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Writing

I love a good story. I care about what motivates, inspires, and connects us.

I’m interested in stories about big challenges and even bigger transformations. I’m drawn to tales of revolutionaries, trailblazers, and underdogs who defy the odds. I want to know their secrets and learn about the magic behind what they do.

I started my career as a journalist and have written extensively about healthcare issues as well as everything from crime to religion. These days, though, I’m writing more for film including documentary treatments and narrative screenplays, which are listed below and currently available. Please contact me if you’re interested in learning more.

Screenplays

Khadijah’s Magical Books

Khadijah’s life is upended when jihadists take over the teenager’s hometown, the fabled city of Timbuktu in northern Mali. When a persistent jihadist decides he wants to marry her, Khadijah’s safety and future is put at risk. She soon discovers that her elders and ancestors - as well as their magical books - might just be the key to protect her.

Accolades:

Won best graduate fiction short screenplay at the American University School of Communications Visions Award (2022).

Official selection for Scriptwriting Panel Presentation at the University Film and Video Association (UFVA) Conference (2020).

Love Don’t Live Here Anymore

The marriage of an American woman and a Mexican man begins to unravel during an intense alcohol infused night out when the pressures of immigration, joblessness, and jealousy come to a head.

Accolades:

Official selection for Scriptwriting Panel Presentation at the University Film and Video Association (UFVA) Conference (2021).

Unaccompanied

An American professor of Spanish poetry starts to teach poetry to a group of undocumented migrant Hispanic youth, who are detained at a maximum-security juvenile detention center. As the classes continue, the teens' lives hang in limbo as they wait to find out whether they'll be deported or be able to stay legally in the U.S.

Accolades:

Official selection for Scriptwriting Panel Presentation at the University Film and Video Association (UFVA) Conference (2019).

Finalist for best graduate fiction short screenplay at the American University School of Communications Visions Awards (2019).