Memoir · three acts · a Homeric structure
The Oddyssey
A psychedelic-travel memoir. Four days after the towers fell, a fourteen-month journey begins — hitchhiking from Cancún to Tierra del Fuego and on to Goa, a modern rite of passage told in three acts on the structure of the oldest journey we have. The lived proof of the thesis.
FROM THE PROLOGUE
“The Muse” · 2002, East Village, NYC
A muse. Just like the very first verse in The Odyssey, where Homer asked the muse to inspire him to tell his story.
He asked Calliope to give him the inspiration to tell the tale of an inventive, mischievous man who would embark on a long adventurous journey after the battle of Troy, only to return home after many years of absence, transformed forever by the adventure.
The parallels with what I’m attempting to do are too obvious to ignore.
My journey through South America had been mystical. An odyssey of self-discovery. A leap of faith that rewarded me with an amazing set of experiences—often hard to believe or explain to others due to their odd and synchronistic significance.
That’s why I’d brought my cameras. I needed to document the wild twists and turns of the journey so people would believe me. So they could see how the universe meets us halfway, as long as we’re willing to take that leap.
“That synchronicity is real. That the universe does conspire to help you if you’re brave enough to ask.”