Also includes colorful woodblock-style illustrations
NEWTOWN, Pa., March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- It's a warm spring day in Bucks County. The lush forest is in bloom, and the young deer are eager to hear a story from their grandmother, Huma, about how the animals came to live in their beautiful valley. Disguised as a lushly illustrated children's book, "Ahtu" blends a well-known Zen fable, with the wildlife of Bucks County, Penn., and uses words in Leni Lenape, the language of the people native to the area.
Author William Martiner was inspired to write this book after being diagnosed with ALS and spending a year in deep observation of the natural world in the wooded valley surrounding his home. Being both creative and a life-long technologist, he was quick to compensate for the clumsiness of his hands by collaborating with generative AI to create the distinctive woodblock-style illustrations in the book.
"The essence of the Zen parable my story is based on is the lesson that the environment you find yourself in—be it a physical location, an emotional state, or a particular situation—is shaped by your perception and attitude," said Martiner.
In "Ahtu," which is the Leni Lenape word for deer, a grandmother deer named Huma shares a retelling of the Zen parable "The Move." Huma is wise because she is a Watcher, a special type of deer that use their wide eyes, tall ears, and thick noses to be clearly, deeply, and fully in the world. From Stoic philosophers to Soto monks, Huma's message has been passed down for centuries to foster understanding, happiness, and resilience – all traits she hopes to instill in the little deer and all who hear her story.
"Another perspective on this parable lies in recognizing that you carry your own essence with you as your external circumstance changes," Martiner said. ""A focus on your own thoughts over fixating on external circumstances becomes crucial. The power to make things great lies within you."
Originally written as a message to his future grandchildren, Martiner plans to donate any proceeds from the book to the Nature Conservancy and Electric Frontier Foundation.
"Ahtu"
By William Martiner
ISBN: 9781665747387 (softcover); 9781665747370 (hardcover); 9781665747363 (electronic)
Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the author
William Martiner grew up on the sandy beaches of Cape Cod Bay and had many adventures on the wide, wild ocean, in the dark and silent woods, and among the echoing canyons of New York City. Finally, he came to a still, green valley in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, alive with birdsong, where he wrote and illustrated this book. He was diagnosed with ALS in 2020 and is anxious to send messages into the future – stories for his children's children and beyond. To learn more, please visit http://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/852645-ahtu
Media Contact
Ziggy Goldfarb, LAVIDGE, 4803067065, [email protected]
SOURCE Archway Publishing
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