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Blast from the Past
SELECTED WORKSA. Almond-Harvey has over 25 years of experience working in the fields of design, branding, theater, world-building, and dance, all while penning immersive perspectives in her poetic prose. They are working on a complete archive, but for now, you can view a few of her favorite projects over the years below.
Various Works, Executive Director, abrasiveMedia
As the co-founder and Executive Director of abrasiveMedia, Audra led a talented team of creatives and administrators in a needs-based nonprofit, collaborating closely with the board of directors to achieve the organization’s goals. She designed tools that fostered collaboration and ensured equitable power distribution in arts and community initiatives. Over the years, she helped incubate more than 300 artists, organizations, and projects while enhancing visibility and community engagement through speaking, writing, and design. Audra orchestrated successful grant-writing campaigns that secured essential funding for their initiatives and built strategic partnerships within the arts and community sectors to expand their influence. She worked alongside local arts organizations and community groups to pursue mutually beneficial opportunities and conducted evaluations to identify areas for process improvement. With a focus on long-term sustainability, Audra developed a comprehensive strategic plan for their programs and launched a mentorship program to support emerging artists in their careers. Additionally, she prioritized employees' professional growth through mentorship opportunities and training workshops, helping everyone thrive.
"Who's to Say This Will Make More Sense the Next Time Through"
This was a commissioned poetic prose addressing what it is to live with chronic pain for FALL Aerial & Contemporary Dance. This work was created in collaboration with Rebekah Barger, the founder and artistic director of the company. I reviewed the stories she gathered from individuals in the community who experienced chronic pain (including myself) and wrote this work in response as a love letter to patients and healers. It is formatted after "Loving Kindness" meditations. I recorded a reading of this piece, which was set to music by local composer Dan Wright of Innerstellar. The end result was the foundation for this short dance film.
HAUNTED: A Southern-Gothic Site Responsive Work
Nashville's debut immersive theatrical installation and performance was presented in collaboration with a host of visual, literary, performing, and theater artists. Almond-Harvey co-curated the visual art spaces with local artist and maker Tony Youngblood; developed the overarching connections of the show/installation through world-building and narrative development; and co-wrote, co-produced, and performed an individual installation within Haunted with frequent collaborator Tavius Marshall. Haunted was based on Nashville's deadliest train crash and the systemic inequities exposed by the tragedy. Almond-Harvey's narrative work explored the inauguration of "train time" and how that inexorably changed the human experience of time, forcing the evolution of our individual, familial, and cultural connections as, for the first time, "noon" meant the same thing across the world.
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I Wrote This Book In Lieu of Dying is almost a memoir.
It was born from a pivotal moment when the specter of mortality loomed, and the extent of the resulting doctors' bills was unknown. The author, faced with a novel experience for the umpteenth time and honestly more than a bit over it, decided to examine the queries that drive their existence. As it turns out, the question to probe was not "Why do I live?" or "What is the meaning of a life bound by death?" but rather, "Who is this person who is currently living, and where have I seen them before?".
As it turns out, the questions to probe were not "Why do I live?" or "What is the meaning of a life bound for death?" but rather, "Who is this person who is currently living, and where have I seen them before?"
This book is inspired by the author's relationships with their ancestors, hailing from four to five continents. It is an origin story, the first book in a trilogy, a braiding of thoughts drawn from the strands of a life defined by tension and involuntarily-hewn resilience. A. Almond-Harvey is still kicking as of the time of publishing and is at least somewhat ready to share this work with the world. Take your chance to scour this remarkable tale crafted while peering over the precipice of mortality and peeking around the corners of wisdom. I Wrote This Book in Lieu of Dying weaves a narrative that echoes with the disconcertingly rapid heartbeat of life itself.
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