2023 | Claire McGory

You see, I left home for a reason. Yes, I was enthralled with a nomadic philosophy, a heavenly ambiguity of ample minds suckling on the prose of adventure, but as a predicate towards life I left not for the unknown or that desire which stuck irrevocably to the ribs of recognition, but to the isolated reason which permeated all, a quest like that of a soft-spoken lullaby, bespoken of hope which beseeched my grave affair, a phrase which you know as well as I, if not better: the search for meaning. Yes, I left and I leave at the cusp of this, a promising illusion that intertwined with train rides and foreign cities, distant cultures and cafes with conversations, sat squarely in between a lonely reality like a kiss from afar and a love letter to someone I wanted to but didn’t yet know. I left in the pursuit of something more, and I am still unsure if I ever found it.

Excerpt from a novel in progress

During my time in residence, I continued to develop my novel, to fill in the gaps with its missing pieces that crave time and space to uncover. I aimed to gain a clarity of voice in tandem with my narrative as I furthered along this process of becoming, recognizing the artist and storyteller I am at heart, and how this finds its footing in the real world.

I documented the process with my camera: day-to-day life in Collemacchia, this shared space of solace for creative minds, and the pursuit of a writer who wants to begin and is simply figuring out how to be.

@clairemcgory