PBS NewsHour - Brief But Spectacular

Jeanann Verlee uses her work to bring awareness to issues surrounding mental health. She has authored three books of poetry and writes about mental health awareness, trauma survival and domestic abuse and domestic violence. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on destigmatizing mental illness through poetry. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Mahogany Browne is a poet, writer, organizer and educator. Recently, she became the first-ever poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center in New York City. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on poetry as ritual. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Writer Mary Otis' work grapples with issues of addiction, artistic purpose, and mother-daughter relationships. She recently performed excerpts from her debut novel, "Burst," at Lincoln Center in New York City. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on finding her voice. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Hope Boykin and Teri Ayanna Wright are a duo who bring together prose and dance. Boykin is both a choreographer and writer, and Wright is a dancer who accompanies the spoken word portion of the piece, bringing it to another dimension. They share their Brief But Spectacular take on creating their own paths. It's part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Hala Alyan is an award-winning poet, author, and clinical psychologist. She was born in Illinois but spent time in several other states as well as in Kuwait and Lebanon. Alyan shares her Brief But Spectacular take on how those experiences formed what she calls a hyphenated identity. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Douglas Martin is a poet, novelist and short story writer. He began his career as a performance poet and dramatist before shifting to writing full-length prose. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on the art of paying close attention to the everyday for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Kennady Bob is a Los Angeles-based artist who expresses herself through both large-scale paintings and small sketches. After experiencing great loss early in her life, she found that she could process the feelings she struggled to put into words through art. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on letting the colors say it for you. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Ramya Ramana is an award-winning author, poet and lyricist. She was a winner of the Youth Poet Laureate of New York City award. In addition to performing and writing, she has also worked as an educator and mentor for young women and poets. Ramana shares her Brief But Spectacular take on forgiveness. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Brandon Kazen-Maddox is an artist, filmmaker, acrobat and GODA, a grandchild of deaf adults. They are a cofounder of Up Until Now Collective, a non-profit that provides opportunities for deaf artists who want to bring ASL dance theater to the stage, screen and beyond. Kazen-Maddox shares their Brief But Spectacular take on blending the worlds of art, ASL and accessibility. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

For recent graduates, every year of their high school career was touched by the pandemic. In spite of the challenges, they never lost their perseverance and creativity. Graduating seniors at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California share their Brief But Spectacular take on the future. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Author and lecturer Allan Goldstein's younger brother Fred is a survivor of the Willowbrook State School, an institution on Staten Island for people with disabilities that became notorious in the 1970s for its neglect and abuse of residents. Once Fred got out, Goldstein saw his brother's many talents that had never been nurtured. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on how everybody can learn. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Tanya Aguiñiga is a Los Angeles-based artist, designer and activist who grew up as a binational citizen of Mexico and the United States. Much of her work speaks of her divided identity and tells the larger and often invisible stories of the transnational community. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on using craft to push back on injustice for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

New York City's Hart Island is the final resting place for more than a million unclaimed bodies. In 2018, artist Melinda Hunt launched the Hart Island Project, which has mapped the entire island and published the stories of more than 68,000 people buried there. Hunt shares her Brief But Spectacular take on New York City's family tomb. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As a TSA agent, Benni Latham brought lots of joy to her job. However, after a violent incident at work, she felt the need to pivot. Today, Benni has found rewarding success in pursuing her dream job through commercials and various voice acting projects and commercials. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on second acts. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Ben Sheehan is a comedian on a mission to educate the public on civics. A former executive producer in the entertainment industry, he took a pivot to politics when he realized how little people knew about how government works and he wrote the book "OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?" Sheehan shares his Brief But Spectacular take on knowing your power. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The New York City Urban Debate League is the largest in the nation. Over the past ten years, it has helped over 100 New York City schools get access to debate training for students. Francis and Erick are two middle school students who participate in the league. They share their Brief But Spectacular take on debate and democracy. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Camille Tagle is co-founder and creative director of FABSCRAP, which is a textile recycling nonprofit. Textiles generate 21 billion pounds of waste that goes into landfills every year, and FABSCRAP works to divert that waste, either by downcycling or giving the fabric new life. Tagle shares her Brief But Spectacular take on textile waste and fashion sustainability. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Michael R. Jackson is a Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright and composer. His musical, "A Strange Loop," started as a personal monologue he wrote shortly after graduating from NYU and it debuted on Broadway 18 years later. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on writing from the inside out for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The nation is in the midst of a teacher shortage, and at the end of another school year, burnout is causing many more teachers to call it quits. Micaela DeSimone is a 6th-grade English teacher in a charter school in Queens, New York. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on teacher burnout and explains how the past few years have changed her views on what was once her dream job. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Each year, 22,000 young people age out of foster care without family structures in place to support them. It's an issue Sixto Cancel is working to address. He's the founder and CEO of Think of Us, a nonprofit organization that aims to change child welfare systems across the country. He's also experienced foster care himself. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on kinship care. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders