Letter To My Daughter (2023)

• 83%
• 2023
• Jess T. Dugan

Letter to My Daughter is an autobiographical video about my journey to become a parent and my experiences throughout the first five years of my daughter's life. The audio soundtrack is my voice reading a letter to my daughter Elinor, and the images are from my personal archive and include snapshots, ultrasound images, and photographs from Family Pictures. The letter is highly personal and addresses a variety of topics, including my expectations around parenthood, the long and circuitous journey of trying to have a child with both known and anonymous sperm donors, the experiences of miscarriage and loss, and my adjustment to parenthood as a queer and nonbinary person. Perhaps most importantly, it tries to put into words the intensity of love between a parent and child as well as the significant personal growth parenthood both inspires and requires.