Blooming in the Whirlwind, our digital short film festival debuts Saturday, October 10, featuring an eclectic lineup of collaborative short poem-films, live poetry readings, and artists Q&A's right here on our website and over on our Instagram Live and IGTV. Before they all go live on Instagram, we wanted to take a minute to introduce the artists screening films and reciting poetry in Saturday’s festival. 

MEREDITH ADELAIDE

Pronouns: They/Them

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

That it will be a real collaboration! I feel trusted to do what I do best-- interpret and make meaning and translate into a visual piece. I can't wait to read the poems.

Tell us about your artistic practice. What excites you as a filmmaker? What ideas do you explore in your films?

I use imagery as a way to speak. It excites me that there are multiple ways to communicate, many ways of thinking and experiencing reality-- as individuals and as a collective. I tend to explore themes of identity, self-awareness, connection, and the concept of using what you have, where you’re at.

What's your typical quarantine outfit these days?

I've actually been dressing up every day ! Really having fun with being truly free and fluid with my gender presentation :).

What are you doing, if anything, to find joy and peace during this turbulent year?

Consistently getting therapy. I’m focused on listening to my gut. Really trying to remember that everything that’s happening is a reflection of things that are inside of us all, and that this is a group effort to help shake out the things that are not serving us, as a whole. When I remember this is bigger than me, as an individual, I feel soothed, because I then know how I can help participate and follow my purpose.

Catch Meredith at 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 10  live on Instagram. See more of Meredith’s work at meredithadelaide.com and on their Patreon.

Christina Brown

Pronouns: She/Her 

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

I am so excited to work with other creatives to make this project come to life. Social distancing has been so isolating for me as an artist, so I’m excited to connect with my collaborators and be inspired by the visions we dream up together. Turning one of my poems into a short film has also been a secret dream of mine for a really long time.  I can't wait to see how my words translate into a new, more visual medium.

Tell us about your artistic practice. What excites you as a poet? What ideas do you explore in your poems?

I’m answering this question very differently than I would have before 2020. This year has made me realize just how much inspiration and artistic energy I draw from being out in the world. I’m really missing that right now, seeing new people and places and having new experiences every day. I love the energy of a poetry show or open mic, where everyone is willing to be brave and vulnerable and to listen to each other. I feel inspired and excited by my communities and all of the amazing futures we can build. I feel excited when I finally find the right line or image to communicate exactly what I’m trying to say. I get excited when I hear another poet do the same thing for themselves. It makes poetry feel less isolating and more like a conversation, or a very strange and never ending game of show and tell.

I spend a lot of time in my poetry unpacking my own experiences, but I also use poetry to explore things I’m curious about or worlds I want to imagine. Sometimes I write about reality because I’m trying to control or make sense of it for myself, or I’m trying to communicate something very specific to the reader or listener. Other times, I’m writing my way out of this world and into some alternate universe where Freddie Mercury is talking to me about my sexuality, or where my boyfriend has become a zombie and now I have to figure out what to do about it.

What's the weirdest purchase you've made since quarantine began?

I bought a mermaid tail-shaped Santa hat on Poshmark because thinking about Christmas made me feel a little happiness.

How many masks do you own? Do you have a favorite?

So so many. My favorite one says "look at this mask, isn't it neat?" and has a picture of The Little Mermaid on it.

Catch Christina at 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 10  live on Instagram. See more of Christina’s work on Instagram at @christina.leigh.brown and Twitter at  @melodramermaid.

ILGIN G KORUGAN

Pronouns: They/Them

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

I love collaborating with other creatives so so much. It helps quiet my self-critical inner voice and really focus on the artistic product. I'm excited to learn and grow from and with other artists, and find a tiny bit of meaning in turbulence.

Tell us about your artistic practice. What excites you as a filmmaker? What ideas do you explore in your films?

I came into filmmaking from a photography background, which for me at the time was about capturing everyday moments that we often overlook. My natural shift to filmmaking was through documentary.  Over time I’ve started to really admire the space between drama and documentary, finding it compelling and magical. As a queer third culture kid most of my work revolves around ideas of belonging and community in an endless search for answers and a hopeful attempt to make others feel seen. 

If you could only pick one movie, book, video game, album, etc. to spend the rest of quarantine with, what would you pick?

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

What are you doing, if anything, to find joy and peace during this turbulent year?

Obsessively leaning into ritual! Journaling, yoga, stretching, meditation. It's rare that I do all of that in one day but managing any one of them helps keep me sane and grounded. Other than binging mediocre tv shows and reading sci-fi novels lol!

Catch Ilgin at 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 10  live on Instagram. See more of Ilgin’s work at vimeo.com/ilgin and on Instagram at @ilginkorugan.

TAMISHA TYLER

Pronouns: She/Her 

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

I love art that’s inspired by other art, and have always wanted to do a collaboration like this.

Tell us about your artistic practice. What excites you as a poet? What ideas do you explore in your poetry?

My poetry is a way to "write my way out" of things. There are spaces and gaps that I feel in my body but can't always seem to articulate. During those times, using poetry is a way to try to get at what I’m feeling. Story –through poetry– helps me convey truths, feelings, realities, and hopes that linger in the corners of my mind. 

What's the weirdest purchase you've made since quarantine began?

An A/C filter to tape to my box fan.

What are you doing, if anything, to find joy and peace during this turbulent year?

Netflix cartoons.

Catch Tamisha at 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 10  live on Instagram. See more of Tamisha’s work at tamishatyler.com on Instagram at @tamisha_tyler and on Twitter at @TamishaTyler.

TAREE VARGAS

Pronouns: She/Her and They/Them

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

My work centers on expressing internalized states like much of poetry does. My thesis work will center on this idea and I think it will be a great opportunity to work with people who want to do the same.

Tell us about your artistic practice. What excites you as a filmmaker? What ideas do you explore in your films?

The ability to make internal states visible and express the nonverbal is what excites me about film. I explore visual metaphor in my work, expressing themes of connection, isolation, and identity.

What's your typical quarantine outfit these days?

Black wide leg cargo pants (lots of pockets for hand sanitizer), black cropped 90s cut tee with breast pocket, as much gold and colorful jewels as I can find. 

What are you doing, if anything, to find joy and peace during this turbulent year?

Realizing that I’m a home-body anyways, but sometimes looking at a map, pointing to a spot near a river, driving there and getting out if no one else is around, not baking any sourdough, calling people I love more often, and identifying when to take a “risk.” 

See more of Taree’s work at tareevargas.com and on Instagram at @tareev.

KARLY KUNTZ

Pronouns: She/Her

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

I think that poetry as an art form is often overlooked because it can sometimes be inaccessible. However, I feel that the film aspect of this project will allow the chosen poems to reach a broader audience. I also think the subject matter will offer a great deal of light to people in dark times, and I am honored to be part of that process and conversation. 

Tell us about your artistic practice. What excites you as a poet? What ideas do you explore in your poetry?

For me, poetry is a tool to capture moments and emotions. The careful composition of a poem is a form of storytelling and an attempt to either preserve a moment in time or to process several moments while exploring the ways they intersect and speak to each other. Sharing my writing is always an offering for others -- an invitation to see if we have moments or emotions in common, even if this only occurs in one line of a poem.

Weirdest purchase since quarantine began?

Please do not confront me about credit card charges at Michael's Craft Store.

I try to watch the sunset and take a beach walk as many nights of the week as possible. Sometimes I will do my yoga practice on the beach too :)

RICH JOHNSON

Pronouns: He/Him 

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

I'm excited about the opportunity to interpret a new poem and translate it visually, and possibly find a long-term collaborator!

How long have you been making films? How did you get started in your field?

I started making short films in 2010, while taking film classes at NYU. I come from a music/sound background, so sound design for film was my entry point, although I've always been involved in film and theatre as an actor and director as well. 

What's the weirdest purchase you've made since quarantine began?

Smoothies in powder form (Kencko brand). 

.What are you doing, if anything, to find joy and peace during this turbulent year?

Reading, cooking, listening to more music and taking more neighborhood walks.

Catch Rich at 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 10  live on Instagram.

DANIEL BINKOSKI

Pronouns: He/Him

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

I’ve been to a few Level Ground events and love the work you all do to foster a community of artists. 2020 has been intense and full of bullshit. I would love to participate in anything that helps people (including myself) parse through it all and find some value and meaning.

How long have you been writing poetry? How did you get started in your field?

I’ve been writing poetry for eight years, finding it an outlet to better know my own life and emotions. Pushing my feelings outside myself onto paper allows me to begin to understand them, while forcing the world around me into a handful of words distills it.

If you could only pick one movie, book, video game, album, etc. to spend the rest of quarantine with, what would you pick?

Red Spider White Web by Misha

What's the weirdest purchase you've made since quarantine began?

I started buying and painting small models for a game.

Catch Daniel at 4:30 PM on Saturday, October 10  live on Instagram. See more of Daniel’s work on Instagram at @Binky92.

ANDRÉS VAZQUEZ

Pronouns: He/Him 

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

It is a possibility for something more; It’s an opportunity to grow, learn something new, something about others, and something about myself.

Tell us about your artistic practice. What excites you as a filmmaker? What ideas do you explore in your films?

The idea of creating something from nothing has sustained my belief in never letting despair have the last word. As the youngest of seven children born of working class immigrant parents from Mexico, living was difficult. Seeing my parents create a life for themselves and their family, I felt that there existed this kind of magic of will and creativity that was sustaining our survival. My mom would say to me, "You need to have faith”, faith in something more to come. This faith to me was a creative hope, and It made me feel that I was this natural resource of magic and narrative that had unimaginable value. Filmmaking became a way for me to creatively express that faith. It gave me the language and ability to demonstrate that we all have value, and in choosing to recognize this, we grow in empathy and allow hope to persist.

What excites me as a filmmaker is possibility, and imaging what others may not yet be able to conceive. Our creation can stretch possibility to its limits, and broaden people’s imagination, and ,hopefully, their capacity to relate to one another. The ideas I like to explore in my films are the limits in which we push our humanity, and its physical condition. Through that exploration, I hope to provide a kind of reconciliation of our lived experience, and ultimately an appreciation of life and its inevitable end.  

If you had to quarantine with one other person for the rest of your life (and it could be anyone in the world) who would you pick and why?

Roy Choi, seems like a good guy and he can get down in the kitchen. 

What are you doing, if anything, to find joy and peace during this turbulent year?

I’ve been watching more film, joined a reading group that incorporates meditation, and I have been baking lots of flan; I make flan hence my IG handle flandres.la (flan+andres= flandres)

See more of Andrés’ work at vimeo.com/andrewvasquez and on Instagram @flandres.la.

Noor Jamal

Pronouns: She/Her 

What excites you about taking part in this collaborative art project Blooming in the Whirlwind?

I’m excited to meet new and talented people and turn emotion into art! I have rarely shared my work publicly (beyond my social media accounts), so I’m excited for a new opportunity! Also, I think the world has felt so much this year, and I’m excited to produce something powerful,

How long have you been writing poetry? How did you get started in your field?

Since I was a child, I was fascinated by books and thought being a writer was so far fetched. Then I learned that anyone can write! It's all about how much your message connects with you and resonates with the reader. In high school, I began to write creatively and started focusing on poetry. Since then, I’ve written in different genres, all through various mediums. Poetry feels less isolating and more like a conversation, or a very strange and never ending game of show and tell.

What's your typical quarantine outfit these days?

Athletic wear, for sure! 

What are you doing, if anything, to find joy and peace during this turbulent year?

immersing myself in spiritual and creative pursuits. I’m redefining my purpose through faith in God and finding time for art. One thing this year has taught me is that it’s important for us, as humans, to find balance in all forms: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

See more of Noor’s work on Instagram at @noorkajoor.

Don’t forget to tune in to Instagram Live on Saturday, Oct 10 at 11:30AM and 4:30PM (PST) to support the work of these artists!