Wendy Eley Jackson draws on three decades of experience in film and television in her talk, “The Transformative Power of Storytelling,” for a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden St., in downtown Santa Barbara. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required.

“My talk will resonate with every demographic as I explore why it’s important to harness the influence of storytelling to make a positive impact in communities,” Jackson said.

She began teaching at Westmont in fall 2020 and founded the Montecito Student Film Festival. Recently she made news for writing the screenplay to “Napa Ever After,” an historic Mahogany movie premier on the Hallmark Channel.

A native of Atlanta, Jackson earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature at the University of California at Berkeley and her M.F.A. in screenwriting from the University of Georgia.

She serves as the CEO of Auburn Avenue Films, a production company specializing in entertainment that brings social awareness and engages audiences to participate in social change. At Westmont, she teaches Documentary Filmmaking, Screenwriting, and Creative Writing for the theater and English departments.

Free parking for the Feb. 1 event is available on the streets surrounding CAW or in nearby city parking lots. For more information, please call (805) 565-6051.