Claudia Hunter Johnson is the writer/director of the civil rights documentary feature, The Other Side of Silence: The Untold Story of Ruby McCollum, winner of the Gold Jury Prize at Seattle's Social Justice Film Festival and Best Florida Documentary at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. She is also the author of two memoirs, Stifled Laughter-nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and winner of the inaugural P.E.N./Newman's Own First Amendment Award-and Hurtling Toward Happiness: A Mother and Teenage Son's Road Trip From Blues to Bonding in a Really Small Car. She has taught screenwriting at the FSU Film School and the Writing for Screen & Television Division at USC's School of Cinematic Arts.