Project & Novel Overview
In this project, I address the interpersonal animosity and self-doubt plaguing young people. Growing up in the age of the Internet, I am surrounded by too much anger and too little solidarity among my generation; we seem to be picking apart each other’s lived experiences and belittling some folks’ struggles based on their identities. And I am so tired of that. It drains the soul; it makes us afraid to grow and improve ourselves. It makes us afraid to trust each other.
As I was thinking of these social issues in preparation for my capstone project, I thought of my novel, The Solstice Catalyst, which is unpublished at this time. It’s a story of two people who have wronged one another—a faerie woman and a supposedly human man—learning to accept their shared past and reconcile. It‘s a story of many more people who believe at first that their way is the right way, and of their slow realization that this might not be the case.
William and Ainsel (the novel‘s protagonists) are like one‘s past and present selves, unaware of one another for time immeasurable, now understanding at last why they exist. In London, William lives oblivious—at first—to Ainsel and a terrible crime she once committed. In the major cities of the UK and Ireland, government agents work to eliminate faeries... but these aren‘t cold-hearted killers. They‘re struggling against their own moral dilemmas and their fragmented views of one another.
In Bitu, the homeworld of the fae, there‘s Johnathan, a former soldier who fled from the metaphorical war he faced in his home life to the real war that almost killed him and the people he’d tried to protect. And there‘s Tárlach, a capricious faerie who pushes Johnathan to be a little less guarded, a little less serious. Johnathan‘s guilt is consuming him; only Tárlach keeps him steady.
That‘s enough rambling. Here‘s a one-sentence overview of what An t-Athrú | The Change does: It begins to heal that fearful, angry mistrust through the power of art, design, and writing.
As I was thinking of these social issues in preparation for my capstone project, I thought of my novel, The Solstice Catalyst, which is unpublished at this time. It’s a story of two people who have wronged one another—a faerie woman and a supposedly human man—learning to accept their shared past and reconcile. It‘s a story of many more people who believe at first that their way is the right way, and of their slow realization that this might not be the case.
William and Ainsel (the novel‘s protagonists) are like one‘s past and present selves, unaware of one another for time immeasurable, now understanding at last why they exist. In London, William lives oblivious—at first—to Ainsel and a terrible crime she once committed. In the major cities of the UK and Ireland, government agents work to eliminate faeries... but these aren‘t cold-hearted killers. They‘re struggling against their own moral dilemmas and their fragmented views of one another.
In Bitu, the homeworld of the fae, there‘s Johnathan, a former soldier who fled from the metaphorical war he faced in his home life to the real war that almost killed him and the people he’d tried to protect. And there‘s Tárlach, a capricious faerie who pushes Johnathan to be a little less guarded, a little less serious. Johnathan‘s guilt is consuming him; only Tárlach keeps him steady.
That‘s enough rambling. Here‘s a one-sentence overview of what An t-Athrú | The Change does: It begins to heal that fearful, angry mistrust through the power of art, design, and writing.
I don't want this project to remain buried within academic circles. I want it shared. I want it talked about. I want it out there on the Internet where it's really needed. So please, help me to help my community. Any posting about this is immensely appreciated!
“You decide who you are. Not another person, not your heritage, not your past. You.” —Ainsel
“You survived. And you wouldn't have if you hadn't wanted to persevere.” —William
“You survived. And you wouldn't have if you hadn't wanted to persevere.” —William
“Going to war wasn’t my choice. And leaving my country wasn’t my choice, either. Now, I can choose. So, I’m choosing peace and quiet.” —Johnathan
How to Use the Site
The large bilingual headings (In the Beginning, Crossroads, and Journey's End) are the titles of the artist books. Underneath them are phrases. Each phrase is the name of a page in a book—so, 'Are you a fool or an optimist?' is the first page in the first book.
Click each phrase/page name in order to “read” the books digitally. You'll see the named page, followed by shots of details on that page.
