statementHello, hi! I'm Sasha, a creative queer woman (she/her) originally from Wabanaki/Abenaki territory (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), currently living on Tongva/Chumash land (Los Angeles, CA). I graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Screen Studies in 2016, and completed my Master of Arts in Cinema & Media Studies at USC in 2019. Since then, I've been a film critic, a lexicographer, a subtitles editor, a librarian, a writing guide, a budtender, a babysitter...
I usually just tell people I'm a writer, but I believe I'm also slowly growing into an educator, or perhaps a cultural organizer. In 2016, I founded Germinal, an online magazine and digital space for disillusioned youth to share creative work in response to global political shifts. I've been volunteering as a creative writing mentor with WriteGirl since summer 2019, and most of my energy now goes into developing the Un/Learning Club, a creative film discussion group focused on practicing anti-racism and narrative media literacy. As a white woman, I'm deeply conscious of the lifelong responsibility I have to decenter myself when it comes to educational aspirations. In an effort to hold myself accountable for my own un/learning in this role, I will post updates in the accountability section below regarding the specific steps I'm taking to do so. |
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accountability
☆ On August 2, 2020, I virtually attended two Lit C.I.R.C.L.E. workshops focused on pedagogical practices and curricular design for social justice teaching: "What's In A Syllabus?" and "Toward A Critical Literacy."
☆ Starting July 23, 2020, I virtually attended the Allied Media Conference, and connected with fellow scholars giving presentations like "Language Justice and Beyond," "Poetry as Resistance to the Systems Out to Get Us," and "The Critical Need for Black Media Reparations."
☆ Starting July 21, 2020, I participated in a 4-part PBS webinar series called "Tools for Anti-Racist Teaching." The individual events are as follows: Deepening Your Understanding of Race and Racism; Using Media to Know Better, Teach Better; Amplify Student Voice; and Focusing on Young Learners.
☆ Starting July 23, 2020, I virtually attended the Allied Media Conference, and connected with fellow scholars giving presentations like "Language Justice and Beyond," "Poetry as Resistance to the Systems Out to Get Us," and "The Critical Need for Black Media Reparations."
☆ Starting July 21, 2020, I participated in a 4-part PBS webinar series called "Tools for Anti-Racist Teaching." The individual events are as follows: Deepening Your Understanding of Race and Racism; Using Media to Know Better, Teach Better; Amplify Student Voice; and Focusing on Young Learners.
salutations
Whether to discuss my work, my goals, influences, the merits of the dash, the music I'm into, TV shows I have or haven't seen, fictional characters who have broken my heart, why movies rated R for language rule, which section of the library is best, cabbages and/or kings, etc., I appreciate your interest and sincerely welcome your correspondence.
email: sashakkohan@gmail.com