So, you’re interested in The Pillow Talk Project, eh? Fantastic! Here’s a quick overview of our formal interview process:
Complete the 7-Minute Pre-Interview Survey
This is a quick survey you’ll complete before the official interview that will give me some basic information about you that will be super useful in figuring out the best way to conduct your interview. If you’re being interviewed for research or a blog series, there may be other quick surveys you may need to complete.
Schedule Your Interview
After we’ve confirmed your interest in being interviewed, I will send you a link that will allow you to reserve an interview slot at a time that works best for you. Not sure how long the time slot should be? Review the types of interviews that are available.
Please Note: To maintain the integrity behind the content on this site, no compensation is provided for interviewees. We believe that all stories are of equal weight and value, and that being able to share your story via The Pillow Talk Project is a mutually beneficial opportunity for everyone involved.
Prepare for Your Interview
Whether this is your first interview or you’re a pro, I strongly encourage you to check out a few tips on how you can best prepare. And once you’ve done that, read what others had to say about their interview experience, explore some of the many interviews, and skim through the blog.
In 2019, Keith F. Miller, Jr., observed something remarkable while running creative writing after school programs in Savannah, GA: Students from all backgrounds didn’t just step outside their comfort zones—they learned, led, and thrived with unmistakable joy. Despite this, Keith heard from students and families that school, even for the high-achievers, was a place they survived, not thrived. This led Keith, through his studies in Educational Psychology, to explore why young people felt empowered to learn, lead, and heal in some spaces but not in others.
Through a qualitative research study involving interviews with high schoolers, fellow teaching artists over a year, in addition to examining creative works from youth journals and performances, Keith found that when young people engage in arts-based healing practices with trusted others (peers and adults), they don’t just cope with their struggles—they transform them, becoming vibrant leaders in the process.
Drawing inspiration from the process of rainbow formation—reflection, refraction, and dispersion—and building off of groundbreaking research from scholars like David Kirkland, Gholdy Muhammad, Bettina Love, Bianca Baldridge, and Shawn Ginwright, Keith developed the Healing Literacy Framework, illustrating how arts-based, community programs are vital in supporting young people as they overcome educational trauma, and, in doing so, can result in transformative partnerships in school and beyond that prove healing is possible for everyone.
Enter, HEALIT
In 2019, Keith F. Miller, Jr., observed something remarkable while running creative writing after school programs in Savannah, GA: Students from all backgrounds didn’t just step outside their comfort zones—they learned, led, and thrived with unmistakable joy. Despite this, Keith heard from students and families that school, even for the high-achievers, was a place they survived, not thrived. This led Keith, through his studies in Educational Psychology, to explore why young people felt empowered to learn, lead, and heal in some spaces but not in others.
Through a qualitative research study involving interviews with high schoolers, fellow teaching artists over a year, in addition to examining creative works from youth journals and performances, Keith found that when young people engage in arts-based healing practices with trusted others (peers and adults), they don’t just cope with their struggles—they transform them, becoming vibrant leaders in the process.
Drawing inspiration from the process of rainbow formation—reflection, refraction, and dispersion—and building off of groundbreaking research from scholars like David Kirkland, Gholdy Muhammad, Bettina Love, Bianca Baldridge, and Shawn Ginwright, Keith developed the Healing Literacy Framework, illustrating how arts-based, community programs are vital in supporting young people as they overcome educational trauma, and, in doing so, can result in transformative partnerships in school and beyond that prove healing is possible for everyone.
Keith F. Miller, Jr.