The Arbor Stacks
The Stacks
Under the vine arbor at the far end of the garden are three shelves of original writing: essays to think with, stories to be told aloud, and poems to carry in a pocket.
The three shelves
In an old tradition
The therian and otherkin communities have always done their thinking in writing. Long before there were videos there were essays: careful, personal, argued pieces in which someone tried to say exactly what their experience was like, so that others could hold it up against their own. Libraries and indexes of that writing were among the best-loved places of the early community, and this corner of the garden is kept in their memory.
The essay shelf is arranged by the headings those early libraries used:
- Newcomers and Awakening, for those at the beginning.
- Definitions, for getting the words right.
- Shifting, for the experience itself.
- Theriotypes, for the animal and the search for it.
- Community, for life among other people.
How the stacks are kept
Everything on these shelves was written for the library and appears nowhere else. Contributors write under pen names, as is the custom. The personal essays are composite accounts: each brings together experiences that many therians and otherkin describe, in a single voice, so that the piece is true to the general experience without being the private history of any one person. Stories and poems are works of imagination and are offered as such.
The shelves are added to slowly. A piece is included when the keepers think it is honest, well made, and likely to be of use or comfort to someone. The editorial principles say more.
Where to begin
If you are new and uncertain, start with Before You Name It. If you are here for someone else, read For Parents and Friends. If you would simply like to be told a story, The Seal Wife of the Outer Skerry is the oldest one we have.