Episode 110: Aaliyah Miller & Her Screenplay, I Am: Muslim/American
- Episode 110: Aaliyah Miller & Her Screenplay, I Am: Muslim/American John M Jaramillo 1:42:02
Episode 110: Aaliyah Miller & Her Screenplay, I Am: Muslim/American
ABOUT AALIYAH
Aaliyah is a storyteller and uses words as her superpower to help drive change for individuals and organizations. She wrote the script “I Am: Muslim/American” for Long Wharf Theatre’s New Haven Play Project. The film was a multimedia project funded by the Doris Duke Foundation to foster connections between Muslim and non-Muslim community members. The film is an official selection of the New York Lift-Off Film Festival, the ‘Pulling Focus’ African American Film Festival of the Quad Cities, and the International Black and Diversity Film Festival. The film has also received recognition awards from the Global Accolade Film Competition for the following film categories: African American Filmmaker, Islamic Filmmaker, Women Filmmaker, Women Theme.
CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS
- How a really good story can affect change for the things you do.
- You can’t write without listening.
- Opportunities for creatives exist, even if it’s not your full-time job.
- “When you wear too many hats, you’re going to shortchange one thing.”
- Pressing pause and putting aside your biases.
- A plea to the audience here: Consider what your story is and how valuable it is.
- “Have a close community that you can trust…to be candid with you, to be truthful with you about your work.”
- No one is going to tell your story better than you.
- What is your superpower?
- “Whatever comes from within us, wherever we bring that, we’re going to make better what we can.”
- The power of encouraging young people who don’t see themselves as being able to command a story.
- The power of shout-outs to those who have made a difference in our lives.
- How are you measuring what you do?
- Consider what it’s like to be “the other.”
The MAIN QUESTION underlying my conversation with Aaliyah is, How do you invite others to understand who you are, not letting stereotypes and misinterpretations dictate the narrative for you?
FIND AALIYAH & OTHER RESOURCES
- I Am: Muslim/American (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y7eLY_Xb2k
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaliyahmiller/
- ProduceHERS FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheProduceHERS
- Mentioned: Western Connecticut State University | Online MFA in Writing
LinkedIn – Full Podcast Article:
CHAPTERS
00:00 – The Book Leads Podcast – Aaliyah Miller
00:53 – Introduction & Bio
03:57 – Who are you today? Can you provide more information about your work?
05:52 – How did your path into your career look like, and what did it look like up until now?
24:19 – The kind of work Aaliyah was doing while working on her writing career.
44:51 – Where Aaliyah’s desire to help others comes from.
48:38 – How does the work you’re doing today reconcile to who you were as a child?
56:57 – What does leadership mean to you?
01:02:31 – Can you introduce us to the screenplay
01:06:19 – Can you provide a general overview of the screenplay’s format?
01:26:41 – What did this project change in you?
01:34:13 – What’s next for your writing?
01:37:34 – What book has inspired you?
01:39:21 – What do you want people to take away from the film?
01:40:41 – What are you up to these days? (A way for guests to share and market their projects and work.)
This series has become my Masterclass In Humanity. I’d love for you to join me and see what you take away from these conversations.
Learn more about The Book Leads and listen to past episodes:
- Watch on YouTube
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- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Read About The Book Leads – Blog Post
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