About Maggie
About Maggie Lemere
Maggie Lemere is a 2021 National Geographic Explorer, documentary filmmaker, oral historian and storytelling and social change strategist who has worked across the U.S., Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Maggie is the co-founder of Rhiza, a women-led collective that uses storytelling, healing, organizing, and research to support social transformation and environmental justice—and she is currently directing and producing independent documentary films in the Middle East and Southeast Asia that explore communities' efforts to protect the environment.
Her work also includes founding and hosting the podcast, Bad Feminists Making Films, leading Storytelling for Changemakers workshops globally with Ashoka: Innovators for the Public; acting as oral historian for the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and the DC Oral History Collaborative; and working as storytelling strategist for Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Maggie is also on the leadership team of Tuyo Media, a new kind of J School and collaborative network that equips, connects and supports a new, more representative generation of journalists.
Maggie previously published Nowhere to Be Home: Narratives from Burma’s Military Regime. She is passionate about expanding voice and representation in storytelling and film and creating frameworks for high-quality and high-impact collaborative filmmaking.
Follow my journey.
“Maggie brings a rare combination of deep knowledge of oral history best practices and unfailing ability to make personal connections to her work with our organization. When she joined our team, there was little blueprint for the type of outreach and mentorship work she was tasked with, but even in the first year, she personally motivated dozens of individuals and organizations to begin planning their oral history projects. Three years later, over thirty diverse projects from across the District of Columbia have benefited from her ongoing training, encouragement, and support. Thanks to her versatile skillset, Maggie has also: guided the production of media projects, facilitated training workshops, and attracted promotional opportunities in support of our project. Maggie is one of the most talented consultants we’ve worked with.”
– Jasper Collier, DC Oral History Collaborative
