Grandmother's influence and a lifelong love of Hollywood movies and musicals

Jonas Mekas as a model for film criticism and personal writing style

Transition to directing and early experiences on set

Upcoming book about the interior lives of boys before losing their virginity

Obama's care and craft as a serious writer

Comparing the challenges of 1960s filmmaking to today's accessibility

Early dreams, family influences, and discovering musical comedy at UCLA

Creation of the Luther "anger translator" character as comedic problem solving

Developing characters through costumes and physical transformation

Intuition, style, and adaptability in the filmmaking process

Navigating a second diagnosis alongside husband's historic Grammy nominations

Carroll O'Connor's impromptu singing of "God Bless America" and Irving Berlin's response

Father's filmmaking career and legacy of social justice storytelling

Negotiating editorial control and centering subjects' voices inspired by Gordon Parks

Channeling anger and frustration into creative work rather than holding onto it

Life Magazine's thematic storytelling approach during the Korean War

Creating "Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima?" and persevering to publish her autobiography

Gordon Parks' color photography series and its influence on filmmaking choices

Capturing the iconic photograph of Senator Kennedy after the shooting

Photographing North American animals and a rainbow trout underwater

Parks' photo essay on Red and the humanity of Black youth in Harlem

The creative process and the experience of writing poetry

Writing process and the decision to avoid thinking about audience

Early marriage, creative frustration, and the path to writing

Mother's involvement in avant-garde circles and discovering experimental cinema as a child

Jonas Mekas's approach to storytelling, time, and creating his own narrative