The American Chestnut tree was essentially wiped out by a fungus in the early 1900s. This tree was like the California Redwood of the East Coast. It was a tremendous environmental tragedy. In my retelling, a squirrel plays a key role.

An Artist’s Guide to Surviving in the Woods is a response to the current sense of unease and anxiety many feel from the state of politics and environmental stress. Taking cues from the proliferation of dystopian TV/film/fiction, the book provides actual survival techniques. But, my work is never without humor and the rabbit is stand-in for the viewer.

Starlings were first brought to America and purposefully released into Central Park. There is a lot of lore around this story and, in my version, I wove in fantasy tropes to refresh the narrative of an invasive species.