San Diego, CA
Future Projects
Hidden Histories
Essential Questions:
-
​
​
Hidden Histories is a project that came to me when listening to the album Omoiyari by Kishi Bashi, which is about the Japanese internment camps Japanese and Japanese-Americans were forced into by FDR in 1942 via Executive Order 9066. While learning more about the internment camps, I stumbled upon a secret of San Diego: Santa Fe Depot (the train station here) was used to transport those who were being interned. You can see the report from the San Diego Union Tribune in 1942 here.
​
Learning about this history in my own city, something many would never know, sparked this wondering of where else existed these moments- these hidden histories- we would not know unless we were looking for it. Thus: this project was born.
​
I do not only wish to focus on the the pain or the trauma of history that people (especially minorities) in this country have faced, but I also view this project as the ability to find the joy, love, and celebrations as well. A Hidden History is not, by nature, negative...just unseen. The hope of this project is to take the veil off of the hidden to face toward the community. Whether it is a beautiful moment or the ugliest, it deserves to be known.
​
In this project: students will refine their researching, organizing and citing sources, essay writing, collaboration, and ability to recognize and discern bias in reporting abilities. Currently, I do not know what the final product could or should be, however I believe in listening to the students and hearing their thoughts, opinions, and ideas.
Sci-Fi Project (Untitled)
Sci-Fi Project:
Essential Questions:
-
​Does colonization affect you today? If so, how?
-
How do we create spaces to coexist with Native Americans and honor their claim to the land we inhabit?
-
In what ways do the experiences of other people of color interrelate with Native Americans?
Historically science fiction has been a male, white dominated genre wherein racial /ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ folx have been excluded. My science fiction project, currently untitled, will pull from a variety of authors of differing backgrounds to provide a broader lens of the genre. This said, white authors will not be excluded completely because they should be involved in learning about the genre. Works will include: “Men on the Moon” by Simon Ortiz, stories from “Love After the End” edited by Joshua Whitehead, “Parables of the Sower,” by Octavia Butler, “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro, and excerpts from “The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury.
After we have gone through the selected texts, students will begin to be instructed on writing their own science fiction work and tasked with including their own cultures in some manner. Here we will go through organizing a story, writing, revision, and workshopping using a protocol with their peers to make a piece they can be proud of.
The final piece will be a soundscape. A soundscape is essentially a voice acted telling of the story with sound effects. This will require students to record their stories, edit the sounds using software (ex.: Audacity), and finalize their audio piece. Finally, students will make a cover for their work.
​
While conceptualizing this project, I have had a few ideas for exhibition, however I believe it'd be best to see who my teaching partner would be and what we could plan with the students.
In this project: students will work on creative writing, organizing their thoughts, editing and refining their writing, using recording equipment, editing their voice clips, voice acting, and using Photoshop to create a cover.