Once in a while we all fall down into our personal manholes. It was in the pit of my undergraduate research years that I co-authored my own adventure of going Down The Manhole with my dear friend and illustrator Louis Cicalese. I wrote the story while Cicalese brought the plot to life with his unique illustrative flair. Later I integrated both elements in Adobe InDesign to create a professional-grade novella.

The Story

At its essence Down The Manhole is the story about a mother, Beatrix, and her son Enzo as they find their way in the world together. Given their dysfunctional beginnings this story is not uncommon, but what is remarkable is its ability to break barriers. As it currently stands the majority of academic knowledge is allocated to a state of privileged seclusion, and the findings that come out of research in the field of child psychology are no exception. Down The Manhole is a manifesto which declares accessibility of knowledge to be a basic human right. It accomplishes this goal by making research and theories about child development accessible, and comprehensible to the layperson. The novel is informed by a combination of symbols of mindfulness, and motifs of developmental theory in order to weave engaging characters,and a compelling plot, that serves to educate the reader about developmental theory. Throughout the narrative a large emphasis is placed on the restorative properties of mindfulness as a path to greater health and well-being.

Where Can I Read It?

In step with Down The Manhole’s mission to inform readers on the subject of developmental psychology I have released a free PDF version of the novella available for download from the UO Scholar Bank. While this draft perfectly captures my original intentions it is rough, and clunky in places. To ammend this I have enlisted the help of a professional editor to help me carve out a smooth final draft.

Starting from January 1st, 2019 Down The Manhole will be available on Amazon in both paperback and e-reader versions.