Of Atlases and False Projections

Abstract

In these three longer short stories I explore the theme of "sense of place," of the geographic and psychological confusion of the world and the people in and on it. The first piece, "Cartography," is the story of a woman who, despite living in a large and vibrant city, struggles to find herself within it. The second piece, "The Birds," is the story of a man, Adam, who searches to define himself against the earth and attempts to reject his own embodiment, ultimately failing, but in doing so finds something else. The third piece, "Men Shall Know Nothing of This" (also the title of a Max Ernst painting) is a brief history of a city — and how it continues even when it appears to be dying — past its industrial prime, told through the interactions of four characters with the main road.