I tell non-fiction stories across a range of platforms, including radio, print & film. Also: Cut off all of my hair under quarantine. donnellellisalexander@gmail.com
An Oregon Canyon | Oregon Humanities
A short film on "how racism is literally inscribed on our geography." Directed with Sika Stanton. An official selection of the 2019 Portland International Film Festival.
'We wanted to work the land with our kids': the Black US farmers reclaiming the soil
Malcolm Shabazz Hoover is rattling off his vegetable varieties to two potential customers from a local restaurant.
“It’s called Brassica juncea, a west African mustard green,” Hoover says to Marissa Lorette and Ian Watson, co-owners of BeesWing, a local restaurant looking to work with Black businesses. He picks some from the ground and offers it to them. “Taste it.”
“It’s sweet and spicy,” Watson says, looking pleased and happily confused, and Black Futures Farm bags another client.
New Edition’s Neighborhood Secret
Hearing the name New Edition is likely to conjure a lot of thoughts. Bobby Brown, those sweet dance moves, and the recent BET biopic to name but a few. Usually not too high on that list is the fact that they’re from Boston, but New Edition’s Boston roots run deep. So when they filmed a music video in Los Angeles with the Lakers during the height of the 1980s Celtics/Lakers rivalry, it was quite a shock to their hometown supporters. Find out how it happened, and how an assist...
Weekend America: An LSD No-No
The four-and-a-half-minute public radio narrative from 2008 that helped the world rediscover MLB pitcher Dock Ellis.
Donnell Alexander's GHETTO CELEBRITY
Ghetto Celebrity named one of the San Francisco Chronicle's Best Books of 2003!
Green Goblins | UnFictional | Radio Documentary and Storytelling | KCRW
A story of baseball, fatherhood and what it's like to be the black team.
The Darkness in Burns, Oregon
During the 45 minutes I spend inside the occupied refuge, I experience a calm and acceptance that is utterly unlike the vibe back in Burns. The occupiers ask me to stay, and invite me to eat. I talk to several other people in addition to Ehmer, and at no point do I feel racial animus.
Still, I ask Ehmer the question...
Golden State Green Rush: Is Cannabis Equity Reparations for the War on Drugs?
No state has a relationship remotely like the one between California and marijuana. We annually consume 2.5 million pounds of the drug and produce more than 13 million pounds of it.
The summer mixers had not done the trick. Last year Oakland, California, which was launching the partnership component of its groundbreaking Cannabis Equity Assistance Program, found that City Hall meet-and-greets between the street-level victims of the war on drugs and those who had gotten rich by growing and sup...
Dock Ellis and the LSD No-No
The animated doc short. Audio narrative co-produced with Neille Ilel.
In This Teen Book Club, “The Outsiders” Leads to Talk of Boys and ICE
It’s the third Wednesday of the month, and that means it’s time for book club. Seven students gather in a small-town Oregon church to discuss The Outsiders.
Crate Diggers - 23 - Donnell Alexander
Welcome to episode 23 of Crate Diggers!
Crate Diggers is a music / interview podcast using vinyl records as a jumping off point for conversations between artists and other cool people. Hosted by veteran DJ, Verbz and produced by his brother, hip hop producer Steez.
The guest for episode 23 is writer, Donnell Alexander. Donnell is currently working as a facilitator for Oregon Humanities and has written for a list of premier publications from ESPN, Huffington Post, Time, and many others. Donnel...
How This African-American Pot Grower Is Mastering California’s Green Rush
After graduating from historically black Prairie View A&M University, just outside of Houston, the son of a cop, he received an MBA from the University of Chicago. Mitchell flew around the U.S. pointing out to corporate executives who to fire, telling his clients the time while using their own expensive wristwatches to do so.
How I Learned to Be Hungry
When you suffer from physical hunger there’s a terrible discomfort: dizziness, headaches, and an inability to focus. A hollowness echoes through the self.