‘How to become a poet’ is an experimental short investigating a man's recovery journey after a near-fatal accident that resulted in a severe traumatic brain injury. Throughout his recovery, he relies on his own records of his life, chronicled in his meticulous journals he has kept since his childhood in Brooklyn. He uses these journals to re-learn who he was and is, rebuilding his identity based on the memories he recorded. The story explores Chris's recovery process at the meeting point of memory, imagination, relationships, and the uncertainty of it all. 

The film depicts Chris’s experiences with aphasia, memory loss, and other disorienting effects of traumatic brain injury.  Through archival footage, voice overs from his journal entries, and reenactments, we explore how his past, present, and future have been altered by the accident and how his own written words helped him rebuild his identity. It also features Chris’s poetry from before and after the accident, showing the continuity of his ambitions and artistry. 

This story is non-linear, representing the nature and experience of traumatic brain injury recovery, including aphasia and memory loss. As such, the film takes place over several decades and places–a school in Brooklyn in the 1960s, a suburban home in New Jersey in the 1990s, and even the Wonderama soundstage somewhere in between. 

Places and people represent the memories and elements of identity that we collect throughout our lives, and the way we depend on those things to understand ourselves. Voiceover of Chris’s prose and poetry show how our own words may guide us through our lives and become the source of our self-knowledge.  

While Chris has made a miraculous recovery, his journey has been anything but easy. Like many others with disabilities, he continues to navigate a world that is not set up for him or anyone who’s experience doesn’t fit the mold. His story is powerful–revealing that when everything falls apart, we must rely on ourselves and others to pick up the pieces. He shows us that our identities, like our brains, are malleable, regenerative, and maybe even transcendent. He and his family teach us that devastation does not have to be the end and that our relationships with ourselves and others are what make our lives possible. 

Chris continues to be a productive poet, a creative educator, and an advocate for people with disabilities. He embraces difference and diversity in the world, and sees the deepest value of how those around us can influence our lives. He is dedicated to showing others that their words have power, that their minds can change, and that their creativity can create change. We hope his story raises awareness about living with severe traumatic brain injury and that Chris’s words inspire others to approach the world more creatively. 

Our minimum goal is $10,000 to fund production. This will allow us to pay for equipment, transportation, production/set design, wardrobe, food, and compensating our crew. Reaching our funding goal means we can move forward with the really fun part--production! We will shoot the film this summer and we'll be sure to keep you in the loop with behind-the-scenes updates! Our stretch goals is $15,000, which will support our post-production and distribution plan. We'll be able to cover editing, scoring, festival entry fees, and marketing. This will further our reach and allow even more people to be a part of this story.  Every contribution will help make this film possible. Sharing with your communities will help it go even further! Thank you!