KINCurrent Productions · Christiana Best-Giacomini
People. Stories. Research. Change.
Scholarship, film, writing, and oral history. A connected body of work that preserves memory and brings people’s experiences into view.
Scholar · Researcher · Storyteller
Christiana Best-Giacomini, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Social Work · Oral Historian · Author · Documentary Filmmaker
My work connects social work, research, oral history, film, and storytelling to explore migration, memory, racial equity, family, and social change.
As an Associate Professor in the MSW program at the University of Saint Joseph, I bring together teaching, research, and community engagement. My work also extends beyond the classroom through documentary filmmaking, podcasting, public writing, and oral history projects that center people’s experiences and preserve community memory.
Across scholarship and storytelling, I am interested in how personal lives intersect with larger social forces—and how listening carefully can deepen understanding, connection, and change.
University of Saint Joseph
West Hartford, Connecticut
A connected body of work
From Grenada to New York, from social work to storytelling listening has shaped the journey.
My work as an educator, researcher, and storyteller centers people whose experiences are too often overlooked. Through scholarship, documentary film, writing, oral history, and conversation, I explore how migration, memory, race, and belonging shape our lives.
I am an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Saint Joseph. KINCurrent Productions connects my creative, scholarly, and community-engaged work.
Selected projects
Different forms.
A shared purpose.
Preserving memory, centering lived experience, and opening space for meaningful dialogue.
01 / Film & Media
What does a crisis reveal about inequalities already there?
Connecticut’s Fault Lines explores the racial, economic, social, and health inequities brought into sharper view by COVID-19 in Hartford, Connecticut.
First-person accounts from residents, frontline workers, educators, and community leaders connect one extraordinary moment to a longer history of inequality and resilience.
Explore the filmWriting In Press
Holding on to Pearl
A Daughter’s Journey Through Dementia, Memory and Love
A deeply personal collection of essays about caring for my mother, Pearl, through nearly a decade of dementia. Stories of caregiving, migration, memory, grief, and family explore the changing relationship between parent and adult child.
In press · Velon Book Publishing
Book conversations & caregiving dialoguesResearch / Oral History
Rising from the Waves
Carriacou and Petite Martinique’s Stories of Survival and Strength
An oral history and cultural preservation project documenting island life before, during, and after Hurricane Beryl. The project preserves stories of loss, survival, recovery, and the traditions that sustain community.
A public archive and digital exhibition are planned to preserve community memory for future generations.
Explore a collaboration Explore the project
The creative umbrella
KINCurrent Productions
KINCurrent Productions LLC brings together my creative, scholarly, educational, and community-centered work. Across film, writing, podcasting, oral history, and research, the purpose is connected: preserve stories, deepen understanding, and contribute to social change.
KIN
Kinship, ancestry, chosen community, and the relationships that connect generations.
Current
The movement of people, stories, and memory across borders and generations.
Writing
On the page.
In the world.
Books, scholarship, essays, and public-facing writing explore migration, memory, caregiving, identity, and social change.
- Holding on to PearlBook · In Press
- The Long Goodbye: Challenges of Transnational ParentingBook · 2009
- Scholarly publicationsArticles & chapters
Film & Media / Podcast
Inside Out/ Outside In
Conversations that bring lived experience, community knowledge, and social issues into the same room.
The podcast is another way my work moves beyond the classroom through listening, relationship, and dialogue.
Listen to selected conversationsWhat’s Current
Work taking shape across research, writing, and community.
Ongoing research
Documenting stories of survival and strength
Rising from the Waves centers community memory in Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Read about the projectBook in press
Holding on to Pearl
A collection of essays on caring for a mother through dementia, memory, and love.
Explore the bookCommunity conversations
Bring the film into your community
Educational and community screening inquiries are welcome for Connecticut’s Fault Lines.
Screenings & discussionSpeaking & collaborations
Every collaboration begins with a conversation.
I welcome opportunities to speak, facilitate, teach, and collaborate with universities, professional organizations, community groups, and cultural institutions.
- Keynotes, workshops & guest lectures
- Documentary screenings & dialogue
- Book conversations & healing circles
- Research & oral history partnerships