Book proposal preview and accompanying self-discovery art journal.
The book is about a girl named Rasa, from Jackson Heights (in Queens, New York), who transforms her perspective one day as she travels through the city on her way to a dance class. She collects lines of poetry and philosophy in her journal like talismans, and she faces her inner demons—her insecurities, sorrows, and fears—through music, art, and dance.
Rasa explores themes drawn from the writings of the American Transcendentalists (like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and others) and from the Upanishads (the ancient literatures of India), which were one of their great influences.
This character and her world were developed as part of my M.F.A thesis.
The book and journal are aimed at pre-teen and young teen girls. The journal is an invitation to join Rasa on a courageous journey of imagination, beauty, and self-acceptance. It contains inspirational quotes and illustrations, writing prompts, and coloring pages, for a more soulful and joyous life.
I was inspired to create this journal as a relevant way for young people today to connect to nature, self, and spirituality, by drawing on universal wisdom that can help us to make sense of the world and inspire us to rise above it with grace and humor.