Growing up in a serious Vietnamese Catholic refugee household without humor

Distribution of early films through Jonas Mekas and filmmaker cooperatives

Publishing the first chapbook and choosing poetry as a major despite doubts

Imagining a path as a Black writer and the influence of an English teacher

Musical qualities of the keys Parks preferred for composition

IBM Fellow program and the freedom it inspired in his career

Gordon Parks' innovative approach to fashion photography and fine art

Black artists and culture celebrated at the White House during Obama's presidency

Lincoln's rough upbringing, physical strength, and passion for reading as formative influences

Obama's singing of "Amazing Grace" at the Charleston church shooting memorial

Discovering her natural voice through training at the Neighborhood Playhouse

Choosing the name Shahid, meaning witness, while incarcerated

Gordon Parks' transition from photographer to world-renowned filmmaker and cultural figure

Parks' prolific creativity across photography, writing, music, and filmmaking

The origins and concept behind the character Luther, Obama's anger translator

Running My Sister Sam as a first-time showrunner and the challenges involved

Jonas Mekas's identity as a refugee and connection to Lithuanian national culture

Gordon Parks' relationship with Malcolm X and the limits of empathy in photography

Writing habits, environment preferences, and daily work rituals

The historical and practical significance of quilting in the African American community

Monthly format enabling deeper, more imaginative storytelling than the weekly could

Creation and concept behind The View

Formative books that inspired writing about power and history

Founding the Rebecca Project for Human Rights in honor of Rebecca Rice

Writing to top French restaurants and securing a position at Baumanière

Shooting from the subject's perspective rather than the magazine's demands