Category: Uncategorized

From an early age, four or five, I was set on becoming a storyteller, a painter, an actress, a journalist, a writer, a reporter, anything I could do to help people to be informed and knowledgeable about underrepresented groups and issues. The problems associated with lack of awareness are all too familiar to me as… Read more »

Ramona Emerson is a Diné writer and filmmaker originally from Tohatchi, New Mexico. She received her degree in Media Arts in 1997 from the University of New Mexico and her MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) in 2015 from the Institute of American Indian Arts. She has worked as a professional videographer, writer, and editor for… Read more »

Julia (Cherokee Nation) is a writer from Los Angeles, California. She discovered passion for writing and performance art through spoken word poetry and drag. After graduating from Yale in May with a degree in Film and Media Studies, she workshopped a feature script in the inaugural Native American Media Alliance writing seminar. While at Yale,… Read more »

Kelly Byars is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He moved to New Mexico in 1983 and attended the Institute of American Indian Arts where he graduated in 1985 with a degree in Three-Dimensional Art. He has worked as a stone sculptor for over twenty-five years, he has won several blue first place… Read more »

Roberto A. Jackson is a writer/director from Phoenix, Arizona, and a member of the Gila River Indian Community. He directed his first screenplay, “Indios Primeros,” after winning the Creative Spirit Short Screenplay Contest (InterTribal Entertainment) in 2009. In 2015, he released the full-length feature film “In Circles,” with his brother and partner, Claude A. Jackson,… Read more »

Emma Barrow is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She comes from a family of artists and has a BFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts. Her writing often centers complex intergenerational family dynamics and her goal is to amplify Indigenous stories and voices. She is the Northwest Screenwriters Guild 2021 Stowe Story… Read more »

Lewayne “Buddy” McQueen (Ely Shosone Tribe)has been performing improv for over a decade and produced his own improv show for over eight years. He was part of the award winning Alibi The Show in Las Vegas and made it to the semi-finals of Four Directions talent search. He has a BFA in film and digital media from University of… Read more »

Meilani Wenska (Hawaiian) attended the Kamehameha Schools, where Hawaiian culture, music, writing, and dance are built into the curriculum. She received her BA degree in painting, worked professionally as a graphic designer for years and began selling her art prints successfully online. Expanding her horizons, Meilani found a deep passion screenwriting, directing, and acting. Her written… Read more »

Kat Smith (Eagle Clan of the Tsimshian Tribe) has a strong performing arts background. By the time she was getting her Bachelor’s Degree in Theater under the Study of Dr. Terry Converse, Directing for the Stage, she had already studied Strasberg’s technique, Improv and produced over 60 shorts for her High School television production. She comes from an… Read more »

Julia Morgan Leatham (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) is a writer from Los Angeles, California. She is a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation with lineage through the Wild Potato clan. A multi-media creator, Julia first found passion for writing and performance art through spoken word poetry and drag. Her written poetry and visual artwork is forthcoming… Read more »