WORKS IN PROGRESS
BOCA
A BOOK OF POETRY
Summoned from the murky and mysterious waters of my Mexican-Canadian heritage, BOCA is a book of poetry about mothers and lost mother tongues and mouths and mouthing.
The Spanish word ‘boca’ directly translates to ‘mouth’ in English.
BOCA draws on my experiences with cultural alienation and tense and complicated relationship to home and belonging. It poetically and conceptually explores the ‘homeness’ of language, the power in cultural inheritance, transcultural materiality of mouthing, and non-linear paths of belonging and reclamation. Focused on mapping out the impacts of losing access to your mother tongue at an early age, BOCA queers language’s ability to re-root us, and to give us a fluid language to unpack and disperse loss, creating connections where they weren’t before, and mouthing connections previously unheard. BOCA is about that secret world inside of us where we can build messy, non-linear yet very real and meaningful paths to reclaimation of our histories.
BOCA is currently in its final stages of editing and will be shopped around to publishers soon.
Glitch garden
A VR ART GAME
In collaboration with Apocablyss + Paloma Dawkins and supported by the Canada Media Fund’s Conceptualization Program, Glitch Garden is about a digital garden that is beginning to develop self-awareness and consciousness.
We are currently in our pre-prototype stage.
-Q-U-A-L-I-A-
Cyborg poetica
SOUND ART PROJECT
‘QUALIA’ is a customized vocal processing system and performance apparatus for recordings, live performances and collaborations. This project explores the relationship between the sentiment of poetry (words) and the sediment of artificial systems (code), seeking a tangible and sonic ground somewhere between intuition and automation.
It is currently in its prototype stage.
literary publishing press
2014 - present
ROLE: Founder & Managing Editor
PROJECTS: BOOKS, GLYPHÖRIA (platform for multidisciplinary poetry), Digital Publications, The Metatron Prize, ÖMËGÄ Blog (Literary Archive), events
Metatron Press is a multi-award-winning literary publisher based in Montréal, Quebec that specializes in publishing weird, beautiful, and experimental books of poetry, fiction, and hybrid texts by debut authors.
Since 2014, Metatron has acquired manuscripts, published, and publicized beautifully-designed books from a new generation of writers. We publish 3-6 books per year in paperback and e-book formats. We are primarily known for our innovative and intoxicating books of poetry, but also publish award-winning novellas, hybrid works, short story collections, as well as curate various digital publishing projects and palpable events.
PRESS
The Globe & Mail
Writers, publishers, bookstores: A primer on the year of the Montreal Anglo Renaissance
The Bibliofile [Podcast]
Ashley Obscura on Metatron, Publishing and the Millennial Mind
Quill & Quire
Metatron forges a beautiful path for emerging poetry and fiction in Canadian Publishing
Cult MTL
This Montreal publisher emphasizes print, art and community
The McGill Tribune
Metatron brings emerging writers together
CBC Arts
How this independent publisher is helping young authors break through in a tough literary world: Montreal-based Metatron wants to reflect a new generation's sensibilities
The Tyee
Poetry Is Living Its Best Life Online
““Metatron Press of Montréal [is] one of the great small presses making this present moment a surprisingly exciting one for poetry.””
““In a few decades Metatron books could act as a time capsule, as they synthesize well the time which one lives presently” (translated from French)”
““Metatron forges a beautiful path for emerging poetry and fiction.””
““This independent publisher is helping young authors break through in a tough literary world: Montreal based Metatron wants to reflect a new generation’s sensibilities.””
COMPLETED WORKS
DIGITAL TAROT CARD GENERATOR
2024
role • WRITER
CONCEPT & ART DIRECTION • Paloma Dawkins
The Apocablyss tarot deck is the culmination of artwork and imaginings from the world of Paloma Dawkin’s experimental video games and Ashley Obscura’s cosmic writings, offering a vibrant palimpsest to traverse the many worlds we inhabit, both natural and created. Originally released as a limited edition major arcana collection, the Apocablyss tarot is composed of 22 cards that retain the tarot’s ancient roots and traditions, yet future-visions it as a colourful and psychedelic portal deep into the now. Use these cards to divine your rituals of self reflection and discovery. Modeled around the Fool’s Journey, each card offers the new and seasoned reader alike new imagery and symbolism to help guide them into the bliss of the future.
VIDEO GAME
2020
role • Scriptwriter, Narrative Design
CONCEPT & ART DIRECTION • Paloma Dawkins
PROGRAMMING & GAME DESIGN • Kas Ghobadi
SOUND EFFECTS • Margo
MUSIC • :3lON, Margo, Caila Thompson-Hannat, Devon Hansen
A rare planetary alignment has transpired in the universe. The deep sea needs your help pulling Mother Ocean from her depression spiral for the water ritual to be complete. You must collect and deliver life energy pearls to the Nucleoid Portal to awaken her. You’ll receive mysterious messages, learn how to astral project and meditate with consciousness warriors as you navigate a fantastic deep sea world full of weird, alien underwater creatures. Will you be around long enough to experience universal oneness?
“Oceanarium is a game about meditation and alien sea creatures.”
VIDEO GAME
2019
ROLE • Scriptwriter, Narrative Design
COLLABORATORS • Paloma Dawkins, JLIN, Pariah Interactive
PRODUCER • Manchester International Festival
Songs of the Lost is a magic-realist game odyssey through a surreal and absurd digital landscape. You’ll cross boundaries and traverse borders, roam hidden highways and meet enigmatic strangers, explore secret forests and enter the void on your journey to Apocabliss, the last safe haven.
AWARDS AND PRIZES
WINGS AWARD FOR DIVERSITY, A.MAZE FEST 2023
Press
pitchfork
FACT Magazine
resident advisor
rock paper shotgun
creative review
THE DOUBLE NEGATIVE
VR ENVIRONMENT
2018
ROLE • Scriptwriter, Narrative Design
COLLABORATORS • Paloma Dawkins, Casa Rara Studio
PRODUCER • National Film Board of Canada
An “other-dimension” VR adventure game that takes you on an absurdist mind-and-body romp through the highest clouds to the ocean deep. Part invitation, part dare, an impish game mistress welcomes you into a delightfully disorienting pleasure dome inspired by geometry and nature—and wired with infectious dance beats. What happens next feels like swimming through poetic rainbow juice.
AWARDS AND PRIZES
BEST VR GAME - CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS 2019
WINNER - INTERACTIVE PRODUCTION - FICTION, NUMIX AWARDS 2019
PEOPLE'S CHOICE- INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE AWARD, FIVARS 2018
BEST OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE - NORTH BEND FILM FESTIVAL 2018
GOLD AUDIENCE AWARD - BEST VR WORK - FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019
KIDS CHOICE AWARD, CINEKID 2019
““Museum of Symmetry disrupts conventional game storytelling to create an unexpected pleasure-positive trip in VR as never experienced before.”
- National Film Board of Canada”