On a cozy Christmastime evening, Jackson reads us his book next to a fire.

In the Spring of 2023, I constructed a book titled “Dorothy.” I wrote, illustrated, and crafted the entire book over the span of weeks amidst my time in a bookmaking course at school. Each page was done through a printmaking relief technique called lino cutting and printed on paper with ink. After printing my written text on the same paper, sewing, binding, and wrapping the book, I laser-cut the cover.

This lengthy process turned out to produce one of the projects I am most proud of, as it encompasses so many of my passions, like writing, crafting, drawing, and telling stories. I knew I needed a unique way of showcasing this work rather than photographing each page, so I decided to read it aloud in a playful video parodying old TV spots where celebrities would read Christmas stories by the fireplace.

The story itself combines elements from The Wizard of Oz, an African short story called "Manawee," and the dark fairy tale style of the Brothers Grimm.