What story does your face tell? Those with facial “deformities” are visibly marked by the stories of their lived experiences. The capacity to use their faces toward that humanizing act of selfexpression forever changed. Thus, they have a unique insight into the human condition what it means to be understood or misunderstood, loved or rejected, witnessed or “invisibilized.” So, could facial disfigurement heighten a deeper form of human communication and thus human connection? This talk contends that our primary fluency is a more profound language, of beauty rising from ashes, of dreams deferred yet not defeated, of acceptance that must begin with self. Dr. Jaz Gray uses her own journey as she contemplates these storied aspects of the face and their consequences in this talk. Dr. Jaz Gray believes that story transforms the soul. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she is a narrative researcher with expertise in entertainment and patient narratives who is interested in both how people in marginalized communities can use narrative to develop resiliency and how the media production process can be used to empower those communities.

After earning a bachelor’s with a concentration in Journalism from Middle Tennessee State University and a master’s in Television, Radio, and Film from Syracuse University, she spent several years in Hollywood working for companies including BET and Paramount Pictures. During that time, she cofounded the company’s first ad hoc committee to address healthrelated diversity among employees. Thereafter, Dr. Gray obtained her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Currently, Dr. Gray is currently an assistant professor in the Communication Division at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx