Filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain
"Everything does not have to be perfect to work out."
Tracy Heather Strain is an award-winning filmmaker and film/video director, producer, writer, and consultant with over 30 years of experience.
You can watch her latest film, Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming A Space, on January 17th. Watch the Teaser!
Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space, a new documentary about the late author whose groundbreaking anthropological work would challenge assumptions about race, gender, and cultural superiority, will premiere on January 17 at 9 PM ET as part of the PBS American Experience series. Directed by Tracy Heather Strain and produced by Randall MacLowry, the film will also be available on the PBS Video app.
Tracy shares why Zora Neale Hurston continues to inspire her work, along with her perfect lasagna recipe.
Last book you read...
Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd
Last moment of self-care...
I was on the road and stressed working to finish the Hurston documentary and fall semester grading. Fortunately, the hotel room had a bathtub, and so I took a long, hot bath of Epsom salt, lavender, chamomile, and melatonin.
Last thing that left you inspired...
Zora Neale Hurston! Hurston's determination to get an education is one thing about her that really moved me. After being primarily on her own from age 13 onward, she managed to find a way to finish high school at 26, and then she secured a place to study literature at Howard and then Barnard.
Last big splurge...
I bought a Peloton Tread recently. I like to exercise early, and now I can walk or run if it is dark, very cold, or slippery out.
Last thing you learned about yourself...
Everything does not have to be perfect to work out.
Last song you danced to…
Shake Your Groove Thing by Peaches & Herb was maybe the last song I danced to. I was in the kitchen cooking while having a personal disco moment.
Describe your last delicious meal…
When I was a kid I got my girl scout cooking badge by making lasagna. I still make it basically the same with four layers: 1) pasta 2) egg with ricotta, parmesan, fresh parsley and pepper 3) sauce with tomatoes, lots of basil and oregano, plus sautéed onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and these days with a little red wine and 4) cheese via shredded mozzarella. I recently made two pans, for a potluck one with meat and the other vegetarian.
Last place you traveled...
In November I traveled to Amsterdam to attend the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) with Chicken & Egg Pictures, an organization devoted to supporting women and women-identifying filmmakers.
I was one of six filmmakers who won the organization's 2022 Award, and I went to discuss my next documentary project, Survival Floating, about Black peoples' relationships to swimming and water—literally and as a metaphor for Black precarity. Chicken & Egg set up a table at IDFA for us to hold our meetings and hosted a huge luncheon in our honor so that we could meet new people, connect with those we knew and advance our projects. I share the sentiment of my friend, an awardee from South Africa, reflecting on the week in Amsterdam, "I didn't just have a seat at the table, I had a whole *%$#@# table!"