filloux, Playwright and Librettist
Remembering is a Revolutionary Act—Honoring the Stories of Survivors
Season 4, Episode 7
Today, I’m joined by writer Aimée Baker and filmmakers Vanessa Cicarelli and Jason Greer. Aimée is the author of Doe, an award-winning poetry collection in which she commemorates the lives of missing and unidentified girls and women in the United States. She is Vanessa and Jason’s full-length documentary about Aimée and her eye-opening work. With true crime podcasts and series topping the charts, I often wonder if we’re all becoming desensitized to the real-life horror of the subject matter. Doe and She have a more empathetic approach to the genre. Aimée, Vanessa, and Jason work to honor the victims, particularly those who don’t make front-page news.
In our conversation, we discuss the importance of making visible something that’s in danger of being forgotten or disappearing. Aimée, Vanessa, and Jason highlight the lack of attention and sympathy that missing BIPOC women receive, as well as challenge the narrative that girls and women are asking for trouble when they engage in certain behaviors considered as risky. We also get into details about both the writing and filmmaking processes. Aimée opens up about what inspired her to pursue these stories and how she took care of herself during such an emotionally challenging project. Vanessa and Jason share how they built trust with Aimée when she was hesitant about the film and what their overarching goals are for it.
Listen, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Using poetry to express possible parts of the story of missing and unidentified women in the United States
● Vanessa and Jason’s connection to Aimée’s work and why they wanted to make a documentary about it
● What Aimée discovered about the incredible bias about who does (and doesn’t) get media coverage when they’re missing or unidentified
● The range of emotions that all three artists experienced while engaging with these stories
● A deeply moving reading from Doe called “Dustland Fairytale”
Guest Info:
● Watch or Download She
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● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
Aimée Baker, Writer and Vanessa Cicarelli and Jason Greer
Honoring America’s Missing and Unidentified Women
Season 4, Episode 6
Today, I’m joined by writer Ausma Zehanat Khan to discuss how she explores the scope and horror of nationalism, Islamophobia, and racism in page-turner detective novels. As a Muslim woman and former immigration and human rights lawyer, Ausma draws on her professional and personal experiences to craft enticing storylines around topics like criminal justice reform and race relations.
In our conversation, we unpack themes and details of her most recent book, Blackwater Falls, and Ausma provides insight into what inspired her to pursue this story. We also touch on some of Ausma’s earlier work, including her decade-long research on The Balkan Wars that informed her debut novel, The Unquiet Dead.
Ausma has a unique perspective on American politics as a Canadian living in rural Colorado. She sees first-hand the impact of systemic racism and xenophobia on BIPOC communities in her area.
Set in a similar town to where Ausma currently lives, Blackwater Falls illuminates the nuances of how ultra-nationalist movements gain traction and eventually erase multiculturalism. Through the heavy topics, Ausma also artfully weaves in elements of romance, family dynamics, and small town drama.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What sparked Ausma’s investigation on military intervention and war crimes of The Balkan Wars
● Using crime fiction as a way to communicate about systemic injustices
● The identity challenges that many BIPOC law enforcement officers face
● Ausma’s thought process behind the three main power structures in Blackwater Falls
● The signs and consequences of ‘incrementalism’ in American politics
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Ausma Zehanat Khan, Writer
Solving Mysteries at the Intersection of Crime and Human Rights
Season 4, Episode 5
Women’s History Month Series
Isn’t it a little silly to have a month for women’s history and Black history and any other history? As if these histories can be separated somehow from the grand story we are all creating together. Having said that though, I plan to use every episode in March to highlight some women artists whose work deserves to be celebrated. So join me in celebrating them…as long as you know that every other woman artist in this podcast is equally deserving to be celebrated along with artists of other genders who are doing transformational work!
Today, I’m joined by Ajuan Mance, a visual artist and educator who recently published an illustrated encyclopedia titled, Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance. The book features around forty illustrations of activities that are perfectly legal, but for which African Americans have been arrested, harassed, or even killed. In our conversation, Ajuan provides some context for why she created this body of work and reflects on stylistic choices, including her decision to portray Black people how she sees them: resilient, loving, and joyful.
There’s a powerful juxtaposition in the formatting of the book. On one side of the page, Ajuan includes colorful illustrations of everyday life, and on the other side, there’s a description of the weighty subject matter. Whether it’s a glare at a high-end supermarket or a not-so-routine traffic stop, Living While Black illuminates stories that don't make the major news cycle, but are so important to understand the daily discrimination that Black people endure for simply existing. Ajuan also highlights some of her personal takeaways from the illustration process. The scope and age range of Black people who are subject to violence continues to shock her, but she hopes this book will call attention to the narratives and stereotypes that deeply harm her community.
Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Ajuan’s personal relationship to Living While Black
● What it was like for Ajuan to do such a large collection of drawings around the violence and harassment of Black people
● Ajuan’s decision to include a timeline of events at the end of the book
● How the non black people's perceptions of African Americans put African Americans in danger
● Ajuan’s strategy for illustrating the community that’s left in the wake of traumatic events
● The message that Ajuan hopes to leave readers with
Guest Info:
● Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance
● Ajuan's Instagram
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Ajuan Mance, Comic Artist and Illustrator
Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance
Season 4, Episode 4
Today, I’m joined by Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker Vivian Kleiman. In her latest film, No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics, Vivian offers an intimate look at five pioneers of queer comics: Alison Bechdel, Rupert Kinnard, Howard Cruse, Jen Camper, and Mary Wings. The film also introduces a new generation of LGBTQ+ artists creating comics. In our conversation, Vivian and I discuss how this project came about and her thought process behind certain cinematic touches. Vivian hits on some of the storytelling conflicts she went through while creating the film, including how to bring the viewers into the hearts and minds of the featured artists.
We also talk about what it means for a film like this to be picked up by PBS, given the current political climate. Although she originally imagined No Straight Lines on a streaming platform like Netflix or HBO, it ultimately landed with Independent Lens, the independent documentary film branch of PBS. Vivian shares her approach to conforming with the FCC guidelines in a way that honors the content, but makes it available to a wide audience.
You can watch No Straight Lines for free on PBS until April 23, 2023. If you’re catching this episode after that date, it’s still available for a small fee as a PBS member.
Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Why Vivian pursued this film, even though she doesn't identify as a ‘comic geek’
● The importance of having queer stories represented in comics that are humorous, but also poignant
● How Vivian came up with a way to portray these artists and their work in a dynamic way
● Celebrating Tongues Untied, a landmark film she produced with Marlon Riggs, entering into the in the National Film Registry
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Vivian Kleiman, Documentary Filmmaker
Behind the Scenes of No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics
Season 4, Episode 3
Today, I’m joined by award-winning comedian, author, and podcaster Rosie Wilby to discuss her latest book, The Breakup Monologues: The Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak. Rosie has a generous and open-minded way of talking about breakups, heartbreak, and all the messiness in-between.
In our conversation, Rosie shares what it was like to rehash old relationships when researching this book. We especially bond over the idea of falling in love with someone who is so utterly unavailable and how painful it can be to hold onto a relationship that’s doomed for failure.
Rosie also unpacks how she uses humor to process her experiences and invite people to look at their relationships through a new lens. You’ll hear in the short excerpt that she shares how witty and painfully relatable her comedy is.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What inspired Rosie to write a book about breakups
● How unrequited love can psychologically push you into new growth
● Stylistic choices that Rosie made to demonstrate how the ending of one chapter is always the beginning of another
● How Rosie uses comedy as a tool to make topics like infidelity, breakups, and heartbreak accessible to a broad audience
Guest Info:
● The Breakup Monologues: The Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Promoted Podcast
Rosie Wilby, Comedian, Writer, and Podcaster
Discover the Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak with The Breakup Monologues!
Season 4, Episode 2
Season 4
Seeing is Believing
The guests lined up for the first few weeks of Season 4 are changing the way that we see things. Are we looking at something in a way that prevents our growth as communities and as a society? Boom, here’s a photography series or a book showing a new way to look at it. Here are comics and illustrations that give us insight at things right under our noses. Here’s a collection of poems that help us remember those who are no longer able to speak for themselves. Here’s a film that helps us see where we’ve been and where we’re going.
Season 3 Bonus Episode
Deciphering Love Languages with Reframeable Hosts
Natalie and Rebecca Davey
Bonus Episode: Deciphering Love Languages with Reframeable Hosts Natalie and Rebecca Davey
Whether it’s in your garage, basement, storage unit, or the back of a closet, I think most of us are holding on to a box or two of miscellaneous objects from our childhood. I had all but forgotten that I was storing a box of musical figurines in my garage until I discovered it soaked through on the flooded floor. Unpacking the box and assessing the damage brought up a complicated mix of emotions. On this bonus episode, I’m joined by Natalie and Rebecca Davey, hosts of Reframeables, to explore a different perspective on my relationship with my mom and the gifts she gave me throughout my life.
Despite never showing any interest in delicate, not-to-be-played-with toys, they were always waiting for me under the Christmas tree. What was my mom trying to do within the dynamic of our family by curating other people's collections? Why was it so hard for her to accept my aesthetic and lifestyle?
Natalie, Rebecca, and I dig deeper into these questions and talk about the vulnerability that exists in the mother-daughter dynamic. They really help me reframe and remember the things that I loved about my mom and the effort she made to connect our family.
If you enjoy this conversation, I encourage you to check out Reframeables to hear the deeply insightful and healing discussions they bring to every episode.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● My relationship with the gift-giving love language
● What do we do with our disappointment when we understand someone's good, albeit misaligned, intentions?
● Grappling with feeling like an outsider within my family’s dynamic
● Expressing my true self through art and in my communities of care
● Am I repeating the pattern of holding onto things for my daughters that they don’t really care about?
Guest Info:
● Reframeables Youtube
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3 Bonus Episode
All the Wiser, Hosted by Kimi Culp
Bonus Episode: All the Wiser,
Hosted by Kimi Culp
If you got the chance to interview the host of one of your favorite podcasts, what questions would you ask them? On this past Season, Season 3, I got that chance. Kimi Culp, the host of the podcast All the Wiser, was a guest on my show. On All the Wiser, Kimi interviews people with remarkable stories. Stories about the darkest moments of their life. What brought them there? How did they get through it? And what wisdom did they gain from that experience? There were a lot of things I wanted to ask Kimi, but the first question that popped into my head was about one guest in particular. This guest was Sue Klebold. Sue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the perpetrators of the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. The mass shooting at Columbine wasn’t the first mass shooting at a high school, but for some reason it became the most iconic and felt like the beginning of the ongoing wave of school shootings we’ve seen in the United States. I asked Kimi about inviting the mother of one of the most notorious mass shooters on her show. Why did she choose her? Was she nervous about how this choice would be interpreted by her listeners? Kimi’s answer to me was incredibly moving and, if you haven’t heard my episode from Season 3 with Kimi, I invite you to go back and listen to it. Thanks to Kimi’s courage in this choice of guest, I would say that my heart grew just a bit more. First, when I listened to Kimi’s interview of Sue Klebold. And second, when Kimi told me why she interviewed her.
As a bonus episode between seasons, I’m sharing Kimi Culp's interview with Sue Klebold from her podcast All the Wiser. I’ll put a link back to the All the Wiser website so that you can read the show notes from this episode and check out more episodes from this show.
All the Wiser Info:
● Show Notes From This Interview With Sue Klebold
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3 Bonus Episode
Beyond 6 Seconds, Hosted by Carolyn Kiel
Bonus Episode: Beyond 6 Seconds,
Hosted by Carolyn Kiel
Many times on this show, I’ve talked with guests who were keeping secrets. Not secrets entrusted to them by others—but secrets about themselves. These secrets might be past actions or experiences that they felt shame around. It might be a difference, a unique quality about themselves that they kept hidden, for fear of rejection or of judgement from others. We’re in-between seasons at Art Heals All Wounds, which gives me the great opportunity to share with you an episode from one of my favorite podcasts, Beyond 6 Seconds. Beyond 6 Seconds is hosted by Carolyn Kiel. Most of her guests are either neurodivergent or have a disability. Carolyn herself is autistic—and I say “is autistic” rather than has autism because that’s what Carolyn prefers. Carolyn is a skilled interviewer and with her help, her guests share their stories of coming into their own, thriving, and helping others to thrive, too.
I’m sharing Carolyn’s interview with Ruth Rathblott, someone who hid her limb difference for years. Ruth doesn’t hide it anymore. As she shared in her TEDx talk, when she stopped hiding her difference, she found freedom. If you’d like to be free of something you’re hiding from the world, this might just be a great story for you to hear.
I’ll include a link back to the Beyond 6 Seconds website so that you can read the show notes from the episode with Ruth Rathblott and check out more episodes from this show.
Follow Beyond 6 Seconds:
● Link to this episode's show notes
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3 Finale
It’s a Wrap!
It’s a Wrap!
Here we are, again. We have reached the end of another season of Art Heals All Wounds. I want to say how much I appreciate all of you for listening. The podcast has been growing and it's all thanks to you. I'll be back with a new season in February 2023. Until then, please keep in touch via any of the links below and if you have a favorite episode, please share it with a friend. Your support is what keeps the show growing.
Do you know an artist you'd like to see featured in the next season? You can reach me at arthealsallwoundspodcast.com
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Giving thanks to all who contribute to the podcast and make it possible
● A special tribute to Pam’s Dad
● Thanks to you, the listeners!
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 14
Iliana Sosa
Filmmaker
Iliana Sosa
What We Leave Behind
This week, I’m joined by Mexican American filmmaker Iliana Sosa to discuss her first feature documentary, What We Leave Behind. It’s a deeply moving portrait of her grandfather, Julian Moreno, the patriarch of her family, and serves as a beautiful tribute to his legacy.
Iliana’s grandfather was always a mystery to her. During World War II, Julian Moreno came to the US as a seasonal agricultural worker as part of the Bracero Program, later returning to his home in Mexico to start a family. Sadly, Julian was widowed at an early age with seven children to raise. Iliana’s mother was the first of his children to immigrate to the US, leaving Mexico at the age of 14 to go to El Paso, where she eventually met Iliana’s father. In the subsequent years, Iliana’s grandfather frequently took the bus from his home in Durango, Mexico to Iliana’s home in El Paso, then on to Albuquerque to visit other relatives. His visits were always brief so that he could return home to care for his adult son with a disability.
Iliana’s initial plan was to make a documentary film about her grandfather’s time as a bracero, but as in many documentaries, the story takes a twist. The film chronicles his journey of constructing a house in Mexico at the age of 89, and the larger message of what that project meant for him and his family.
Iliana and I talk about themes of the film, like keeping your family’s story alive and what the US/Mexico border mean for families like hers. We also touch on the meaning of certain stories and scenes in the film and how making this film has allowed her to share the relationship she built with her grandfather in the final years of his life.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● A brief synopsis of What We Leave Behind and why Iliana pursued this project
● How Iliana’s relationship with her grandfather changed over the course of filming
● Coming to terms with aging and things left undone at the end of your life
● The importance of family connection, particularly one with members on both sides of the US-Mexico border
● How capturing everyday life naturally crafted the storyline and portrait of Iliana’s grandfather
Guest Info:
● Watch What We Leave Behind on Netflix
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 13
Marcus Thompson
Sportswriter
Marcus Thompson
What Story is Your Favorite Team Telling You?
Marcus Thompson is a long-time Golden State Warriors beat reporter and Bay Area News Group sports columnist and currently writes for The Athletic. Growing up, he was fascinated by two things: words and Bay Area sports teams. In our conversation, he highlights teachers and other adults in his life that encouraged him to lean into writing, including sportswriter Michael Silver.
From 1971 to 2019, the Warriors called Oracle Arena in Oakland home until moving to the swanky new Chase Center in San Francisco. Marcus notes that the brand of the Warriors was built on the accessible and communal nature of basketball and details the grassroots momentum of the team. He shares why he thinks the marketing and communication missteps have left fans feeling slighted, abandoned, and priced out of their beloved team.
We talk about how this uprooting parallels a lot of what’s happening in our community. I’ve been vocal about the shift in demographics, gentrification, and rising cost of living in the Bay Area, and as an Oakland native, Marcus has experienced it, too.
Finally, we discuss why it’s so valuable for young athletes to learn the art of storytelling. He explains what's required of them these days, including an element of branding and taking ownership over your narrative. Listen in to hear our conversation about how local sports teams often reflect the cultural dynamics of their community, and so much more.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How Marcus became a sportswriter
● Ways that the Oakland sports teams mimic the story arc of Oakland, especially the Warriors
● Marcus’ take on the decision to move the Warriors from Oakland to San Francisco
● Solutions to bridge economic and cultural gaps in the Bay Area
● Why it’s so important for athletes to know how to articulate and express their story
Guest Info:
● Marcus Thompson - The Athletic
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
Season 3: Episode 12
Lenett Partlow-Myrick and Jenny O’Grady
Book Artists and Workshop Leaders
Lenett Partlow-Myrick and Jenny O’Grady
The Power of Everyday Artists and Makers of Things
Today, I’m joined by artists and educators Lenett Partlow-Myrick and Jenny O'Grady to discuss the medium of book art and the transformative workshops that they lead. Lenett describes book art as a way to reimagine the possibility of what books can be, how they’re created, and ways that we can interpret them. In their workshops, which they lovingly call “human bonding studios,” they lead groups of people through a journey of self-exploration and genuine connection.
Lenett and Jenny provide space, materials, and a thought-provoking question to get their students started. The focus isn’t on the end product, but rather being open to a different way of delving into deep conversations about one's intentions, limitations, and purpose. Lenett and Jenny believe that everyone is an artist and describe what they’ve witnessed when a group of adults take time to pause and get curious.
In our conversation, we also touch on Lenett and Jenny’s collaborative efforts outside of the workshops. They’ve recently wrapped up “Dos-A-Dos II,” a showcase of book art and poetry called at Howard Community College’s Richard B. Talkin Family Art Gallery. Listen in to learn more about Lenett and Jenny’s enriching perspective on how sculptural storytelling can impact individuals and communities on a foundational level.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Jenny and Lenett’s introduction to book art
● Questions that workshop participants explore
● Ways to make art more accessible to people, especially those who don’t identify as artistic or creative
● The impact of quality, honest communication
● Using book art workshops as a way to dissipate polarity in communities
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 11
Ganza Moise
Filmmaker and Writer
Ganza Moise
Existential Questions for a Rwandan Filmmaker
Today, I’m joined by Ganza Moise, a Rwandan writer and filmmaker, to talk about his art and the Rwandan film community. We unpack the themes and artistic direction of two of his recent independent films, “Sensory Overload” and “Mazunga.” Ganza describes the unexpected ways that he frames characters and explores philosophical, existential questions that so many of us grapple with. He also touches on the transitional nature of his generation and highlights some of the filmmaking and distribution challenges in Rwanda.
“Sensory Overload” is an audio-visual experience based on Natacha Muzira’s poem about the liberating power of imagination. He explores similar themes in “Mazunga,” which is about a taxi motorcyclist who is forced to face his internal conflicts when the whole world shuts down during the pandemic. In our conversation, Ganza explains why he’s drawn to these types of stories and breaks down his artistic process.
I ask Ganza about the generation of Rwandans who teeter the Millennials/Gen-Z line. He illustrates how he and his peers are doing a lot of talking, thinking, and creating to find their cultural identity in a country that is very ambitious, but also mourning the atrocities of genocide from the not-to-distant past.
Part of the country’s rapid growth is reflected in the film scene. Ganza is the co-founder of KIRURI mfn, an arts production and distribution company. He shares his insight into how Rwandan filmmakers are getting their work in front of larger audiences and how he’s working to amplify their art.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What drew Ganza to filmmaking
● Powerful scenes and themes of “Sensory Overload” and “Mazunga”
● How Ganza seeks to make sense of his experiences and internal conversations through art
● Challenges that Ganza and other Rwandans of his generation are currently facing
● What’s happening with the independent film scene in Rwanda
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 10
Ashley Hoff
Executive Producer of 11 Minutes
Ashley Hoff
Finding Light in the Darkness
Today, I’m joined by Ashley Hoff, an executive producer of the new Paramount+ documentary "11 Minutes." The four-part series offers an insider’s look into the mass shooting that took place at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1st, 2017. In our conversation, Ashley opens up about her experience being a survivor of this tragedy and details why she felt called to highlight other survivor’s stories.
Through first-hand accounts from eventgoers and first responders, as well as real body cam and cell phone footage, “11 Minutes'' is a truly immersive, effective approach to storytelling. The documentary illustrates the light that came from such a harrowing event and the power of healing in community.
Fifty-eight people were killed in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and two survivors later died of their gunshot wounds. Hundreds more were injured. Even though it’s the largest mass shooting in the US to date, it cycled out of the news in about a week. With “11 Minutes,” Ashley hopes to portray the lasting impact of this event and facilitate healing in a safe way.
Ashley shares how she and her team crafted the series in a way that respects the various narrators while providing powerful, necessary visuals. She describes the public feedback and praise that the film has garnered and highlights how it’s touched people from all walks of life. Ashley also dives into the turning point when she decided that she would tell this story and celebrate the resiliency of this survivor community.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How to tell a story in a way that honors the victims of a tragedy
● The thought process behind the decision to use real-life footage instead of reenactments
● How Ashley and her team chose the narrators who are featured in the documentary
● The prolific moment that made it clear to Ashley that she was meant to make “11 Minutes”
● The simple, yet impactful message that Ashley hopes viewers will take away from the documentary
Guest Info:
● Watch "11 Minutes" on Paramount+
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 3: Episode 9
Kimi Culp
Host of All the Wiser
Kimi Culp
The Art of Being Human
Today, I’m joined by Kimi Culp, founder and host of All the Wiser, a podcast that explores nonfiction storytelling through conversation. On her show, Kimi gives people from all walks of life the chance to tell their story in a way that maybe they've never had a chance to do before. We discuss Kimi’s deeply empathetic approach, what inspired her to illuminate people’s lived experiences, and reimagine what it looks like to heal in community.
To kick off our conversation, I asked Kimi how being bipolar and sharing that she lives with that condition informs her show. She explains why she decided to share that part of her life with her audience and describes the incredible ripple effect that it’s had on her community. She also illustrates how she supports herself as a deeply emotional person, which can be challenging given the content of her show.
Kimi shares how some of her potentially controversial episodes, like Sue Klebold's and Amanda Knox's, came to be. She talks about what draws her into people’s stories and how she goes about finding guests for the show. Kimi and I touch on how podcasting and really hearing someone’s story from their perspective has the potential to heal us as individuals and a society. She also highlights how she sees the show progressing and the decision to donate $2,000 to a charity that is near and dear to each storyteller’s heart.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How Kimi started to come to terms with her bipolar diagnosis
● Where Kimi’s deep sense of empathy comes from
● Honoring what it’s like to live the full human experience
● The intimate nature of podcasting for both the content creators and listeners
● Kimi’s dedication to ethical storytelling
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 8
Robbi Stevens and Esme Pellegrini
Director and Actor Behind the Nightingale Film
Robbi Stevens and Esme Pellegrini
A Story of Healing and Hope After Sexual Assault
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault
Today, I’m joined by Robbi Stevens and Esme Pellegrini to talk about the overarching themes of their upcoming short film, The Nightingale. Robbi is the writer and director, and Esme plays the lead role of Grace.
Based on true events, the film follows 22-year-old Grace as she navigates post-traumatic stress disorder and life after sexual assault. Robbi, Esme, and I discuss what inspired them to bring this story to life, how Esme prepared for such an intense role, and what they hope viewers will take away from this film.
For the past decade, Robbi has worked closely with various non-profits that support survivors of sexual assult and sex trafficking. As an acting coach and founder of RAaW acting school, she created her signature style called the “Stevens Technique.” The practice helps actors dive deeper into themselves and feel supported as they take on new roles. Esme describes what her experience was like in that training and how it helped her embody the role of Grace in The Nightingale.
As heart-wrenching as the topic of sexual assault is, The Nightingale is ultimately a story of hope, strength, and healing. Robbi explains why she wanted to adapt this story and inspire people in a similar position to seek support. Listen in to hear Robbi and Esme’s reflections on the film and where you can learn more about it.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What drew Robbi and Esme into this story
● The types of trainings and exercises that Robbi teaches at RAaW
● How the Stevens Technique facilitates trust between actors and directors
● Using art as a tangible way to express emotions and communicate
● Robbi’s mission and vision for the film
Guest Info:
● The Nightingale Film Twitter
● The Nightingale Film Instagram
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 7
Deane V Bowers, Mixed Media Artist
Deane V Bowers
Together While Apart
Today, I’m joined by Deane Bowers, a mixed media artist who creates environmental folk art with found objects. She’s the driving force behind the Together While Apart Artwork, which is a collective quilt-like art project made up of 35 squares, each square six inches by six inches. However, instead of fabric, each piece is made from recycled cardboard. In our conversation, we talk about what inspired the project, details about the piece, and how Deane is using it to create awareness and raise money for the well being of nurses.
During the pandemic, many artists struggled with how to use their gifts and build community. As a result, Deane reached out to her network, mailed pieces of shipping boxes out all across the country, and encouraged artists to process their lived experiences on the tiles. She admits that she didn’t know what to expect when the pieces started arriving back to her, but was filled with hope when she noticed messages of positivity and gratitude for frontline workers.
As a mom of a nurse and ER tech, Deane saw firsthand the toll that the pandemic was having on healthcare professionals. Nurses are facing unprecedented rates of burnout, PTSD, and exhaustion. The Together While Apart Artwork is now at the center of an American Nurses Association campaign to raise money for their wellness initiative programs. All the funds go to providing free wellness care, job enrichment, and financial planning to any RN in the country that is a member of the American Nurses Association.
Listen in to learn more about the message behind The Together While Apart Artwork and the incredible reach the project has accomplished.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The story behind how Deane started making art from recycled materials
● Deane’s process for finding artists who wanted to participate in the project
● The amazing public reception, including a feature in The Smithsonian Institution online exhibit
● The emotional toll that so many nurses experience
● Why it’s so important to have art in healthcare setting
Guest Info:
● The Together While Apart Art Project
● Please consider making a donation to help support nurses across the country: The Together While Apart Project’s 2020 Thank You Campaign To Benefit and Honor Nurses
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 6
Claudia Marulanda, Visual Artist
Claudia Marulanda
Creating New Narratives With Art
Today, I’m joined by Claudia Marulanda, a New York City-based visual artist and educator. Claudia describes how she hit an emotional rock bottom and turned to her colored pencils and paint brushes to process her feelings. She’s expanding her reach by leading a series of workshops and art programs that encourage participants to build awareness around their emotions and channel their energy into a creative outlet. In our conversation, we discuss how Claudia uses art as a way to heal from within, connect with herself spiritually, and help others do the same.
Claudia loved coloring and designing as a child, but she lost touch with her experimental side when she started her career as a corporate graphic designer. When she suffered a series of heartbreaking losses and changes in her life, she started to explore ways to express herself through art again. Claudia dove head-first into a journey of self discovery and development, which included launching her own art business.
Claudia shares the vision behind her coloring workshop called “Color Your Way To Feeling Divine.” She offers prompts and space for exploration, and helps women reconnect with their playful, creative side. She also has a program called “Uncover the Goddess Within,” which is all about creating internal portraits and envisioning what you want out of your life. Listen in to learn more about Claudia and how she uses art as medicine.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How Claudia managed to reframe the pain and depression she was experiencing through her art
● Discovering a sense of safety and clarity through a creative process
● Using art as a way to create new narratives and gain new perspectives
● The story behind how Claudia started weaving elements of hair into her drawings and paintings
● Why Claudia created a series of workshops and art programs, and what she hopes people will gain from them
Resources Mentioned:
● The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 5
Allison Landa, author of Bearded Lady
Allison Landa
Leaving Behind Shame and Embracing What Makes You Weird in the World
EXPLICIT
Today, I’m joined by Allison Landa, writer and educator, to discuss the themes in her memoir, Bearded Lady. At the age of ten, Allison was diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which is a genetic hormonal condition that creates dark, obvious facial hair and other symptoms. We talk about the role of her mother in hiding her condition, Allison’s process for accepting herself and opening up to the world, and why it’s so important to recognize that everyone is going through a personal battle.
In Allison’s words, her memoir is about what makes you feel weird in the world. She takes us back to when she was a pre-teen, riddled with shame and anxiety about her facial hair. Her mother taught her how to shave and apply makeup in an attempt to blend in with her classmates but didn’t pursue treatment of the underlying condition.
As a result, Allison moved through life with major boundaries and a fear of being seen. She describes her cynicism and constant concern of what the world thought of her. When Allison met her now-husband at 28-years-old, she reached a turning point in her life where she felt vulnerable enough to open up about her diagnosis and receive support.
In our conversation, Allison reads a powerful excerpt from Bearded Lady and shares what she hopes readers will take away from her book. Listen in to learn more about Allison’s story and her motivation to share it through her memoir.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What congenital adrenal hyperplasia is and how it was expressed in Allison
● Allison’s conflicting feelings when she discovered her mother had the same condition
● The incredible catharsis that Allison felt when she told her partner about her diagnosis
● How Allison became comfortable and confident enough to open up to the world about her experience with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
● The kindness that comes from understanding that everyone is going through something
Guest Info:
● Order your copy: Bearded Lady: When You’re a Woman with a Beard, Your Secret is Written All Over Your Face
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 4
Bradley Berman, Director of Jack Has a Plan
Bradley Berman
A Story of Life, Friendships, and Final Goodbyes
Today, I’m joined by filmmaker and writer Bradley Berman to discuss his most recent documentary, Jack Has A Plan. The film follows the last three years of Jack Tuller’s life and his decision to exercise his right to die with dignity.
For 25 years, Jack lived with a brain tumor and was determined to navigate the medical system, his life, and his relationships in a way that meant he didn't suffer or burden other people around him with suffering. In my conversation with Bradely, we discuss what this process was like as both a filmmaker and close friend to Jack, what he came to understand about Jack’s decision, and the empowerment that takes place for a terminal person when they decide their own destiny.
The film starts in 2016, more than 20 years since Jack was given six months to live. He wanted a way to leave a legacy and show other people in the same predicament how he was approaching death. More than terminal illness, it’s a story of relationships, living life to the fullest, and practicing autonomy. Bradley notes that this documentary has been embraced by the movement of people rethinking end of life and what’s possible with laws like The California End of Life Option Act.
Bradley and I discuss the vision behind the documentary and what his initial reaction to the project was. He unpacks how this process has helped him grieve with intention and confront his feelings around death at a whole new level. Listen in to learn more about Jack Has a Plan and the transformative story that it captures.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What's being made possible through new laws that allow us to transform the experience of terminal illness
● How this film changed my perspective of The End of Life Option Act
● The resistance and discomfort that people in Jack’s life had around him making this decision
● What the public reaction to the film has been like so far
● How Bradley used the filmmaking process as a way to work through grief
Guest Info:
● Check out a screening of Jack Has A Plan at the Clarion Performing Arts Center on October 1st
Resources:
● If you're having thoughts of suicide or harming yourself, please call 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here in the United States, or connect with other hotlines and resources
● Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
● The Day I Die: The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America by Anita Hannig
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 3
William Rhodes, Mixed Media Artist
William Rhodes
Creating Connections Between Generations and Across Communities
Quilting is something that has historically been categorized as a feminine hobby, and we celebrate that it is being recognized for the artform that it is. As a mixed-media artist and Program Director of the Intergenerational Arts Program at Bayview Senior Services in San Francisco, William encourages people from all walks of life to express themselves through quilting. After a life-changing trip to South Africa where he discovered how quilting can bring a community together, William honed in on the technique and has continued to learn from older generations.
In our conversation, I ask William why he likes to focus on intergenerational and cross-cultural projects. A great example of this is in a recent public art project for The Southeast Family Center in Bayview-Hunters Point. William created what he calls “history quilts” that illustrate the years of political activism in the community. He describes how he worked to weave current residents into the neighborhood’s rich history in the state-of-the-art health center that generations have fought to have access to.
We also cover the story and vision behind his work for The Nelson Mandela International Quilt and the We Are Bruce Lee exhibit. In working across cultures and generations, William has witnessed how art projects can dissolve divisions between communities. We get into the significance behind the red thread that he includes in his mixed-media work, as well as what he has coming up next.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The displacement of the African American community in Bayview-Hunters Point due to gentrification
● The importance of documenting and representing the history of the community in a health center
● Willam’s journey to becoming a quilter
● The magic that happens when you pair up seniors and children to work on an art project together
● The techniques and overarching messages in some of William’s mixed-media art
Resources Mentioned:
● Documentary: Take This Hammer
● Zine: We Are Here
● Public Art Project: The Southeast Family Health Center
● We Are Bruce Lee: Chinese Historical Society of America Museum
● South African Quilt Project: The Nelson Mandela International Quilt
● Mixed-media: Red thread art
Guest Info:
● Check out William’s work at the Black Artists on Art at Crocker Art Museum
Promoted Podcast:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 3: Episode 2
Alka Raghuram, Filmmaker
Alka Raghuram
Creating a Path
Today, I’m joined by Alka Raghuram, an independent filmmaker who makes narrative, documentary, and experimental films, as well as multimedia projects. Alka and I discuss how her childhood in Indore, India helped shape her career, the influence of certain film professors, and the story behind her documentary film, Burqa Boxers, and an upcoming sci-fi project.
For so many of us who grew up mesmerized by movie and TV screens, it’s hard to imagine how someone like Alka had little-to-no exposure to motion pictures. Instead, she escaped through books and her own imagination. When she moved to the Bay Area in the 1990s, she had the opportunity to take a filmmaking class, and she immediately fell in love with the medium.
In our conversation, we talk about experimental filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt and Bill Nichols, a professor in the MFA of cinema program at San Francisco State, both of whom played a major role in shaping the artist that Alka is today. She highlights how she applied some of their techniques and wisdom in her award-winning documentary Burqa Boxers, which follows the story of Muslim female boxers in Kolkata. We discuss the process of telling stories with sensitivity and the various levels of challenge that Alka faced in that project.
Alka and I also talk about what being lost means to her and why she believes she's constantly mapping out that story. She describes the process of learning how to navigate the world with assurance and confidence, and ultimately defying everything she learned as a young girl in India. She also touches on her vision for Invoking the River, a dance drama that she partnered up with the Chitresh Das Institute to create, which led her to her upcoming sci-fi project.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The ethics around telling stories, particularly the ones that aren't our own
● Inhabiting both insider and outsider views with understanding and mindfulness
● The unique way that Alka judges the success of her projects
● Gaining confidence to tell ambitious stories
● Alka’s plan for depicting the intersection of the mythology and pollution of India’s sacred Jamuna and Ganges rivers
Guest Info:
Other Resources:
Promoted Podcast
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Episode 1
Amikaeyla Gaston, Vocalist and Healer
Amikaeyla Gaston
The Healing Power of Ruthless Love
Today, I’m joined by Amikaeyla Gaston, a public keynote speaker, performer, educator, and author. She’s the founder and executive director of the International Cultural Arts & Healing Sciences Institute and a cultural ambassador for the US State Department. Amikaeyla leads corporations, universities, and other organizations through cultural competency, restorative justice, and racial equity training. In our conversation, we explore the concept of music as medicine, and how she has used the power of song in her own healing journey, as well as in her career.
Amikaeyla is the survivor of a near-fatal hate crime and describes the rebirth cycle that she went through when she was killed and brought back to life. During her recovery, she realized that the Western medical system doesn't typically recognize what it takes to repair the body, mind, and spirit connection. The memories of the harmonies and lullabies that her grandmother used to sing to her were a way to connect with her ancestors and embrace her own courageous path. Part of that journey has been letting go of pain and hatred, and tapping into a place of forgiveness for the people who almost took her life
Amikaeyla sees music as an invitation to embrace a broader perspective and communicate authentically. She decided to use her experience and voice as a way to initiate healing in war-torn communities around the world. She shares what she’s witnessed in terms of trauma-informed art therapy and how music helps fill in language barriers. Listen in to learn more about Amikaeyla and the transformative community healing initiatives that she’s currently leading.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How the power of music ties into the power of letting go of hatred and trauma
● The connection between art, advocacy, and healing
● Powerful stories about her work with refugee communities
● Details about the workshops that she hosts about discovering your truth and embracing authentic expression
● Amikaeyla’s inspiring perspective on karmic energy
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
Season 3: Trailer
Season 2: Episode 23
Cecilia Najar, Writer
Cecilia Najar, Writer
Finding Courage Through Memoir
Explicit
Today, I’m joined by Ceci Najar, a writer living in Los Angeles. She’s in the process of writing her memoir titled Unfuckupabale: A Love Story, which is all about taking control of your life by rewriting your story. SShe unpacks her experiences as a female Mexican-American writer in Hollywood, feelings of deceit and disappointment from her father, learning to live in integrity, and so much more. Though it’s a love story at its core, Unfuckupabale explores finding your center and living as your authentic self.
I won’t give too much away, but the book touches on Ceci’s unconventional life and dating experiment, and in our conversation, we discuss how her close friends reacted to her decision. Ceci and I also talk about her years trying to make it as a screenwriter in the 90s. There was a period in her life where expected rejection when she put her heart and soul into her work, so she instead learned how to mold herself into whatever was asked of her and went into a more predictable career. She describes her writing process for this memoir as a re-training exercise and shares a sneak peek into her cathartic approach.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The stories that Ceci was lead to believe about her value and safety as a child growing up in Mexico
● Realizing that what you don't know can hurt you
● The clarity that Ceci had around the reality of her 20-year marriage
● What happens when we unplug from perfectionism
● Ceci’s experience writing her memoir so far
Guest Info:
● Unfuckupable: A Love Story Website
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 22
Allegra Uzzell Thelemaque, Visual Artist and Writer
Allegra Uzzell Thelemaque,
Visual Artist and Writer
Finding the Magic in Difference
Today, I’m joined by my eldest daughter, Allegra Thelemaque. Allegra is a visual artist and writer. An enormous fan of acting, singing, and other performances, she's also an avid reader and movie watcher. Allegra was born with congenital myotonic dystrophy, a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness. We talk about some of the creative work that she's done to come to terms with the idea of having a disability, including her latest zine, How The World Sees Disability.
For a long time, Allegra felt shame around her disability. She describes feeling different from her classmates and the fear she had around how people viewed her. She eventually enrolled in Star Academy, a recognized leader in the Bay Area in educating students with learning differences, and got involved with Youth Spirit Artworks. She began using art to express her lived experience and dive deeper into her creativity.
Allegra and I discuss some of the drawings, symbols, and written pieces in How The World Sees Disability. We also touch on the characters and storylines of the chapter books she’s created. Listen in to hear how Allegra channels her fantastical, brilliant ideas into her art.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Where the idea for How The World Sees Disability came from
● How Allegra’s outlook on living with a disability has changed over the years
● What Allegra hopes readers will take away from her zine
● Where Allegra draws inspiration from, including Harry Potter and associated fan-made films
● Allegra’s perspective on ‘happily ever after’ fairy tales
Guest Info:
● Allegra’s Zine: How the World Sees Disability
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 21
Tahmina Watson, Immigration Lawyer and Visual Artist
Tahmina Watson, Immigration Lawyer
and
Visual Artist
Finding Your Joy
Today, I’m joined by Seattle-based immigration lawyer, Tahmina Watson. Tahmina describes herself as “a birding immigration lawyer who sketches” and often turns to nature photography as a way to cope with the intense nature of her work. She’s the founder of Watson Immigration Law and The Washington Immigrant Defense Network, an organization that funds and supports legal services for detained low-income immigrants. She’s also the author of two books and the host of the Tahmina Talks Immigration podcast.
We discuss Tahmina’s life in the legal sphere, and how she incorporates art into her self-care practice. She shares the story of how bird photography came into her life. Like so many of us, Tahmina reloaded to her home office during the pandemic and she started to notice the nature outside her window. In an effort to capture the beautiful birds that inhabited her backyard, she took pictures using her phone and eventually upgraded to a more professional camera. Since then, she’s honed in on her sketching skills and hopes to start painting.
Tahmina unpacks the ripple effect that this art form has had on her life. She shows up in a more effective and peaceful way for her clients and family, she’s built a community of fellow bird photographers, and she spends more time exploring the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Listen in to hear our conversation about Tahmina’s path to finding joy as an artist.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What a day in the life of an immigration lawyer looks like
● How Tahmina discovered her interest and passion for birding
● Nature photography and sketching as a form of meditation
● Mindset blocks that come up for Tahmina around painting
● How Tahmina’s art practice positively impacts her career
Guest Info:
● Watson Immigration Law Website
● Tahmina Talks Immigration Podcast
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 20
Chris Watts, The Creationist
Chris Watts, The Creationist
Guaranteed Income for Artists
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by Chris Watts, aka The Creationist. Chris is a San Francisco-based visual artist and recipient for The SF Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists, a stipend program powered by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts that makes no-strings-attached cash payments to artists who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Chris and I discuss how participating in the program has made a difference in his life and his ability to practice his art. We also touch on the nature of his recent work and how he conveys a sense of peace through his unique hieroglyphs.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by Chris Watts, aka The Creationist. Chris is a San Francisco-based visual artist and recipient for The SF Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists, a stipend program powered by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts that makes no-strings-attached cash payments to artists who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The initial plan was to provide $1,000 per month to 130 San Franciscan artists over a six month period. Thanks to a $3.5M donation from Twitter/Square CEO Jack Dorsey, the pilot has extended to covering a total of 180 artists for 18 months.
I ask Chris how participating in the program has made a difference in his life and his ability to practice his art. He describes the buoyancy he feels because of financial security and how the program has helped him see that once people have basic necessities covered, there's so much that we can achieve as humans. The guaranteed $1,000/month has freed up some mental space for Chris to connect deeper to himself and discover how he wants to impact the world through his art. We discuss the nature of his recent work and how he conveys a sense of peace through his unique hieroglyphs.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Why Chris goes by the name ‘The Creationist’
● How Chris found out about The SF Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists and went about the application process
● The future of the program, including international iterations
● How having a steady income has helped Chris realize his broader artistic vision
● Background on how Chris created his own hieroglyphic alphabet
Guest Info:
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 19
Victor Mavedzenge, Visual Artist
Victor Mavedzenge, Visual Artist
Belonging
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by visual and performance artist, educator, and community leader Victor Mavedzenge. Victor describes his feelings of not belonging and some of the ways that that feeling shaped him as a person and an artist. His journey from his home country of Zimbabwe, to London, to Berkeley, CA have led him to embrace an international identity. A natural community builder, Victor shares the story of how the 2nd Friday Art Talk panel discussion started and what it’s grown to today. We also touch on his role as Project Manager at Downtown Streets Team, an organization that works with the unhoused population in Northern and Central California.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by visual and performance artist, educator, and community leader Victor Mavedzenge. Originally from Zimbabwe, Victor spent the majority of his childhood in boarding school and went on to get his Masters of Fine Art from the Slade School of Fine Art in London, before settling in Berkeley, California. He says that growing up, being an outsider felt like the norm, but feeling disconnected from his environment intensified as he moved abroad.
When he became a US citizen, he grappled with his identity. He was neither African, nor American, nor African American. Victor instead embraced an international identity and considers himself a person of the world. He describes the peace that this revelation brought, and how he explores the theme of identity through his painting and poetry.
From a very young age, Victor saw how beautiful the synergy of community can be. When the pandemic shut down the 2nd Friday Art Walk, an open studio event on the second Friday of the month in Alameda, Victor organized an online version called 2nd Friday Art Talk. He shares the story of how it started and what it’s grown to today. We also touch on what draws him to community building and his role as Project Manager at Downtown Streets Team, an organization that works with the unhoused population in Northern and Central California.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How Victor turns to painting as a way to reset during times of transition
● Victor’s experience in London as a person from a former British colony
● The danger of having a limited identity
● Victor’s vision for the 2nd Friday Art Talk event
● What draws Victor to the role of community builder
Resources:
● Learn more about the 2nd Friday Art Talk hosted by Victor
Guest Info:
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 18
Mildred Howard, Mixed Media Artist
Mildred Howard, Mixed Media Artist
Preserving Memory Through Public Art
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by mixed-media artist Mildred Howard to discuss how her inspiration for public art is shaped by consideration of the community and the history of the location. If you’re familiar with the Bay Area, you’ve probably seen some of Mildred’s work and not even realized it. She describes the story behind one of her recent installations called Frame in Hunter’s Point, as well as three major pieces that she’s currently working on.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by mixed-media artist Mildred Howard to discuss how her inspiration for public art is shaped by consideration of the community and the history of the location. If you’re familiar with the Bay Area, you’ve probably seen some of Mildred’s work and not even realized it. She describes the story behind one of her recent installations called Frame in Hunter’s Point, as well as three major pieces that she’s currently working on.
Mildred is a San Francisco native and has witnessed firsthand how the area has changed since she was a child. Like so many in this community, she’s frustrated and saddened by the stark contrast between the extreme wealth and extreme poverty in the city. She uses her public art as a way to represent the history of the Bay Area and express her hopes for the future.
Mildred also touches on what it was like to be raised by her mother, Mable "Mama" Howard, who was an influential humanitarian, political activist, union activist, and civic leader. Mildred was exposed to people from all walks of life as a child and was immersed in a very progressive congregational church. Her art is often an expression of her deep connection to the neighborhoods and an opportunity to give back to the communities that shaped her.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Mildred’s early introduction to dance and arts and crafts
● How Mildred works with the community to design a public art installation
● Challenges that arise when creating art for a public space
● Factors that Mildred takes into consideration during the design process
● A brief history and explanation behind the three projects she’s currently working on
● Reflections on the housing crisis in San Francisco
Guest Info:
Film about Mable and Mildred Howard
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
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● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 17
Spencer Wilkinson, director of the documentary film Alice Street
Spencer Wilkinson, Director of the Film
Alice Street
How One Mural Empowered a Community
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by Oakland-based documentary filmmaker Spencer Wilkinson to discuss his second feature film called Alice Street. It’s one of the most moving, heartbreaking, and motivational films I saw this past year, especially as a person who has lived in the area for 30 years. The film explores the importance of getting the community's input for a piece of public art, how to create coalitions, gaining the political momentum with those coalitions, and also the heartbreak of letting go of a beautiful creation.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by Oakland-based documentary filmmaker Spencer Wilkinson to discuss his second feature film called Alice Street. It’s one of the most moving, heartbreaking, and motivational films I saw this past year, especially as a person who has lived in the area for 30 years. The film explores the importance of getting the community's input for a piece of public art, how to create coalitions, gaining the political momentum with those coalitions, and also the heartbreak of letting go of a beautiful creation.
The story starts with two artists, Chilean studio painter Pancho Pescador and Chicago-born aerosol artist Desi Mundo, who begin one of their largest projects to date in a very significant neighborhood in downtown Oakland. The four-story mural is situated at a unique intersection of Chinese and African Diasporic communities who face the imminent threat of displacement and gentrification. In our conversation, Spencer highlights some of the organizations that were housed in the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts and what it’s currently doing for the African Diasporic arts scene.
Spencer and I discuss some of the initial setbacks that Pescador and Mundo faced, including conflicting personal aesthetics, collaborating with diverse community members, and negotiating with the property owners to get access to the space. I won’t spoil it for you, but the film takes a heart-wrenching twist. However, the community doesn’t accept defeat and engages in various forms of resistance. Listen in to hear our conversation about Alice Street and the social impact of the film.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The backstory of how Spencer came about making this film
● Large scale shifts happening in the cultural fabric of downtown Oakland that Spencer witnessed while filming
● A brief history of The Oakland Hotel and Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts
● How the community negotiated with developers around the $20 million Community Benefit Agreement
● Spencer’s vision for the future of this film and his plans to nationally expand the social impact tour
Guest Info:
● videoproject.org/alice-street
● Community Rejuvenation Project
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 16
Fay Darmawi, Executive Director of the SF Urban Film Fest
Fay Darmawi, Executive Director of the
SF Urban Film Fest
The City is Ours
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by Fay Darmawi, the Founder and Executive Director of the SF Urban Film Fest. The organization highlights art that addresses different aspects of urban planning and other systems that aren't serving the communities that rely on them. Fay and I discuss the history of cultural districts, specifically in San Francisco, and how the mission behind them has expanded beyond preserving the arts and culture of neighborhoods. Fay also shares where she sees opportunities for change and what she hopes for the future of this city that we both love so much.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by Fay Darmawi, the Founder and Executive Director of the SF Urban Film Fest. The organization highlights art that addresses different aspects of urban planning and other systems that aren't serving the communities that rely on them. Prior to launching the SF Urban Film Fest, Fay worked in urban planning, affordable housing, financing, and screenwriting. She combined her passions and created the film fest as a way to leverage the power of storytelling and bring more people into the conversation around urban planning.
The 2022 SF Urban Film Fest had a particular focus on cultural districts, which are legal entities created by the state of California to preserve and cultivate ethnic enclaves in cities and in rural areas. Fay and I discuss the history of cultural districts, specifically in eight in San Francisco, and how the mission behind them has expanded beyond preserving the arts and culture of neighborhoods. They help to not only defend communities against gentrification, but also revitalize San Francisco in a way that is both equitable and sustainable.
Fay provides an overview on the politics of affordable housing in California that clarifies exactly how we got into the position that we’re in today with the homeless epidemic happening across the state. Despite those challenges, she also shares where she sees opportunities for change and what she hopes for the future of San Francisco. Listen in to hear more about the intersection of storytelling and urban issues.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What inspired Fay to launch the SF Urban Film Fest
● What culture districts are and why they’re vital to preserving the identity of cities like San Francisco
● How affordable housing issues overlap with the need for cultural districts in San Francisco
● The wake up call that many culture district organizers experienced during the pandemic
● Examples of how we all subconsciously make urban planning decisions daily
Guest Info:
● Donate to the SF Urban Film Fest
● SF Urban Film Fest Instagram
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 15
Candace Roberts, Singer-Songwriter
Candace Roberts, Singer-Songwriter
Finding Home Through Music
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by artist-healer Candace Roberts. She’s a singer, songwriter, and performer, as well as a Certified Hypnotherapist and Journey Accredited Practitioner. Candace is known throughout the Bay Area for her campy, political cabaret shows, but like so many of us who came of age in San Francisco, Candace has been priced out of the city due to the tech boom. We discuss our complicated grief over the Bay Area and the two tracks that Candace wrote in response to the inequity happening in our communities. Candace also shares the stories behind “Take Back Your Beaver” and “Say I Do”ーboth an ode to self-love and confidence.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by artist-healer Candace Roberts. She’s a singer, songwriter, and performer, as well as a Certified Hypnotherapist and Journey Accredited Practitioner. Candace is known throughout the Bay Area for her campy, political cabaret shows, but like so many of us who came of age in San Francisco, Candace has been priced out of the city due to the tech boom. We discuss our complicated grief over the Bay Area and the two tracks that Candace wrote in response to the inequity happening in our communities.
What happens when your favorite bakery, your local art supply store, your cozy apartment have all been transformed into shiny new storefronts and highrise buildings? Candace answers those questions in “Not My City Anymore” and articulates what it’s like to confront the loss of a place you once considered home. In “Hello Ed Lee,” Candace sends a not-so-subtle message to the former San Francisco mayor about the handling of homeless encampments and lack of resources for the displaced San Franciscans.
Candace also shares the stories behind “Take Back Your Beaver” and “Say I Do”ーboth an ode to self-love and confidence. Nowadays, Candace is based in Austin, Texas, but has come to terms with the idea of home as an internal feeling. Listen in to hear our conversation about using music and humor to cope with life’s heartbreaks.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Candace’s calling to songwriting and stage performance from a young age
● The battle for more affordable housing in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and the surrounding communities
● What it’s like for Candace to visit San Francisco now that she’s relocated to Austin
● The inspiration behind some of Candace’s songs and accompanying music videos
● The most important lesson that she learned during her years as a nomadic petsitter
Guest Info:
● Candace's Healing Practice Website
Special Offers:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Promoted Podcast
● Subscribe and listen to the Goodniks podcast.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 14
Michael O. Snyder, Photographer and Filmmaker
Michael O. Snyder, Photojournalist and Filmmaker
Making Stories About Climate Change That Engage and Promote Change
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by photographer, filmmaker, and educator Michael O. Snyder. His work focuses on the intersectionality of environmental and cultural change. Our conversation is centered around his project called The Coming Coast. In this photography project, Michael explores the impact of rising seas and how it will affect the Chesapeake Bay in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The area is important both strategically and infrastructurally, and it is predicted to be one of the places most highly impacted by rising sea levels. We also talk about some of his other work, including a film called Into the Dark, how he brings visibility and awareness to abstract concepts, and his approach for reaching diverse audiences.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by photographer, filmmaker, and educator Michael O. Snyder. His work focuses on the intersectionality of environmental and cultural change. Our conversation is centered around his project called The Coming Coast. In the photography project, Michael explores the impact of rising seas and how it will affect the Chesapeake Bay on the East Coast of the United States. The area is particularly important strategically and infrastructurally, and it is predicted to be one of the places most highly impacted by rising sea levels.
Ever since his childhood in rural Appalachia, Michael was aware of how the natural world around him was changing. His connection and passion for the outdoors had a major impact on his career trajectory and artistic subject matter. He started out in the environmental nonprofit space, but eventually transitioned into visual storytelling as a means to narrow the value-action gap, give people a sense of hope, and spark solutions for our rapidly changing environment.
Over the last seven years, Michael has been observing and documenting sea level rise. He states that, “it’s one of these issues that is everywhere at once, and yet, it's mostly invisible, because the rise is only happening at three millimeters on average per year.” In The Coming Coast photo project, he maps out what the new coastline will look like, travels it, and interviews 31 individuals from the area who have been impacted by sea level rise and care about the issue.
We also talk about some of his other work, including a film called Into the Dark, his experience at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, and what’s really at stake when we talk about environmental migration. Listen in to hear our conversation about Michael’s creative approach to climate change education and action.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The impact on the ecology, infrastructure, and cultures of the communities affected by coastline change
● What the term ‘value-action gap’ means
● The direction and vision for the photojournalism project, and how that changed when the pandemic hit
● The underlying role that climate change plays in migration
● Transforming the documentary material into other art forms to reach a wider audience
Guest Info:
Resources:
● Check out the Goodniks podcast
● Raincoast Conservation Foundation
Special Offer:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 13
Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Avant Garde Composer and Guitarist
Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Avant Garde Composer and Guitarist
A Home Full of Music
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by avant garde and experimental composer and guitarist Ernesto Diaz-Infante. You might remember my conversation with his wife, filmmaker Marjorie Sturm, back in season 1 where we touched on how they are creating a home for their children to also explore the arts. Ernesto and I expand on that a little further and discuss how his childhood shaped how he and Marjorie are raising their family. We also get into how his music has evolved since his days in the Mexican rock band, Cielo Azul.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by avant-garde and experimental composer and guitarist Ernesto Diaz-Infante. You might remember my conversation with his wife, filmmaker Marjorie Sturm, back in season 1 where we touched on how they are creating a home for their children to also explore the arts. Ernesto and I expand on that a little further and talk about how his childhood shaped how he and Marjorie are raising their family today.
Ernesto was a gifted musician from a young age, and by the age of thirteen, he was known in his community for being the organist at the Sunday Spanish mass. Shortly after, he landed a gig as the keyboardist for Cielo Azul, a Mexican rock band. His parents supported his dream of making music and touring with the group, so as a freshman in high school, he dropped out and hit the road.
Ernesto describes how the late nights at bars and exposure to drugs at a young age eventually caught up to him. He decided to change course and re-enroll in school. Since then, he has gone on to earn his MFA in music composition from California Institute of the Arts. Throughout his career, he’s done many artist residencies, curated live shows, released original music, and scored films.
Perhaps one of his greatest roles is being a dad to his and Marjorie’s two children, Ezra and Shoshana. He shares how he strives to create a loving and stable home where his kids are free to express themselves and feel safe. We discuss how he and Marjorie have fostered a creative home environment and collaborate with their kids via music and visual art.
Listen in to hear more about Ernesto’s story and how he is creating a home where his kids can find and develop their own passions.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What avant-garde music means to Ernesto
● The role that music played in his family growing up
● The story behind how he joined a rock band at the age of thirteen
● What inspired him to take a different path from mainstream music
● His approach to parenthood
Guest Info:
Other Music
· Ketsa
Special Offer:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Kasama Labs
● Sign up for the next Shelter in Pace weekender audio storytelling class labs at shelterinplacepodcast.org/labs.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 12
Laura Joyce Davis, creator and host of the podcast
Shelter in Place
Laura Joyce Davis, Creator and Host of the Podcast
Shelter in Place
Balancing Motherhood and Creative Work
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by Laura Joyce Davis, the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Shelter in Place. What started as a creative outlet to cope with the stay-at-home order of March 2020 has now turned into almost 200 episodes of narrative nonfiction storytelling about reimagining life through creativity and community. Laura and her husband have since expanded into the podcast education space with the launch of Kasama Collective, an intensive podcast training program for female and non-binary audio storytellers, as well as a self-paced online course. We discuss navigating motherhood and creative ambitions, confronting the role of perfectionism in her life, and what inspires her to continue showing up authentically online.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by Laura Joyce Davis, the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Shelter in Place. What started as a creative outlet to cope with the stay-at-home order of March 2020 has now turned into almost 200 episodes of narrative nonfiction storytelling about reimagining life through creativity and community. Laura and her husband have since expanded into the podcast education space with the launch of Kasama Collective, an intensive podcast training program for female and non-binary audio storytellers, as well as a self-paced online course.
Laura brings us back to March 16th, 2020 when she got the news that her three young children would be staying home for two weeks. The idea for starting a daily memoir-type podcast came about as a way to stay creative and connected to the world outside her home bubble. Laura felt like this was the ultimate test in her journey as a mother and creative. She gets candid about navigating her role as a primary caregiver with her needs as an artist, which isn’t always part of the motherhood narrative. This ‘flatten the curve’ moment was a chance for her to maintain her identity outside of being a mom, and it turned out to be a pivotal moment in her career.
The vision for Shelter in Place has evolved since its inception, and Laura has discovered a passion in audio editing and sound design. This process has forced her to confront her relationship with perfectionism and reflect on her family’s generational pursuit of excellence. We touch on what keeps Laura going as a podcaster and some of the public recognition for the show. Tune in to hear more about how Laura is expanding conversations about motherhood and making waves in the audio storytelling industry.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● How Laura started and scaled Shelter in Place and Kasama Collective
● Balance your needs as a creative person with your parental duties
● Why perfectionism isn’t always a bad thing
● Creating community and fulfilling the desire for connection via podcasting
● Being recognized at the International Women's Podcast Awards
Guest Info:
● Kasama Collective Podcast Training
Featured Podcast:
Join author, educator, and learner, Annmarie Kelly as she laughs, cries, and kvetches with the writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and wanderers who inspire all of us to reach beyond our divisions and discover what it means to be wild, precious, and brave.
Special Offer:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 11
Alexi Lacey, filmmaker behind Fiji Memory Colonial Time and
Persuasion Pictures
Alexi Lacey, Filmmaker Behind Fiji Memory, Colonial Times
Colonialism Through a Family Lens
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by independent director, editor, and producer Alexi Lacey. She has over 20 years of experience in filmmaking, and her most recent project, Fiji Memory Colonial Time, has been on her mind since she was a teenager. The film explores the complexity of identity when it's been formed by privilege due to the exploitation of other people and the intended destruction of their culture. For Alexi, this was an opportunity to profile her mother's courage, share the bitter truths in their family's history, and the legacy of colonialism in Fiji. We discuss what motivated Alexi to pursue this story, how colonialism impacts our identities, and what she hopes viewers take away from this film. We also touch on the work that she does with issues around the housing crisis, displacement, and gentrification happening in San Francisco.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by independent director, editor, and producer Alexi Lacey. She has over 20 years of experience in filmmaking, and her most recent project, Fiji Memory Colonial Time, has been on her mind since she was a teenager. The film explores the complexity of identity when it's been formed by privilege due to the exploitation of other people and the intended destruction of their culture. For Alexei, this was an opportunity to profile her mother's courage, share the bitter truths in their family's history, and the legacy of colonialism in Fiji.
Fiji Memory Colonial Time documents her mother’s return to Fiji after 40 years since her last visit. She went back in search of old memories, places, and people that meant something to her growing up. The result is a courageous, unblinking look at her history and the legacy of colonialism in Fiji. There’s a particular focus on how her mother’s great-grandfather, G.H. Lee, was imprisoned for shooting a young Fijian man in the late 1800s and the ripple effect that had on multiple generations of her family.
We discuss what motivated Alexi to pursue this story, how colonialism impacts our identities, and what she hopes viewers take away from this film. She reflects on the role that her family has played in the dismantling of native Fijian culture and how her ancestor’s choices have shaped her as an individual. We also touch on the work that she does with issues around the housing crisis, displacement, and gentrification happening in San Francisco.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Why Alexi chose to tell her mother’s story in this way
● How she contextualized the larger legacy of colonialism in Fiji
● Coming to terms with her own identity and how she fits into her family’s history
● How the vision for the film changed over the 13 years of production
● Grappling with the memories and stories that we have in our head vs. the reality of what actually happened
● Why she’s so passionate about fighting for housing rights in San Francisco
Guest Info:
Featured Podcast:
Join author, educator, and learner, Annmarie Kelly as she laughs, cries, and kvetches with the writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and wanderers who inspire all of us to reach beyond our divisions and discover what it means to be wild, precious, and brave.
Special Offer:
● Check out https://newsly.me and use the promo code ARTHEALS for a free one-month premium subscription.
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 10
Rachel Dusa
Cinematographer and Camera Operator in her element!
Rachel Dusa, Cinematographer and Camera Operator
Creating Safer and More Equitable Working Conditions for Motion Picture Craftspeople
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by cinematographer, camera operator, and first assistant camera Rachel Dusa. Rachel and I discuss navigating a male-dominated field, how she formed her professional network in Los Angeles, and the unfortunate realities of working on set for streaming service content. She shares why it’s unsafe for many craftspeople on set, and the loopholes that some companies are cashing in on to pay smaller wages. We touch on what the viewing public can do to support the people who are behind-the-scenes and potential solutions for the exploitative working environment.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by cinematographer, camera operator, and first assistant camera Rachel Dusa. Rachel and I discuss how she navigates a male-dominated field and some of the little-known history about women in film production. Rachel originally started in animation and fine arts, but about halfway through college, realized she had a desire to make an impact by being behind the camera. She shifted her focus to cinematography at the age of 21 and hasn’t looked back since.
I ask Rachel how she formed her professional network in Los Angeles, which is notoriously challenging to do. She breaks down how she built a strong, healthy network, and her advice for other women in film on how to be their own advocate and assess the safety of their working environment. However, that’s becoming increasingly difficult as massive media companies like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max find loopholes in union protections.
Rachel paints a picture of the unfortunate realities of working on set for streaming service content. She details how she recently worked a 12+ hour labor-intensive day without breaking for a meal, and on top of it all, received a smaller paycheck with fewer benefits. She shares why it’s unsafe for many craftspeople on set and how companies are cashing in on the nuances of new media contracts. We get into last year’s potential IATSE strike and where Rachel stands on that debate. We also touch on what the viewing public can do to support the people who are behind-the-scenes and potential solutions to the exploitative working environment.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Where her confidence and tenacity come from
● How she launched her career in LA
● Forming best business practices and finding jobs that are the right fit
● The massive increase in demand for content一and fast
● Concerns about the expectations and working conditions on streaming service productions
● Why some unions support ‘French hours’ and others don’t
● What’s next for Rachel
● How content consumers can support change within the film industry
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Special Offer
Get a free one-month premium subscription to Newsly by going to https://newsly.me and entering the promo code ARTHEALS.
Promoted Podcast
Join author, educator, and learner, Annmarie Kelly as she laughs, cries, and kvetches with the writers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and wanderers who inspire all of us to reach beyond our divisions and discover what it means to be wild, precious, and brave.
Season 2: Episode 9
Shantre Pinkney, photographer, filmmaker, and writer creating work with an
invitation to heal and love.
Shantre Pinkney, Photographer, Filmmaker, and Writer
An Invitation to Heal and Love
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by photographer, filmmaker, and writer, Shantre Pinkney. You might recognize her from Season 1, Bonus Episode 2 where I shared the pilot for her podcast, The R(e)ad Lounge, which Shantre uses as a space for the audio storytelling of her upcoming book, Raw, Black & Blue. On today’s episode, we talk about her introduction to photography, what inspired her to connect photography with written stories, and some of the themes she’s working through in Raw, Black & Blue.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by photographer, filmmaker and writer, Shantre Pinkney. You might recognize her from Season 1, Bonus Episode 2 where I shared the pilot for her podcast, The R(e)ad Lounge, which Shantre uses as a space for the audio storytelling of her upcoming book, Raw, Black & Blue. On today’s episode, we talk about her introduction to photography, what inspired her to connect photography with written stories, and some of the themes she’s working through in Raw, Black & Blue.
Much of Shantre’s work features the neighborhood of Bayview–Hunters Point in San Francisco, and understanding it through the lens of repeated trauma. When Shantre first moved to the Bay Area, she landed in Bayview and became involved with the different generations of families living here. Raw, Black & Blue is a written continuation of her short film The Raw, which is about a fictional crisis response worker in Bayview–Hunters Point. Raw, Black & Blue is written from the perspective of a young Black woman in the same neighborhood navigating crisis, trauma and love through photography and journaling.
We discuss the primary conflicts that the protagonist in Raw, Black & Blue works through, and why you don’t need to be ‘whole’ to be worthy of love and healthy relationships. We talk about how sharing parts of the book on The R(e)ad Lounge has been helpful for her writing process, and how she chooses which sections to read outloud. Shantre also explains what she means when she says that she, “seeks to raise dialogue between art and audience,” and spark desire for people who come into contact with her work.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Shantre’s early childhood memories of art and photography in White Plains, New York
● Elementary school teachers that fostered Shantre’s creative writing
● How living in Bayview–Hunters Point has informed her work
● Background on what Raw, Black & Blue is about
● Utilizing audio storytelling to write and edit her book
● What she’s currently working on
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 8
Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, husband and wife team behind the making of Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, Part of the Team Behind
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
The Love Story Behind the Making of the Film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Episode Summary:
Today, I am joined by Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, husband and wife creative team. Jim is the co-director with Nicole Newnham of the film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Sara is a producer of the film along with Jim and Nicole. We discuss their film, which shares the beauty, insight, and humor of one group of disabled young people at Camp Jened. Jim and Sara share why this project was particularly special for them and highlight the disability advocacy work that they’re doing through the film and other organizations. Join us as we dive into the story behind Crip Camp, the challenges and highlights of the documentary, and what Jim and Sara are up to now.
Show Notes:
Today, I am joined by Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, husband and wife creative team. Jim is the co-director with Nicole Newnham of the film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Sara is a producer of the film along with Jim and Nicole. We discuss their film, which shares the beauty, insight, and humor of a group of disabled teens at Camp Jened. Though it covers the typical teen experience 一 hormones, experimentation, identity 一 it also highlights the fight for disability rights that took place in the early 1970s.
This project was particularly special for Jim because he attended Camp Jened as a teenager. He describes his experience with the People’s Video Theater filmmaking team that captured over five hours of footage of him and his campmates in action. He shares the story of how those tapes were tracked down and the emotions he felt reliving his adolescence through the videos.
Jim and Sara also share about how they balanced their marriage and co-producer roles while making this film. They explain how they worked together alongside co-director and producer Nicole Newnham to provide both insider and outsider perspectives of the disabled community and bring the story of Camp Jened to life.
Jim also highlights the accessibility injustices that are still happening today, particularly in the TV and film space. He founded an organization for filmmakers with disabilities and allies called FWD-Doc and touches on the advocacy work that he’s doing around inclusivity at award ceremonies. Join us as we dive into the story behind Crip Camp, the challenges and highlights of the documentary, and what Jim and Sara are up to now.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The inspiration behind Crip Camp
● Jim’s experience as a camper at Camp Jened
● The magic of the People’s Video Theater archival footage
● Powerful moments and motifs from the documentary
● How Jim and Sara met
● Jim and Sara’s working and romantic relationship
● Jim’s advocacy work in Hollywood and beyond
● What Sara and Jim are currently working on
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 7
Preeti Vangani’s book Mother Tongue Apologize explores the early stages of grief over the loss of her mother.
Preeti Vangani, Poet—Writing in Absence
Episode Summary:
Today I’m joined by writer, poet, and educator Preeti Vangani. Preeti’s work covers themes of family, grief, sexual politics, and the body. In our conversation, we discuss her transition from the corporate world to creative writing, where she draws inspiration from, and what she's currently working on. Plus, she reads two of her poems and unpacks the story behind them. Tune in to learn more about Preeti’s journey and how poetry has helped guide her healing.
Show Notes:
Today I’m joined by writer, poet and educator Preeti Vangani. Preeti’s work covers themes of family, grief, sexual politics, and the body. In our conversation, we discuss her transition from the corporate world to creative writing, where she draws inspiration from, and what she's currently working on.
Preeti was born and raised in Mumbai, and moved to San Francisco in 2016 to pursue her MFA in creative writing. After losing her mother at the age of 22, Preeti turned to poetry in an attempt to work through the guilt, grief and loss that she was experiencing. Her experience as an Indian woman raised in a traditional household also informs a lot of her writing.
Preeti was kind enough to read two poems on today’s episode. We discuss one of my personal favorites, Dinner Conversation, as well as one titled Unrewarding. Pretti unpacks the emotions and messages brought up in the poem, and I share how I deeply resonate with her work as someone who also lost their mother, the metaphorical glue of the family.
Tune in to learn more about Preeti’s journey and how poetry has helped guide her healing.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The intersectionality between poetry, comedy and performance arts
● The daunting experience of leaving her steady marketing career to follow her artistic passion
● Unlearning what ambition and success means
● Growing up in a conservative and non-confrontational environment
● Major themes in her work
● Why the personal and political cannot be separated
● Where poems usually start for Preeti
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Music Credit:
● Remus
● Ketsa.
Season 2: Episode 6
Catherine Monahon, podcaster, ceramicist, and audio mixer.
Catherine Monahon, Host of Material Feels Podcast—Using Your Voice as Your Artistic Medium
Summary
Today I’m joined by Catherine Monahon, host of the podcast Material Feels. We talk about the way that Catherine works with their voice as their creative medium, how they care for their voice, and how they use it to inject the right tone to their podcasts. Catherine believes that creativity is a human right, that no one is “bad at art.” Their podcast is a love letter to the material world, inviting each listener to find their creative medium.
Topics Covered
· Using their voice and tone to shift the energy in their podcast
· Sister Practices—how a physical activity such as running can release creative ideas
· Why they do a podcast about artists and their materials
· How we become distanced from our relationship to the material world and creative practices
· The importance of good teachers and mentors
· Their connection of movement and creativity
· Good listening skills help with being a good speaker
· The importance of authenticity as a podcast host
Follow Catherine
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● Art Heals All Wounds Newsletter
Season 2: Episode 5
Vanessa Willow with one of her beautiful paintings behind her!
Giiniw-ikwe, Vanessa Willow, Painter—Painting to Heal From Cancer and Childhood Sexual Abuse
*This episode includes brief mentions of childhood sexual abuse
Summery
Today I’m joined by Giiniw-ikwe, also known as Vanessa Willow, a painter in the Woodland Art tradition. Vanessa is Ojibwe, a nurse, mother, grandmother, cancer-survivor, and childhood sexual abuse survivor. After undergoing a double mastectomy, lumpectomy, and radiation treatment, Vanessa received a gift of paints and canvases by her best friend. This gift would change her life. Although she never thought of herself as an artist, she has been painting continuously since that day. Her art practice has been a healing journey for her in terms of accepting her body and accepting herself. Beyond that, Vanessa’s work is being exhibited throughout Canada and used as part of social justice campaigns for missing Indigenous women. Most recently her art is part of the album art for new work from singer-songwriter Shy Ann Hovorka.
Show Notes
Today I’m joined by Giiniw-ikwe, also known as Vanessa Willow, a painter in the Woodland Art tradition. Vanessa is Ojibwe, a nurse, mother, grandmother, cancer-survivor, and childhood sexual abuse survivor. After undergoing a double mastectomy, lumpectomy, and radiation treatment, Vanessa received a gift of paints and canvases by her best friend. This gift would change her life. Although she never thought of herself as an artist, she has been painting continuously since that day. Her art practice has been a healing journey for her in terms of accepting her body and accepting herself. Beyond that, Vanessa’s work is being exhibited throughout Canada and used as part of social justice campaigns for missing Indigenous women. Most recently her art is part of the album art for new work from singer-songwriter Shy Ann Hovorka.
Vanessa has continued to receive other diagnoses of cancer and her painting practice allows her to stay grounded. For her, painting is a sacred practice that connects her to her culture and her ancestors. She has also been able to connect to others in order to create chosen “family” since she left her childhood community as a young woman in order to escape the cycle of abuse she was raised in.
Her art also allows her to truthfully express her history and her journey as a sexual abuse survivor. Her work is being used as part of the album cover work for singer-songwriter Shy Ann Hovorka.
Topics Covered:
· Vanessa’s experience of getting a cancer diagnosis
· Using painting as a way to express her feelings after surgery and radiation
· Painting as a way to navigate ongoing cancer diagnoses
· The path to accepting her body and herself
· How painting is a sacred practice which connects her to her culture and her ancestors
· How her art is being shared and becoming part of social justice campaigns
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Season 2: Episode 4, Bonus
Barbara and I admire Vicki’s shirt with the banjo-playing squirrel!
Freight & Salvage, Featuring Barbara Higbie and Vicki Randle
Expressing Love and Building Community Through Music
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by musicians Vicki Randle and Barbara Higbie. We discuss how they got their start in music, what they love about the Bay Area music scene and what’s going on at the legendary Berkeley nonprofit community arts organization, Freight & Salvage. They share how the venue has navigated these last two years and how it’s supporting musicians through the pandemic. Listen in to hear more of our conversation about their musical and community connection.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by musicians Vicki Randle and Barbara Higbie. Vicki is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer who you might recognize from being the first (and only) female member of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno. Barbara is a Grammy-nominated, Bammy award-winning composer, pianist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. They can’t nail down the exact date that they met and collaborated, but have run in the same circle of Bay Area musicians since the late 1970s.
We discuss how they got their start in music, their connection over African percussion sounds and what they love about the Bay Area music scene. We also get into what’s going on at the legendary Berkeley nonprofit community arts organization, Freight & Salvage. The music venue has been an example of how to pivot from in-person shows to online content and streaming these last two years. It has also provided necessary funds to help support struggling artists during the pandemic.
Vicki and Barbara share what the slow transition back to live and in-person shows has been like and the best way the people can support Freight & Salvage as the events calendar starts to fill up again. Listen in to hear more of our conversation about their musical and community connection.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Vicki and Barbara’s early exposure to music
● How the Bay Area was a salvation from their adolescent years in Orange County
● What makes Freight & Salvage more than just a music venue
● The Freight’s new project with Berkeley Public Schools to inspire the next generation of musicians
● The story behind Vicki’s band, Skip the Needle
● Music as an expression of love
● How to get involved and support Freight & Salvage
Resources Mentioned:
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Follow Barbara:
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Season 2: Episode 3
Julie Wyman, documentary filmmaker, whose work aims to challenge and expand our culture’s narrow range of represented bodies.
Julie Wyman, Documentary Filmmaker, Part 2
Creating Media That Challenges and Expands Our Culture’s Narrow Range of Represented Bodies
Episode Summary:
In part two of my conversation with documentary filmmaker and professor Julie Wyman, we discuss the broader questions that her documentary raises. Julie talks about the implications that the growth medication Voxzogo has on the future of dwarfism, the complex feelings she has around changing her body, and connection through shared experiences. I also open up about the challenging dilemmas that I’ve faced as a person with a genetic disease that I unknowingly passed on to my daughter.
Show Notes:
In part two of my conversation with documentary filmmaker and professor Julie Wyman, we discuss the broader questions that her documentary raises. Julie talks about the implications that the growth injection Voxzogo has on the future of dwarfism, the complex feelings she has around changing her body, and connection through shared experiences. I also open up about the challenging dilemmas that I’ve faced as a person with a genetic disease that I unknowingly passed on to my daughter.
Dwarfism is so much more than stature. It encompasses an identity, culture, worldview, and a journey of self-discovery. What would happen to all of that if certain parents of children with dwarfism had access to drugs that improved growth? Julie shares some of the complicated questions that have come up for herself and the people she’s been following in her latest documentary.
As a parent, I’ve had to grapple with a lot of those same questions. If I could take away the pain and otherness that my daughter feels, would I? How might that change who she is? What would it look like socially if we all tried to be the same? These are just a few questions that Julie and I discuss on today’s episode. Tune in to hear more about how we’re navigating those gray areas and sharing unique experiences through art.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What Julie means when she says the future of dwarfism is ‘uncertain’
● The questions that choosing a treatment plan for your child raises
● Powerful moments and conversations from filming
● Why it matters when people make collective decisions
● Looking at medical conditions through a different lense
● Creating a more flexible and accepting world
Guest Info:
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Season 2: Episode 2
Julie Wyman, documentary filmmaker, whose work aims to challenge and expand our culture’s narrow range of represented bodies.
Julie Wyman, Documentary Filmmaker, Part 1
Creating Media That Challenges and Expands Our Culture’s Narrow Range of Represented Bodies
Podcast Show Notes
Episode Summary:
Today, I’m joined by documentary filmmaker and a professor of filmmaking at UC Davis, Julie Wyman. Julie’s work aims to challenge and expand our culture's narrow range of representative bodies, and her latest project is no different. As an adult, Julie was diagnosed with a form of dwarfism called Hypochondroplasia. Her diagnosis was part of the inspiration behind the documentary she’s currently working on, and on today’s episode, we discuss her vision for the film and some of the highlights and challenges that it’s presenting.
Show Notes:
Today, I’m joined by documentary filmmaker and a professor of filmmaking at UC Davis, Julie Wyman. Julie’s work aims to challenge and expand our culture's narrow range of representative bodies, and her latest project is no different. As an adult, Julie was diagnosed with a form of dwarfism called Hypochondroplasia. Her diagnosis was part of the inspiration behind the documentary she’s currently working on, and on today’s episode, we discuss her vision for the film and some of the highlights and challenges that it’s presenting.
Julie’s films deal with themes of difference, whether it's queerness or differences of body shapes and sizes. From a young age, Julie always felt that her limbs were shorter than average, but was pushed to feel like there wasn’t anything different about her. At five feet tall, she thought that she had measured out of the dwarfism category, however she shares the relief and affirmation that she felt when she was finally diagnosed with a less common form of dwarfism at the age of 49.
This is the first time that she’s made a film that includes herself and her family, and she’s finding herself in a vulnerable position. We discuss how she’s including unique performance elements to highlight the historical, current day, and future experience of herself and others in the little people community. Tune in to hear more of the first part of our two-part conversation about Julie’s filmmaking journey.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● What drew Julie to the art of documentary filmmaking
● Identifying as a little person and person with a disability
● Her feelings about her diagnosis
● Performance and narrative filming elements that she plans to include in her documentary
● Turning the camera around and including herself in her film
● Finding the balance between sharing her story and highlighting a community
Guest Info:
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Season 2: Episode 1
Sarah Davis, from Breathing Wind, creating community and destigmatizing conversations around grief.
Sarah Davis and Breathing Wind Podcast
A Journey Through Grief to Community and Joy
Sarah Davis, a learning experience designer, lost her father to cancer in 2016. Her experience of grief left her feeling isolated and unbalanced. She had difficulty sharing this experience, mostly because there were so few examples of how to share and navigate the grieving process. She started the podcast Breathing Wind as a space to share and create community for those grieving the loss of a parent. This podcast normalizes sharing loss and grieving.
In Season 2, Breathing Wind focuses on the healing process. Sarah continues to explore parts of the adult journey, such as caregiving to a parent.
Season 3 of Breathing Wind is about joy, an essential part of the healing process. You can find Episode 1 from Season 3 here. If you find yourself navigating the journey of grief, you are warmly invited to join the community of Breathing Wind.
Referenced in the episode:
· Her interview with Laura Davis about her book The Burning Light of Two Stars, details the challenges of care-giving to an elderly parent with a shared difficult past.
· First episode with Benjamin Gunning.
· Young Women Social Entrepreneurs
Guest Info:
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Season 2: Trailer
Season 2 Trailer
Welcome to Season 2 of Art Heals All Wounds, the podcast where we meet artists transforming lives with their work. In this season, we'll explore some of the themes that came up in Season 1--the body, family, home, community, and self. We’ll be releasing episodes every week. We’ll hear the stories of artists whose work presents a creative approach to these five themes. of body. Through stories we gain empathy for others and we find compassion for ourselves. This podcast is an invitation to find inspiration together.
Featuring audio from Season 2 guests Shantre Pinkney, Mildred Howard, Preeti Vangani, Tahmina Watson, Chris Watts, Candace Roberts, Allegra Thelemaque, Ceci Najar, Catherine Monahon, Julie Wyman, and James LeBrecht. Other Season 2 guests are Vanessa Willow, Spencer Wilkinson, Rachel Dusa, Sarah Davis, Laura Joyce Davis, Alexi Lacey, Sara Bolder, Victor Mavedzenge, Jenee Darden, Barbara Higbie, Vicki Randle, Ernesto Diaz Infante, Michael Snyder, and Fay Darmawi.
Season 1: Episode 1
Buzz Mauro and Deb Gottesman, Co-Directors of The Theatre Lab in Washington, DC, are the first guests on Art Heals All Wounds!
The Healing Power of Acting in Your Own Story
In this episode of Art Heals All Wounds, we meet Deb Gottesman and Buzz Mauro, co-directors of The Theatre Lab in Washington, DC. We'll hear about their Life Stories Institute in which non-actors write and act in plays about their lives. Everyone from senior citizens, people in recovery, and veterans have been able to take control of their own narratives in this innovative and healing program.
Season 1: Episode 2
Ajuan Mance, visual artist and illustrator, has a great comic about Black women writers of the past paying her a visit in her dreams!
The Importance of Representation
Do you like comics? How about comics that imagine Black women writers of the past coming back to earth for a meeting? How about comics with gender nonconforming characters? How about comics about menopause? If your answer to any or all of these questions is YES, then listen to the interview of visual artist and illustrator Ajuan Mance on this episode of ART HEALS ALL WOUNDS. She talks about her work and the importance of representation.
Season 1: Episode 3
Thanks to this interview with Tiffany Braden, I am now a BIG fan of pole dancing!
Pole Dancing Can Save Your Life if You're Willing to Let Go
When my cousin, Tiffany Braden, a.k.a. Halloween the Dancer, first started pole dancing twelve years ago, my first response was “Oh my!” Considering that my cousin is one of the smartest people I know, I knew that I had to learn more about it. I've watched her grow to be an incredible artist, with choreography that is moving and expressive and makes my heart ache. I finally got to hear her story in-depth when she joined me on the show as my guest. If you already know and love the art of pole dancing, I hope you’ll listen. If you don’t know anything about pole dancing or have a negative impression of it, I hope you’ll listen and become a believer.
Season 1: Episode 4
Can reading a book make you feel loved? It can if it’s one of Tiffany Golden’s Midnight Story Series books!
Love Through Literature
Tiffany Golden, author of the Midnight Story Series, describes her pivot from filmmaking to writing when lupus and rheumatoid arthritis forced her to find a creative outlet that was kinder to her body. As part of her journey to self-kindness, she also wrote Loving Myself with Lupus. Her children's books, geared towards children and families of African descent, offer stories of healing for all readers.
Season 1: Episode 5
Talking to Morgan about his film Anton: Circling Home I was reminded that I actually think that pigeons are pretty amazing birds. Listen to the episode to find out why!
Visions of Home
In this episode, documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Morgan Schmidt-Feng and I talk about his new film, Anton:Circling Home, about the New York-based artist Anton van Dalen. We explore the theme of home in Schmidt-Feng's other works and what effect the San Francisco Bay Area housing crisis has had on his life, as well as how it has drained the Bay Area of artistic talent over the past few decades. And we talk a lot about pigeons--because they are really good at finding their way home!
Season 1: Episode 6
A trip down memory lane with Cassandra Falby as I remember my favorite performance of drag king Brock Cocker!
The Joy of Drag
Do you like drag kings? Of course you do! In this episode, we meet psychotherapist Cassandra Falby and learn about her performance as drag king Brock Cocker. What made her decide to begin performing as a drag king and what are some of the benefits of creating an alter-ego like this? We talk about what it means to perform masculinity and femininity as a drag performer. Why are drag queens better known in our culture than drag kings? Cassandra shares how creating the character of fun-loving Brock Cocker has increased her joy and helped her find flexibility in her own expression of gender.
Season 1: Episode 7
This conversation with Orlando Williams, aka DJ O-Aces, reminds me of how much I love to dance!
The Magical Key of Music
Orlando Williams, aka DJ O-ACES, helped form a budding core group of DJ's in 1980's Berkeley, California. Known as the Mixologist DJ's, this group would help build the tradition of house parties in the city, as well as influence other DJ's in the wider world of Hip Hop. After the death of his mother, Orlando turned to his life-long passion of spinning music as a way to travel beyond his grief. In the process, he discovered that his gift of music and dance was also the key to building community in his hometown.
Season 1: Episode 8
New rule: All guests must hold cute puppies on their laps for the interview. Marjorie Sturm with Tootsie and Murray!
Decriminalizing Nature and Surviving Small Deaths
How can the power of storytelling help us make sense of things as seemingly disparate as the Covid-19 pandemic, the healing potential of psychedelic drugs, and the navigation of life's largest crises? In this episode, documentary filmmaker Marjorie Sturm shares her work on PSA's for Decriminalize Nature San Francisco, an organization which advocates for the decriminalization of the cultivation, possession, and sharing of many plants, including some with psychedelic properties, such as psilocybin mushrooms. Her background as a social worker in mental health and drug addiction, combined with her storytelling skills have resulted in several short 2-4 minute films. These short films feature local practitioners and mental health workers who work with some of these healing plants. The use of psychedelic drugs for their healing properties overlaps with her latest film, a personal documentary that explores finding clarity in some of life's most challenging experiences, those events with the power to wake us up and propel us in new directions.
Season 1: Episode 9
Talking with Angelica Trimble Yanu in her print studio!
Existing In Between
Printmaker and sculptor Angelica Trimble Yanu talks about how her work brought her from existing “in-between” to grounding her in her Oglála Lakȟóta heritage. At the same time, it connects her to a larger community of Indigenous artists. Her bold prints of landscape and short films join the growing chorus of Indigenous voices in saying, “We are here. We are real. And we are resilient.” (Angelica Trimble Yanu, episode 9 of Art Heals All Wounds)
Season 1: Episode 10
Maw’s sense of humor is contagious!
Storage Unit for the Spirit House
When the poet Maw Shein Win was faced with the wearisome task of moving, it got her thinking about her relationship with her things. She found a storage unit for the objects she didn't part with and she realized that, while the storage unit contained her things, her things, in turn, were containers as well--of memory, emotions, and attachments. At the same time, she had been researching nat spirits, something she was familiar with from her upbringing as a Buddhist. Her parents, Burmese immigrants, didn't worship nats, but she knew it was a common practice among many Buddhists in Myanmar. These preoccupations led to her latest volume of poetry, Storage Unit for the Spirit House. Her work in this book has been called "marvelous, timely, and resilient," (D.A. Powell). Maw Shein Win is described as a "mistress of the acute, quietly searing detail..." (Amy Gerstler). The poems, written in 2019, were prescient of a year in which everyone would find themselves contained at home, perhaps with nats of their own making mischief?
Season 1: Episode 11
Two great friends who create amazing music together!
Gonna Be Alright
Do you need a positive mantra to get you through the ups and downs that these times keep throwing our way? How about a mantra set to amazing music? I know the perfect thing for you, a new single, Gonna Be Alright, from Luqman Frank and Quincy Griffin. It's from their upcoming album, composed and recorded during the pandemic, with messages of positivity, unity, and love as a response to the cultural and political division that have marked the last few years. All set to the sounds of classic soul!
Season 1: Episode 12
Denise’s film Skin of Glass has been a source of healing for her personally. And it’s an important cautionary tale for many urban areas!
Skin of Glass
They say you can never go home again. When Denise Zmekhol, daughter of the late Roger Zmekhol, a prolific and masterful architect in Brazil, decides to make a documentary film about his most famous building in Sao Paulo, she hopes that by telling the story of the building she will also be able to deepen her connection with her father. Known as the Skin of Glass (Pele de Vidro), this building symbolized the emergence of Brazil on the world stage when it was designed in 1961. After surviving a military coup and dictatorship, the building is unable to survive the decades of neglect and the occupancy of the houseless people who rely on it for shelter. As Denise comes to terms with the loss of this tangible reminder of her father, she shares the story of a housing movement whose members long for a place to call home.
Season 1: Episode 13
Ken and I talk about his quest to promote healing through beauty. He’s the perfect filmmaker to make a film about poetry!
Between Spirit and Stone: Healing Through Beauty
Filmmaker Ken Paul Rosenthal first met Berkeley street poet Julia Vinograd thirty years ago. Struck by her work and her presence, he asked if he could make a film about her poems. Although she agreed, Rosenthal felt that he didn’t yet have the experience as an artist to do her work justice. In 2018, Julia Vinograd passed away. Now Rosenthal has taken on the mission of bringing this iconic poet to life on screen by conveying the power of her work that both observed and shaped the politics and culture of the sometimes volatile, never dull, Telegraph Ave. Rosenthal creates images of poetic beauty that show the transcendent spirit of Vinograd’s life and work, while grounding it in the gritty stones of the neighborhood that Vinograd loved and championed.
Season 1: Episode 14
Michelle Kennedy understand the insecurities people face being on-camera, because she’s felt them herself. Her great sense of humor has helped her and can help her clients, too!
Moving Beyond Self-Doubt to Share Your Story
Have you ever had a difficult relationship with someone that you absolutely adore? How would you handle your grief if that person unexpectedly dies before you've worked through your issues together? This was exactly the dilemma faced by Michelle Kennedy when her father was tragically killed in a car accident. As a writer, on-camera reporter, and news anchor, Michelle was at the top of her field. She left her career in TV news to travel around the world, having an amazing time with her best friend. However, she soon found that wherever she went, the ghosts of her unresolved issues with her father followed her. The result was her book Don't Pee in the Wetsuit-- part travelogue and part a navigation through grief--and always full of humor and love; both for her father, who she knows did his best, and for herself as she tackles the doubts and insecurities their relationship left behind. Now, with her knowledge and know-how, she's coaching others who need to be their best on camera. And she has the empathy to help anyone work through their own doubts and fears so that they can share their gifts with the world.
Season 1: Episode 15
April Harris has such a presence. A deep listener!
Finding Your Voice
April Harris performs to heal. Her journey as a performer began when she was still serving as Captain in the United States Army. She had survived several sexual assaults during her service, but she realized that surviving wasn’t enough. For herself and for her two sons, she needed to thrive. To do that, she first needed to heal. Finding her way to a personal storytelling workshop was the beginning of April’s healing journey. Every time she took to the stage, she dropped more and more of her shame--as a victim of sexual assault, as a parent, and the shame she felt for neglecting herself for so long. Now she leads classes and workshops at The Theatre Lab in Washington, DC. She completed their Life Stories Institute, then began teaching her class Finding Your Voice. People from all walks of life attend this class—some who need to heal, some who are in transition, all of them seeking to connect deeply with their own stories. As the teacher and facilitator of the class, April doesn’t project what she thinks the participants need. Her role is to hold the space with love and respect so that each person can dig deeply to find their own voice.
Season 1: Episode 16
Hector is such a talent and has a great vision for expanding the reach of opera!
Exploring Mexican American Identity Through Opera
The very special guest on the Season 1 finale of Art Heals All Wounds is opera composer Hector Armienta. Hector is also the Art Director of Opera Cultura, a Latinx Hispanic opera company in San Jose, California. As a Mexican American composer, Armienta composes operas that explore what it means to be between two cultural worlds. His musical inspirations include the works of Puccini, Mexican corridos, and mariachi, to name a few.
What is it like to brave crossing the border in the hopes of finding a better life in America? What about farm workers, people who work in homes, cleaning and caring for children, young people who thought they were finally fulfilling their dream to attend college? What happened when March 2020 brought a pandemic that turned these dreams upside down? Hector Armienta interviewed Latinx immigrants in San Jose and Santa Clara Valley and gave their stories voice, a beautiful, operatic voice, in his operas Cuentos and Mi Camino.
Hector’s compositions are beautiful. But it’s his vision that is really exciting. He pushes the preconceived boundaries of opera and theatrical performance with his work. During the pandemic, when live performances weren’t possible, he created an animation for the opera Mi Camino. His plans are to take opera beyond the restrictions of borders, pandemics, and cultural and political boundaries, into virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality. If the metaverse is coming, having Hector’s music there will make it a much more human space.
Season 1: Bonus Episode 1
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Season 1: Bonus Episode 2
Shantre Pinkney and the Re(a)d Lounge
Shantre Pinkney reads her work aloud on The Re(a)d Lounge
Sit back and relax while you listen to episode 1 of The Re(a)d Lounge from Shantre Pinkney. You'll get a chance to hear excerpts from her upcoming book Raw, Black, & Blue in her podcast. You can find The Re(a)d Lounge wherever you listen to podcasts and you can hear more about her story as a writer, filmmaker, and photojournalist on Season 2 of Art Heals All Wounds.
Be sure to sign up for the Art Heals All Wounds newsletter to hear more about the guests on the podcast! Let us know how you're enjoying the show and give your suggestions for artists you'd like to hear interviewed on the podcast.
Season 1: Bonus Episode 3
It's Gonna Be Alright. Really. Revisiting the Uplifting Music of Quincy Griffin and Luqman Frank
The infectiously optimistic music from Quincy Griffin and Luqman Frank from Episode 11 of Season 1 is helping me to get through this long January at the beginning of year 3 of the pandemic. If you need some cheer in your life and you like soul music this may be what you need to hear right now. As an added bonus, videos for some of the songs from the album are starting to be released. You can find the video for Gonna Be Alright here and a teaser video for Never here.