Yesterday I met Blackbird. Readers who follow news of NASA may recall that she was the first African American woman to travel to Mars. If you haven’t heard of her, it’s not surprising. She left in secretive circumstances and returned to an even more secretive atmosphere. I will be interviewing her as part of my work on Uncovering the Myth of Merula, which is my Master’s project in digital storytelling. So far as I’m aware, my interviews will be the first Blackbird has ever granted. My work is being fully funded by a grant from the Institute for Encounter Story Studies. Blackbird is widely rumored to have reported alien contact when she returned to Earth. For the next two years, I plan to work from my base in Sevare, which is a small town near Mopti, across the Niger River from the Sangha region of Dogon country. The Dogon country is where Blackbird is from, and the Dogon country is where she returned, after she came back to Earth. She lives there today in peace and obscurity, filling her dwelling with strange artwork and inventions that she refuses to sell. continue reading »