Brooks K. Eisenbise

United States

Hi there! I’m Brooks, a fine-artist-turned-writer.

I sweat the small stuff. I first experienced the written word through poetry, and both reading and writing it has taught me that every word counts... a single syllable can change everything.

I love to tell stories, and fall in love with any great one I come across—not only do I love to write, but I'm a voracious reader. In my free time, I'm hitting up my local library, going to the art institute, and learning to code.

Let’s create something great!

Portfolio

Marketing

Better Benefits
02/03/2022
Better Benefits #30

Hello there, and happy Black History Month, Lunar New Year, and (belated) Groundhog Day! Whew! We might have 6 more weeks of winter ahead of us, but the news certainly isn't slowing down... read on for new insights on retirement, fintech, cryptocurrency, and more.

Better Benefits
01/05/2022
Better Benefits #27

Happy new year! What are your resolutions for 2022? Here at Manifest, we want to get folks engaged and excited about retirement benefits. That's why, in the coming weeks, you'll see some changes to our content - we'll be diving deep into the world of retirement.

Better Benefits
12/23/2021
Better Benefits #26

Hello again! A lot has changed in the past year, but with fresh takes on office life, employee recognition, and work-life balance, 2022 is looking up! How are you spending your holidays (apart from reading Better Benefits)?

Journalism + Opinion Pieces

Chicago Reader
08/28/2024
Blink Twice - Chicago Reader

For her directorial debut, Zoë Kravitz has teamed up with "High Fidelity" (2020) writer E.T. Feigenbaum to construct a memory-melting hellscape that hits on many of our current culture’s obsessions and fears without saying much at all.

Chicago Reader
03/22/2024
Manhunt (Miniseries) - Chicago Reader

Based on James L. Swanson’s best-selling book, this Apple TV+ miniseries explores the malevolent conspiracy behind America’s first presidential assassination, the consequences of which we as a nation have not yet outrun.

Chicago Reader
08/04/2023
Kokomo City - Chicago Reader

A triumphant and impactful directorial debut for D. Smith with the staying power of "Paris Is Burning," Kokomo City asks us what it means to be at peace with ourselves and what we're willing to sacrifice to get there.

Chicago Reader
01/21/2022
Cicada - Chicago Reader

Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare's Cicada isn't sure what it wants to be. Is it a cinematic narrative or a heart-wrenching documentary? The story of a partnership, or a classic character study? A tale of love overcoming obstacles, or of opposing identities colliding?

What the F Magazine
11/01/2019
"I Don't Wanna Talk, Babygirl"

TikTok's newest viral stars — enigmatic e-boys and dolled-up e-girls — have something to teach us about toxic teen gender expectations. And they do it without uttering a word.

Academic Work

BFA Integrative Project Thesis
04/17/2020
Sophomore: The Thesis

Can I really be the girl my yearbook inscriptions praised, and the trainwreck writing love songs in her room, all at once? If identity is only performance, how can I explore the inner life of the teenager I once was without relying on warped and fictitious versions of my past self? I answer these questions through my BFA Integrative Project, "Sophomore", by examining the creation, cultivation, and retrospective interrogation of the female adolescent “false self.”

Minor in Writing Capstone
12/20/2019
Worth, Changing: Former Teenage Girls in Conversation

Worth, Changing is my attempt to connect with other female, femme, and female-presenting former teens, to explore our different and shared adolescent experiences. What does it mean to be a teenage girl? And what does it mean to not feel like one?