BioGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY

Vashti Stopher Klein

Multimedia artist Vashti Stopher Klein is inspired to create films, poetry and music that will have positive ripple effects in the world. A native of Louisiana, Vashti combines different genres, styles, and media to create what she hopes are works that are a source of solace to her audiences. A prolific filmmaker, singer-songwriter, and poet, Vashti paints an indelible picture of healing with her multidimensional films, poetry and music. 


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    Hi! I’m a filmmaker, singer-songwriter and poet in the Washington, D.C. metro area.


    I come from a long legacy of musicians and poets. My grandfather was founder & director of the Louisiana State University School of Music for over 30 years and my grandmother wrote the first Louisiana State Song, The Song of Louisiana, and published a book of poetry called Something to Remember. My father was also an accomplished musician who encouraged my singing, and after his sudden death, music was healing for me. However, my mother was always at the heart of my inspiration to write and sing.


    I began to sing locally in Maryland at charity events, the USO, and on open mic nights where I won a competition at the Cellar Door. As I grew older, singing became like breathing to me.


    When a filmmaking career took over my life, singing was put on the back burner. Eventually, I returned to it and started working with a vocal coach. As my excitement returned, I was faced with a surgery that could have ended my singing forever.  Fortunately, I came through and emerged with a new view of my life's priorities. I realized that today is truly all we have, and the time to realize one's dreams is now.


    This profound experience left me inspired to produce artistic products that would have positive rippling effects in the world, so I formed Butterfly Effect Productions, Inc. in 2012. With the belief that poetry and music are healing, I started writing and performing original music as well as folk and Irish ballads. My first album, The Heart of Things, was released in 2014. The following year, my album, Path to the Sun, Moon and Stars was born. In 2020, I released the single, "Whatever He Wants."


    In 2019, I published a book of poetry and music, The Soprano, the Monster, and the Dragonslayer, an allegory of my successful surgery and recovery. The book marries music, poetry, and the beautiful fiber art of Carol Collett Desert Studio.  It is available on Amazon Kindle and Paperback and from all major book distributors.


    I love to sing a variety of music so my songs range in style from a Kentucky farm, to a Gaelic pub, to a concert hall. I continue to write and perform. 


    I hope that my music and poetry have positive effects that are meaningful to you, that they move you and help to heal your heart, even for a moment. And I hope my story encourages you to share your voice in the world.


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    Credits as a film producer, director, editor, and writer: Feature Films: Honor & Glory, Co-producer; Undefeatable, Line Producer; Reflections of Evil (film trailer), Producer. Screenplay & Teleplay, Writer: Gracie's Passion, The Decision. Documentaries: The Stranger in Our Midst, Editor; Becoming Americans, Co-Producer & Editor; When the Heart Searches, Editor; Short Stories, Writer: Mildred's Greatest Fear; The Prey; The Black Obelisk; SunMother-DreamGod; The Surgery; The Winnekawe Bear Book of Dreams.; The Liberation of Mr. Frog; Fish Die; Dust to Water; Videopoems: The Butterfly Effect; The Tiger's Vice; Book, The Soprano, the Monster, and the Dragonslayer." (Preorder on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.)


    A few film awards include the CINE Golden Eagle; Gold from the Houston International Film and Video Festival; Blue Ribbon from the American Film and Video Festival; Best Director, International Monitor Awards.


    I earned a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Maryland, an MA in Communications from the University of Maryland and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.


    I worked as an Adjunct Professor at American University, Washington, DC, where I taught film and video production management and producing in the graduate school. I also served as President of the Washington Film and Video Council.

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  • “Not only pleasing to the eye, but also healing and compelling…”


    – Foluso Falaye for Readers’ Favorite

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  • “an inspiring, multi-faceted volume bound together by the theme of love.”


    – Mary Petiet, Sea Crow Press  

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  • "...[a] tapestry masterpiece that illustrates and celebrates the best and the worst of all of us."


    – Lee A. Gooden, The Daily Postcard  

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  • “…Eloquent, original, entertaining, reflective, thoughtful and thought-provoking."


    – Midwest Book Review 

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