Olivia Auxier, MCM Candidate, Class of 2015
One of the benefits of being part of the Annenberg School is the professors and faculty that have a wide breadth of experience in many different fields. Whether it is an adjunct professor who is a VP of MGM, a Director with a long career at ABC, producers, creatives, or digital experts, Annenberg has no shortage of talent. It is no surprise that many creative projects come from people working at Annenberg.
Jeremy Rosenberg is one of those creative people. He works as the Assistant Dean, Public Affairs and Special Events for Annenberg. When he isn’t working on complex digital storytelling for the school, he takes time to go back to his first love: Writing. With a background as a journalist, Jeremy was used to seeking out stories to write about. However, when he took a position working for the Annenberg Foundation as part of Lauren Bon’s artistic project, the story for his book came to him.
The book, “Under Spring: Voices + Art + Los Angeles” tells the personal stories of the Los Angeles North Spring Street bridge’s natives. The bridge is a concrete structure that has become a shelter for many homeless Angelinos. He interviewed 67 people over a four-month period, and what he came up with is an inspiring narrative of personal experiences and stories: “One day a leading politician comes [to the bridge], the next day someone looking to score drugs came, the next day a homeless man would come, the next day a famous musician would come. It’s an amazing crossroad where people with amazing stories would come.”
The book asks important questions about the nature of public vs. private space. Jeremy said, “The stated goal of the book is to inspire other people, whether in LA or anywhere: to take on projects such as this in other urban voids. Whether it’s in an alley or under a bridge, any place that has potential to be more than it is.”
And inspire people, the book has. In fact, it is the winner of the 2014 California Historical Society Book Award. Despite the overwhelmingly positive response to his book, Jeremy remains focused on the stories of the people he met, saying, “I don’t even think of myself as the writer, but the listener.”