Float (27 page)

The author is indebted to the artist Sol Le
W
itt for his 1969 manifesto “Sentences on Conceptual Art.”

Excerpts of
Float
in various forms have been previously published. The first two chapters appeared as the short story “Float” in the
Bear Deluxe Magazine
, #31, Winter 2010
–
2011. “Float” won the Doug Fir Fiction Award sponsored by the magazine and its parent organization, Orlo, a nonprofit group that uses the creative arts to explore environmental issues. Chapter Eight was published as “Infinite Kingdom” in
Precipitate, Journal of the New Environmental Imagination
(now called
Newfound
), Winter 2011/12. A portion adapted from Chapter Six was featured on the DimeStories Virtual Open Mic in November of 2012, and a modified Chapter Four appears as “Lost Point” in the anthology
Imagination & Place: Cartography
, published by the Imagination & Place Press, 2013.

Many thanks to the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony for the gift of unfettered time to edit the final manuscript.

Appreciation goes to the Dana Awards for recognizing
Float
as a finalist in the 2011 Dana Award in the Novel.

A shout
-
out to Karen Ristuben, whose environmental artwork graces the cover of
Float
.
She spreads the word on the catastrophic dangers of plastics in the oceans through her multimedia presentations.

Finally, deep gratitude to the Raymond Street Writers, especially Judy Salzman, whose spirit hovers over every word.

JoeAnn Hart lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, America’s oldest seaport, where fishing regulations, the health of the ocean, and the natural beauty of the world are the daily topics of wonder and concern. She is the author of the novel
Addled
(Little, Brown, 2007), a social satire that intertwines animal rights with the politics of food.

Her essays, articles, and short fiction have appeared in a wide variety of literary journals and national publications, and she is a regular contributor to the
Boston Globe Magazine
. Her work has won a number of awards, including the PEN New England Discovery Award in Fiction. She and her husband tend a few farm animals, including two donkeys from Save Your Ass Rescue. In fair weather, Hart rows a dory around the harbor.

Float
was a finalist for the Dana Award in the Novel, and the first two chapters, slightly modified, won the Doug Fir Fiction Award for a short story relating to environmental issues.

Karen Ristuben is an artist and educator living in her hometown of Gloucester, Massachusetts. She received her Master of Fine Arts from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, her BFA and teaching degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University, and her JD from Suffolk University Law School.

Her art practice is environmental advocacy at its core. She believes that real change toward a healthier planet calls for knowledge, then caring, then action. Through multimedia, she bridges the disciplines of art, environmental science, and education for the sake of our shared planet.

Karen is currently leading the Rocky Neck Art Colony, one of the nation’s oldest art communities, through a time of growth as it develops its programming and infrastructure for the benefit of future generations of artists, residents, and visitors.

Ashland Creek Press is an independent publisher of books with a world view. From travel narratives to eco-literature, our mission is to publish a range of books that foster an appreciation for worlds outside our own, for nature and the animal kingdom, and for the ways in which we all connect. To keep up-to-date on new and forthcoming books, subscribe to our free newsletter at
www.AshlandCreekPress.com
.