Backstory to the "Jetpacks & the Spivey" production

In 2013, I began researching the Spivey, a 12-story abandoned building in East St. Louis. In 2014, I asked my colleague--professor and creative writer Geoff Schmidt to compose the beginning of a mystery and sci-fi short story based on the Spivey. 

Somehow, the idea of folks flying jetpacks emerged. So we called the composition "Jetpacks & the Spivey."

In 2015 and then in 2017, I organized creative writing exercises with students producing remixes of Schmidt's story. 

In February 2023, I employed voice actor Kassandra Timm to do a reading of “Jetpacks & the Spivey.” 

Then, in March 2023, participants in the Black Tech Sandbox program added sound effects to the reading of “Jetpacks & the Spivey.” In April 2023, Sierra Taylor produced a whiteboard animation based on the audio composition. 

See here: Jetpacks & the Spivey production

Related:

• Digital Humanities Club: Week 7 (2019)

• Digital Humanities Club: Week 6 (2019)

• Jetpacks, East St. Louis, and science fiction (2017)

• Remixing "Jetpacks & the Spivey" story (2015)

• Public Thinking Event: East St. Louis (2014)

• Re-imagining the Spivey: sci-fi prompt (2014)