Michael Allen ‘88, ‘92, author of “Tao of Surfing,” returned to campus recently for a screening of “A Long Road to Tao,” the feature film inspired by his Pulitzer Prize-nominated book. The story followed a blocked writer who reconnected with a long-lost friend dying of AIDS, blending surf culture with Taoist and Native American spiritual themes as the men confronted fear, grief and acceptance together. Allen — who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy from the College of Liberal Arts in 1992 served as author, producer and co-screenwriter, and he shared with students how a deeply personal story evolved into a decades-long film project. The event in Theatre Arts highlighted the power of independent filmmaking to address LGBTQ+ identity, friendship and loss while offering an example of how alumni can translate their academic work and lived experience into art that encourages empathy and reflection.
