This novel is conceived as the first in a series of seven books. It takes place 25,000 years in humanity’s future, primarily on a space station - Laniakea Station - made from the combined cultures and habitations of beings from many galaxies outside our own. It floats eternal in the space between galaxies. It is a utopia of sorts.
The novel is a series of connections between: Sainn-Temo, a human clone, grown from the genetic library rescued from the plight of interstellar slavery plaguing the human species; Ailu, a human woman born from actual human parents, stowed away on Laniakea; Swasim, a non-human mining executive attempting to sell off rights to the abandoned human solar system; and Revac, Ailu’s friend, a scientist of renowned fame and importance, inventor of a gene therapy that can stop the aging of living cells. These beings coalesce and bind together across space and time, leading to a discovery with profound consequences for the galaxy and the fate of humanity.
The work is not just a sci-fi series but part of a wider universe I am creating across different artistic mediums. The series of works is called Hojas, or leaves. Over the next 2 years, as part of my PhD in anthropology, I will be constructing installation works, sculptures, video art, short stories, and interactive software art (video games!) to complement and build out the backstory leading up to the novel series. I hope for these works to engage participants and readers in co-creating a future mythology where brown and black bodies are triumphant, living well, and free. I will likely keep writing Hojas books until I die (unless we crack immortality!).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:englmfa_theses-1154 |
| Date | 01 January 2021 |
| Creators | Sanchez, Roman |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | MFA Program for Poets & Writers Masters Theses Collection |
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