Capstone/Undergraduate Thesis

Burning Too Close to Home is a multimedia book centered on the 2018 Woolsey Fire and the community it reshaped.

I developed this iteration as my undergraduate thesis in Journalism + Design, supported by a Capstone Grant. Unlike earlier versions of Burning Too Close to Home, the book narrows its focus to a single fire and a single place. It reconstructs the progression of the Woolsey Fire through survivor testimony and documented response, and examines the conditions that shaped its impact—Malibu’s ranching history, its working-class roots, development in fire-prone terrain, and the strain on emergency systems during simultaneous disasters.

The narrative centers on the loss of my father and, six months later, the destruction of my childhood home. From that point of proximity, the book expands outward, placing personal memory in direct relation to institutional record. It pairs survivor accounts with after-action reports and investigative coverage to reveal how preparedness, communication, and resource allocation functioned in practice.

Through the lens of Malibu’s multigenerational community, the book challenges the misconception that the town is defined solely by wealth and fame. It documents how residents mobilized when institutional responses faltered and how local identity shaped recovery in the aftermath.

Archival photography, licensed images, and restored family film slides are integrated into a cohesive editorial structure, emphasizing the book’s multimedia format. Reporting, memoir, and design work together, allowing place, policy, and lived experience to influence one another.

The manuscript continues to expand and refine toward print publication.

Read Burning Too Close to Home