September
Pledge
“Pledge” is a story about a bilingual teacher and one of her students. As the teacher struggles with her first teaching assignment, she learns about the challenges one of her students faces.
Themes: Education, immigration, deportation, culture, language barriers, and bilingual education (Find Resources)
October
In “Statues,” the monuments of the past come to life when they are confronted with being removed.
Themes: History, monuments, memorialization, government, ideologies, philosophy, and elections (Find Resources)
November
Dia de Gracias
In “Dia de Gracias,” a young newly married American living in Mexico is trying to bring a little of the Thanksgiving spirit into her home since she cannot spend the holiday with her family in Texas.
Themes: Thanksgiving, immigration, different customs, intercultural marriage, acculturation, assimilation, multiculturalism and traditions (Find Resources)
February
When a community faces “Aerial Spray” to avoid the spread of disease, it leaves a young boy wondering what this will do to the tooth fairy.
Themes: Public health, the environment, domestic violence, childhood beliefs, loss of innocence, relationships, and family (Find Resources)
"Donation" is the story of an organ donor who takes commitment to self-sacrifice to an extreme.
Themes: Organ donations, giving of oneself, martyrdom, saviorism, good deeds, addiction, self-worth, philosophy, and death (Find Resources)
March
Tornado Season
Texans are familiar with “Tornado Season,” but a young woman faces her own whirlwind of emotions as she reconnects with a former foster brother while working on her doctoral thesis and trying to maintain her relationship with her boyfriend.
Themes: Inclement weather, weather as a metaphor, disaster preparedness, foster care system, social work, relationships and self-care (Find Resources)
Mythological story of seven sisters of the sea that find the seven deadly sins.
Themes: Seven, mythology, sisters, divide and win, seven deadly sins
April
Frontera Seca
In “Frontera Seca,” a son and his father set out to unite the country they were born in with the one they call home.
Themes: Climate change, borders, immigration, deportation, family, family separation and cultural identity (Find Resources)
The final selection, “Volcano Climber,” is about a boy who faces nature to save his sister. His initial success brings fame but he ultimately realizes the futility of humankind in the eyes of nature.
Themes: Childhood illness, death, family relationships, climate change, borders, nature and the media (Find Resources)
Carnival Ride
Also Lonely, Although on Land
Goodness and Mercy
Til Morning