a love story
is a long-format poem in picture book form, written and illustrated by benjamin lee hicks.
a love story considers some of the ways that empathy, caring and kindness can be en-ACT-ed in the world - and also some of the reasons that these actions can feel hard.
2017
"Matter can neither be created nor destroyed"
say the physicists
and this means that matter
that the things and the stuff
are finite.
That there is only a definite,
a limited amount.
That little bits of anything
once birthed from the death of a star
can never be multiplied of their own accord,
can also not cease to exist.
But what about life beyond molecules?
What of the thoughts, hopes and intentions of our hearts?
These are not bits of stuff to be things, and I do not think that the same rules apply…
I originally wrote the text portion of this book in 2014 for my grade 2 and 3 students. It began as my attempt to open conversations about what the lived experience of actively working to be a presence of empathy, caring and kindness in the world might feel like. These were conversations that I was privileged to continue with those same students over the next two years through our collaborations in words, art and action. I completed the illustrations and layout for this book in between the school days of 2015 – 2017 and have self-published several short-run editions over the past 4 years. The soft cover, "perfect-bound" book is 8"x11" / 46 pages.
To my students: thank you for the love, joy and ongoing inspiration.
Mahinur, Devynn, Xavier, Ji-hoo, Sami, Kurt, Jack, Briyanga, Adam, Sebastian and Jade.
Please note that the images shared in these galleries do not represent all 46-pages of a love story. For example, key pages and pieces of the text are missing here.
a love story is currently out of stock.
Thanks so much to everyone who has bought and/or shared this self-published labour of love to date.
