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AMANDA MESTER-BROWN

Who I Am

I’m an interdisciplinary creative and justice studies doctoral candidate whose tools of choice are writing and advocacy. My past career in hip-hop journalism was one of the first places I encountered history told from the margins. It shaped the questions I continue to ask about culture, power, memory, and whose stories become part of the public record.

Today, my work spans cultural research, journalism, public history, communications, and teaching. I collaborate with creatives, communities, and organizations to document lived experience, interpret complex histories, and develop stories that are thoughtful, accessible, and grounded in rigorous research. Whether I'm conducting oral histories, writing about culture, facilitating public workshops, or helping an organization articulate its mission, I'm interested in work that challenges dominant narratives, advocates for hyperlocal change, and offers opportunity to use storytelling to affect meaningful and empowering change.

What I Love

Community

The most meaningful work happens collaboratively. Whether facilitating workshops, conducting interviews, or partnering with organizations, I believe communities should be active participants in telling their own stories.
Place

Place and public spaces are shaped by memory, identity, and the people who inhabit them. My work examines how communities develop a sense of place/belonging and how those relationships evolve over time.
Storytelling

Stories shape how people understand themselves, one another, and the institutions they belong to. Through journalism, oral history, research, and communications, I explore how narrative can preserve history, challenge assumptions, and create opportunities for connection.
Culture

Culture is created through everyday experiences, shared traditions, creative expression, and public life. I study the ways music, media, history, and community shape how people make meaning together. In my view, culture is the most magical part of being alive.

What I Do

Culture Journalism

In print and digital form, I have written about music and culture for many years. Whether penning a retrospective of classic albums or interviewing cultural performers, I love exploring how music, culture, politics, and history collide to create art.

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Public History, Research, and Collaborative Creativity

My ongoing dissertation, the UNO Community Memory Project, is a history and public engagement initiative exploring institutional identity, belonging, and collective storytelling at the University of New Orleans.

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Teaching & Public Engagement

In classrooms, workshops, and public programming, I love creating spaces where critical inquiry, creative collaboration, and open dialogue meet to teach us all about us. partner with organizations and creatives to translate complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives.

Creative & Strategic Storytelling

I partner with organizations and creatives to identify and amplify their stories. From writing press materials and website copy to generate creative content ideas and storytelling, I am available for project-based freelance work.

In the Conversation

The UNO Community Memory Project sparked conversations across the university and beyond. These stories document the project's evolution, its public engagement efforts, and the broader questions it raised about history, identity, and institutional memory.