Hi Everyone!  I’m Ilana, one of The Modern Story’s two new fellows for 2010/2011. I’m very excited to be collaborating and creating with TMS’ students, local teachers, supporting organizers, and friends over the next six months here in Hyderabad. I hope that you’ll find this blog a space of consistent insight as Kara and I document our work and continue to build upon the incredible efforts of Piya, Remy, and the previous fellows.

As I’m the newest kid on the block, I made a short video to share a bit about my own history and the important events and interests that led me to TMS. The written word, stage performance, and radio were my first true loves, but I have come to find multimedia work an exciting and powerful tool for social activism and personal expression – with it, the creative possibilites are endless! If you throw a little bit of everything into the pot, the resulting stew is sure to taste like magic.

The quote Kara used to summarize a unifying theme in her interests was very revealing, and so perhaps if I were to select one of my own, it would be this, from Kiran Desai’s essay “Night Claims the Godavari,” from the book AIDS Sutra:

These were lives lived beyond ordinariness, insisting on a personal story, not exchangeable with any other. ‘Tell each one properly,’ said the women in the jungle by the ocean.

I love nothing more than sharing stories with friends, family, and strangers, and helping both children and adults find new and empowering ways to express themselves through storytelling. I hope you enjoy the video, and I look forward to sharing our future adventures!

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/14036760]