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THE CONSCIENCE FILES (2025)
Used commonly on signage by the U.S. National Park Service, “Take only photographs, leave only footprints” is often seen as the umbrella code of conduct for all visitors to any of its 400+ majestic locations. But for many visitors to one in particular - Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park - the temptation to procure some of its glittery, colorful rocks as keepsakes has proven to be irresistible. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the party), that act and the retention of such treasures is long-rumored to be cursed – prompting the return of hundreds or more of these “souvenirs” each year. The letters which often accompany such submissions are maintained within the archives of the Park’s library and, as one might guess, are often infinitely more colorful than whatever the returned specimen may be. With the grandeur of the Park as the backdrop, The Conscience Files tells of the woes and now (hopefully) redemptive journey of some of these notorious “return” visitors, in their words, as written.
KAY'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT (2023)
Kay’s doctor's appointment was routine. The drive home wasn't. But, what may not be remembered about the route home, was offset by the insights gained…and the comfort of knowing that guardian angels, may just be looking out for us all.
DEPARTING GESTURE (2019)
As the frontlines of America’s HIV epidemic continue to migrate away from metropolitan centers - and invariably into territories least-equipped for battle – a funeral director in the heart of the South confronts an environment of societal shame and ignorance to ensure a dignified finality to those fallen from the disease.
WINTER'S WATCH (2017)
Located ten miles off the coast of mainland New England, the Oceanic Hotel is the grand, yet far-from-modern home to the thousands of guests who brave the choppy seas to visit during the warmer spring and summer months. Off-season, the hotel and the 43-acre Star Island on which it sits is home to one woman – its winter caretaker who braves the colder, darker months of inclement weather by embracing the solitude and finding inspiration, and life, in what would otherwise be considered the ‘bones’ of winter.
To date, Andrew has had over 749 sexual partners (almost all of which are men). The Trick List is a documentation of a gay man's journey to memorialize and document every sexual encounter he has ever had.
ONE YEAR LEASE (2014)
Ahhh, renting an apartment in New York City - tiny, 'challenging' spaces coupled with enormous rents are to be expected. The most eccentric of landlords...directly above you…with an itchy speed-dial finger? - perhaps not as common. Told almost entirely through voicemail messages, One Year Lease documents the travails of Brian, Thomas and Casper as they endure a year-long sentence with Rita the cat-loving landlady.
WHITE BLAZE (2013)
White Blaze follows Apple as he supports weary southbound thru-hikers along the Appalachian Trail by offering them food, water, and encouragement to reach the end of the famous 2,178 mile wooded footpath.
THE MERCANTILE (2013)
Nestled in a remote mountain valley and at the foot door of Montana's Glacier National Park, the historic Polebridge Mercantile dutifully endures as one of the last outposts of its kind in the American West. The Mercantile steps into the working lives of Flannery Coats and Stuart Reiswig, the young couple whose search for the ideal marriage location yielded them the most unforeseen and rewarding challenges of their lives-proprietorship and preservation of a century-old, unchanged business enterprise in a modern and ever-changing world.
THE LOOKOUT (2012)
Fire Lookouts are an important link in detecting and preventing wildfires that can destroy our public lands. "The Lookout," captures the solitary working life of one Lookout living in complete isolation while scanning the landscape prepared to combat untamed wildfires.
RAZING FAITH (2009)
Faced with dwindling attendance and a shrinking congregation in the wake of church sex abuse scandals, St. Joseph's parish in Woburn, MA is set to close its doors forever. With the 100th anniversary of the church also on the horizon however, the Archdiocese of Boston provides the parish with a last-minute reprieve and allows it to remain operational through the celebration. In the wake of this decision, a community which should otherwise be banding together to celebrate a bittersweet milestone, regrettably tears itself apart.
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