Raquel Saldana dreaded the question “How are you?” more than any other phrase in common use. Whenever someone said it, it implied they couldn’t care less about how she actually felt. And she was uniquely sensitive to indifference. But that’s the way the world worked; people didn’t have time to give a damn about feelings other than their own.

I am an independent filmmaker and poet striving to foster empathy through art. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, I have resided in Los Angeles for the past six years, where I have directed 50+ silent short films shot on iPhone, facilitated creative writing workshops at rehabs and shelters, and written personalized poems for strangers every Sunday outside a bookstore.