I was lucky to take a women’s literature class taught at Western Washington University by Professor Kami Westhoff. She’d chosen to focus solely on poetry from women in North America, and I was blown away by all that she exposed us to, particularly Andrea Gibson and Donika Kelly. Gibson’s piece, “Tincture,” is not to be missed. Absolutely topnotch poetry. And a fantastic documentary on them, Come and See Me in the Good Light, came out this last year and was nominated for an Academy Award. 

But I was placed in a small group and we were asked to do a presentation on Donika Kelly, whom I came to admire and respect highly. She was courageous enough to express and share about her experiences with childhood sexual abuse and trauma. Her interviews and work touched my heart deeply, and I had to do a documentary film on her courageousness and her work. 

I included footage I’d gotten in Yosemite National Park, Cannon Beach, Oregon, and did some wonderful/enjoyable slow-motion cinematography up at Western Washington University, and inside the Church of the Assumption, a very beautiful chapel in Bellingham, Washington. 

I recorded a light and appropriately moody piano soundtrack for this film. It overlayed nicely over Donika Kelly’s words, her interviews, and her poetry, which she reads herself. 

Kelly is truly an honorable person, and it was my honor to put the spotlight on her and her work.

I.