Advent 2021: Hope (with Kesia Lee)

Ashley J. Hobbs is a Jersey born-and-bred creator. As a writer and podcast producer she created a lane for herself by uplifting nuanced storytelling. Most recently, Ashley was part of the production team for the 2x Webby-nominated, Black women hosted-and-operated ESSENCE Podcast Network. There she helped produce the network’s four podcasts and spearheaded the vision, prep and production of their fifth, a Gen-Z-facing podcast Magic Unfiltered. She recently launched Temple & Riot Productions which develops and produces documentary, narrative, and hybrid audio content from and for those whose stories aren’t often centered. She is writing a book of faith-infused short stories and is in pre-production for a faith-based documentary podcast. Her goal in everything she does is to encourage, inform, connect, and evoke. Check out her work and say hi: www.ashleyjh.com.

“I can’t find words for hope this year. Instead, I made a video of the ways I practice hope. Through acts of connection, tradition, and appreciation, my body does what I mind cannot: it finds hope. Again, and again, and again.” - Lee