Join us for true, personal stories about making resolutions, big and small, and let our storytellers inspire you to keep yours!
Hosted by Christine Gentry and Paula Croxson. Doors at 6:30pm.
Stories by:
Driven by his own food story, documentary film director & producer Kevin Longa reveals stories of food and the people who make it. Kevin has made films ever since he was eight, but it wasn’t until he turned 11 that food entered his consciousness. After a nurse warned him he was about to get type 2 diabetes, frightened by the prospect of a lifetime of insulin injections, he learned about food the best way he knew how: through his camera. He's now the creator of "TASTE With Kevin Longa," an independent short form documentary series that features stories of culinary risk-takers worldwide. The award-winning series is comprised of 70 documentary short films shot across 40 countries. Kevin has recently settled down in NYC to build a post-production team to finish editing TASTE and ultimately release it for audiences worldwide.
Dr. Micaela Martinez, also known as Aela Hopeful Monster, is a Chicana scientist, songwriter, and rapper from Harlem. Her research focuses on infectious disease ecology, the study of biological rhythms, and the ecology of structural racism. She has worked as an advocate for police reform and holistic approaches to social justice in NYC. She has been a professor since 2017 and has mentored many students of color in their journey through science. Her latest endeavor includes using art, science, and imagination to teach social justice, in an effort she termed Imagine a Just City. For more on this initiative, please visit this news article: https://news.emory.edu/features/2022/09/er_using_art_social_justice_13-09-2022/ and/or her website https://memartinez.org/.
Dancer, podcaster, actress, storyteller, writer, and comedienne Jenice Matias has proven herself to be a Renaissance woman. A maven for comedic monologues, she has performed in various solo productions and been a top finalist on NBC and VCB showcases. As a professional dancer, she has been a prominent member of the Piel Canela Woman's Dance Company for many years. As an actress, she appeared on several television shows including Law & Order and Nurse Jackie. In addition to having her own online variety show, she is the founder and artistic director of Tropical Delight in Action, a nonprofit organization that promotes multicultural awareness of the arts. She has also received a PCHCC award for service to the community.
Kaze Wong is a postdoctoral research fellow studying black holes through gravitational waves with machine learning at the Flatiron Institute. He is also (trying to be) a competitive high jumper.