Dying to Tell is a deeply human and multi-faceted creative project by Stephen Jenkins. It serves as a reflective exploration of significant themes, including awakening, renewal, loss, identity, and otherness. At Blue Ridge Collaborative, we are drawn to projects like this–stories that embrace complexity and create space for connection through vulnerability and truth.
Spanning six decades of lived experience, Dying to Tell invites audiences to consider what it means to live with eyes wide open. Through both a documentary film and a coffee table–style memoir, Stephen’s story wrestles with mortality and meaning, belonging and transformation. It is not simply a retrospective. It is an honest confrontation with the moments that shape a life and the lessons that emerge in their wake.
At its core, Dying to Tell asks universal questions: How do we understand ourselves in a changing world? How do we navigate grief and growth? What does it mean to be fully present to our own becoming? Stephen’s journey offers a lens through which others can reflect on their own stories, making this project both personal and profoundly communal.
BRC is proud to partner with Stephen Jenkins to bring Dying to Tell into the world with care and creative rigor. Our work has included refining the project’s narrative focus, clarifying its messaging, and preparing foundational materials to support funding, production, and long-term distribution.
We will fund and produce both the documentary film and the companion book, guiding the project from concept through completion. Once finished, we will help stage a public film premiere paired with a book signing–an opportunity to gather community around the story. We will also explore distribution pathways for the film, including PBS, streaming platforms, and digital outlets, while assessing publishing options for the memoir, from traditional routes to self-publication.
Dying to Tell is a joint production of Blue Ridge Collaborative and Parklife, led by a multidisciplinary team that includes Richmond-based filmmaker Marshall Hanbury (Parklife Studio), creative strategist Brian Castle (CEO of Parklife), and historian Annie Newton (Executive Director of Blue Ridge Collaborative). Together, this team is committed to ensuring the story is told with depth and nuance.
Stephen Jenkins’ project reflects what we value most at BRC: authentic storytelling that confronts hard truths while illuminating resilience and renewal. When individuals are willing to share their lived experience with honesty and vulnerability, they create space for connection and healing far beyond themselves.
If you are interested in supporting Dying to Tell or have a project of your own that deserves thoughtful creative partnership, we would love to hear from you. Reach out to us at info@blueridgecollaborative.org or fill out the contact form on our website.
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