Kirjahaku

An artist's book of black and white visual poetry and digital collage, Tra was inspired by the phrase on the commonly seen MUTCD sign R8-8 and its equivalents (i.e., "Do Not Stop On Tracks") and the possibilities that open up when this phrase is dissolved into noise or silence and juxtaposed with the haunting cadences found in a railroad commissioners' report from the late 19th century.

Embarking on an interior journey to confront his struggles and failures, a young man enters an emotional hall of mirrors where multiple doubles seem to play the role of a mysterious and tragic figure from his distant past. White Kitty is a haunting exploration of desire, love, and hope. Caught in a high-speed game of chicken with his wife in the back seat, the same man (or a version of him) strategizes to defeat a daunting rival, unaware of the true nature of his opponent or his tactics. To Acknowledge Distance is a moving meditation on loss, vulnerability, courage, and the power of imagination. "...a fascinating tapestry of beautiful paradoxes: palpable events and elaborate fantasies, insightful observations and wild speculations, playful possibilities and heartbreaking facts. The result is a truly original exploration of the human mind, intimate relations, and fiction itself. A brilliant exercise in the imagination, this two-part masterpiece serves as the perfect example of what literary art can do and be." - Gilad Elbom, fiction editor, North Dakota Quarterly "Wells guides the reader through the vivid, claustrophobic prose of White Kitty to a structurally surprising, contemplative, and compassionate place of acceptance in To Acknowledge Distance. This fiction is deeply human in its simultaneous questioning and grace." - Letitia Trent, author of Almost Dark