Petals and Thorns: A Spoken Word Journey is a short film documentary that will follow the experience of nine (9) youth Black high school aged age in a 1-week intensive writing and spoken word workshop. The workshop will culminate in a "open mic" style event featuring performance of the workshop's participants.

Although I have 25 years of experience working with youth and have created, coordinated and facilitated an award-winning youth program previously, this is my first time creating a short film.

I am excited to continue my work with youth, especially providing them a space and platform to center, develop and elevate their voice in this way, during what is already a typically challenging period of a teen's life, but much more so, in light of the last 2.5 years and everything that has happened in their lives and our world since this time.

I want to not only give them space and permission to express themselves, but to validate and value their feelings and perspectives. The workshop is valuable on its own, but it must be witnessed and experienced by more than just those in the room. It must be made into a short film and I hope the Awesome Foundation will help me to do that.