The Maluzis
In 2000 I moved to Africa for a year to make a documentary on how HIV/AIDS was affecting the people of Malawi and how they were handling a crisis in full swing. I had a lot of expectations about the yearlong journey, but nothing prepared me for what I ultimately got out of it.
Along with visits to hospitals, morgues, under-supplied antiretroviral clinics, prostitution bars, and organizations working to combat the epidemic, my team also spent time with witch doctors and traditional healers in their villages.
Spending time in Malawian villages was absolutely astounding. I felt firsthand an uplifted approach to daily life that seemed to be directly correlated to simplicity. It had a profound effect. My world slowed down when I was in these villages. The simple pleasures of taking in the sky, the sounds, the smiles and easy simple interaction. It was all so direct and real. The tribal history was vivid. Daily existence concerned itself with life and death, and little by way of distraction.
This is where Ndusen was born. Malawi so far away from the Lower East Side tournament where he now find himself superintendent. An unconventional marriage thrust against western conformity leading to inter-family conflicts between Stella and Kondwani, with the children thrown in the middle. Living with his family in a complicated unjust world, lorded over by his building owner patron, Moshi Axelrod.
Axlerod
Axelrod like so many New York City landlords—and more generally, most centralized business owners in this world—is twisted by greed and shortsighted gains. Axelrod’s ruthlessness knows no bounds. His life of privilege hard one by the previous generation. The limits to his voracious selfishness nonexistent.
Ndusen is caught in Axlerod's clutches. And the rest of the tenants have little recourse for the building owner's greed.
The Ease of a Tribe
We used to live in minuscule social tribes, never leaving our family until the day we died. Now we’re global nomads, able to circle the planet in a little over a day, but often losing touch with friends and family. I have a number of family members I’m aware of, but have never even met scattered across the globe. This is a seismic social shift that affects every aspect of our relationship to self and other, to our daily existence and the arc of our lives. What it is to dwell in the modern condition. To live in closer and closer physical proximity to others, but feel entirely isolated from any kind of deep community. At core this is what Dwelling is about. As a result of joining Steemit and developing @HardFork-Series and other projects within the cryptosphere with wonderful steemians and blockchain enthusiasts, I feel like I have found the kind of transformative community that I was missing in the modern urban condition.
But not everyone is so fortunate. Perhaps reading Dwelling will serve as a palpable reminder of just how important it is for humans to move back towards togetherness and away from individual (and national) isolationism.
I’m very excited to announce that @Opheliafu is working on illustrations to accompany the text for Dwelling. Along with being an incredibly talented artist, she's a super cool person and has the perfect aesthetic to enhance the experience of reading Dwelling. I couldn't be more thrilled!
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the first chapter!
Thanks so much for reading & Steem on!
Doug
SPECIAL THANKS to my wife @zenmommas for years of support during the writing process, @ericvancewalton for his trailblazing, inspired collaboration and incredible guidance, @andrarchy for his mind blowing insight, friendship, @bakerchristopher for being an inspiration as a human artist and bro, @complexring for his brilliance and enthusiasm, Masie Cochran, Taylor Rankin and @elenamoore for their skillful help in editing the manuscript, and to @opheliafu for the fantastic illustrations she created exclusively for the novel's launch on Steemit and to Elena Megalos for her wonderful character illustrations. I’d also like to thank Eddie Boyce, Jamie Proctor, Katie Mustard, Alan Cumming, Danai Gurira, Stephan Nowecki, Ron Simons, Dave Scott, Alden Karr, Missy Chimovitz, my dad Andy Karr and late mother Wendy , and everyone else who helped lead me to this moment.
I am a Brooklyn based writer, film & commercial director, and crypto-enthusiast, my projects include @HardFork-series an upcoming narrative crypto-noir and my novel Dwelling will soon be premiering exclusively on Steemit, and you can check out more of my work at dougkarr.com, piefacepictures.com, and www.imdb.com/name/nm1512347
Please comment, up-vote and resteem and I'll gladly upvote your comments!
Perfect collaboration, this makes me so happy to see!! Great work both of you
Very exciting, Doug! I'm glad you and Ophelia are working together! I can't wait to read this novel...it's really going to rock on this platform!
Thanks so much man! Yeah, really excited to be sharing it. It's been a long journey to get to this point.
It's going to be an incredibly fun year for you. There's nothing in the world like releasing your first novel!
Best of luck with your novel @dougkarr even tough I don’t think you are going to need it. You will be great since your art is amazing. The whole thing sounds really inspiring and i m looking forward to read it
Thanks so much @mindtrap, much appreciated! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the first chapter.
Wow!
This is great. The book will obviously be a great read.
I initially thought the title was about tribal marks (blame it on being from Africa where some people get tribal marks).
Can't wait for the finished work.
Well done!
You constantly inspire and amaze me brother. I for one can't wait to read it and am stoked about the illustrations by @opheliafu, she's an incredible artist. Drop it like it's hot...
Thanks Brother, the feeling is mutual!!
Very exciting, Doug! I'm glad you and Ophelia are working together! I can't wait to read this novel...it's really going to rock on this platform!
Looking forward to reading Dwelling, ten years in the making is a substantial portion of your lifetime. I have a gut feeling that it will be a truly amazing read, and Steemit will have to order some pole vault standards to put the bar on, and ditch the high jump ones it currently uses.
Very much looking forward to reading this.
I love this Doug and resteemed!
With the experience on Steem being so open to pictures, I am also very happy to see you have partnered with an artist to help bring it to life with illustrations!
Thanks so much @jerrybanfield! Your support is very much appreciated.
I'm thrilled to be a part of this, the text is so inspirational and I'm enjoying getting back to using the traditional dip pen, brushes and drawing inks to make these pieces.
Working with you on Dwelling is an absolute thrill @opheliafu! Seeing these scenes come to life is as trancendent as arriving on set on the best days and seeing an imaginary world come together before the camera... simply put its magic!
I am very excited to read this novel sir. Deserve appreciation and respect for this. Your publications are always at the level. Continue to succeed. I want to ask you: Maser this absence I hope you are fine @dougkarr ♡
i will definitely going to read your novel. I missed your previous post so that i missed many characters of story. This novel sounds very interesting and fascinating. I hope that you will get huge response outside steemit also. Best wishes
Very exciting, Doug! I'm glad you and Ophelia are working together! I can't wait to read this novel...it's really going to rock on this platform!
@dougkarr, Thanks for introduced Dwelling novel's characters from blogs. I've read all your past stories about Dwelling. I seriously believe after coming our Dwelling you'll get huge audience salute and claps. Awesome story tale indeed. I like to read crime based novel. Also it's enter true events in New York. So No worries needed, Please be ready to supply more books.
Wish you the success.
I am very excited for your novel sir.You are a creative writer so your novel will blow up on this platform :)
Best of luck dear :)
wow thats amazing its really good art i loved it
I have your vote I ask you help me also to vote
the novel DWELLING is amazing..
your post is a great dear, deserve you to get a good ranking too, I think in a long time to make a single post, but this is my post, I follow you, may you be a lesson for me.
i guess everyone should read this fine post so cool for everyone !!!
i really like that novel...
Beautiful post! Thanks!
Inspiring seeing new ways for creatives to come together and use the platform.
Well done and power to you and the project.
To growth and creativity.
Great pictures, well written and very informative, i'm resteeming this @dougkarr
hi i am a beginner steemian who awaits the next @dougkarr thanks. from @mukhtarilyas
Every character of your amazing novel is very interesting and really attractive. I really appreciate your great efforts and time for this wonderful novel @doughkarr. You are very hardworking.
Thanks to both of you for your great efforts.
Great Combination of work by @dougkarr and @Ophelia
Best of Luck...😐😐😐
wow amazing i like your way of writing and looking forward to reading this
i invite you to my blog please visit my blog,
https://steemit.com/art/@ar35201/a-girl-drawing-in-the-style-of-artwork-description
It would be pleasure to see you there on my blog 😊
Mucho exito con tu proyecto Felicitaciones
Very exciting, Doug! I'm glad you and Ophelia are working together! I can't wait to read this novel...it's really going to rock on this platform!
Perfect collaboration
great one..sir.. thank you.