Sowell Project VLOG #1

The first of weekly summaries of what and how I'm doing.

Each week I’ll record a vlog summarizing that week’s work.

As I’ve already been at work, these vlogs—for the time being—will be several weeks behind.

Today’s vlog was originally recorded on December 20th, 2025.

CONTENT SUMMARY:

The Status of the Project

• How multiple competing priorities significantly delayed the work

• Uncomfortable truths about how research became procrastination

My Core Creative Challenges

• Synthesizing Sowell’s massive body of work

• Avoiding stale bioplay AND avoiding academic lecture

• Creating visceral and immediate theatre vs retrospective storytelling

Rethinking Storytelling

• How John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story wasn’t helpful

• How William Storr’s The Science of Storytelling created a spark

• How Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots changed everything

Assessing the Texts of Other One-Man Shows

• Robeson by Phillip Hayes Dean

• Thurgood by George A. Stevens

• Satchmo at the Waldorf by Terry Teachout

• I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright

Other Topics Covered:

• Should the 1969 crisis at Cornell University by the central story event?

• Potential central themes for the story

• Developing a strong structure

• Current challenges, and what to do next

Watch the full vlog below.