"What began as a journal for coping with "unprecedented times" has started to become what I would like to be a book for a popular audience, wherein I use Tolkien's Middle-earth (and a smattering of other fictional worlds) as a framework for understanding the concrete value of hope as a source of resilience in dark times. Through exploring themes of light and dark, courage, despair, masculinity, friendship, pity, grief, and friendship, I connect Middle-earth to the real world, and share how Tolkien’s works have been a touchstone for me in facing issues like climate change or political instability with courage and wisdom.

As I have discovered Tokien's world for the first time in just the past few years, it feels like Tolkien's characters have reached out from the pages to help me through this time. In their varied responses to the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves, they show us that that hope, fellowship, small joys, and creative expression are not frivolous indulgences, but crucial tools of resistance and social change, and a vital part of sustaining social movements.

Notably, a book like this is inherently, unavoidably political. I seek not to be preachy, nor to project my own poltics onto Tolkien. I believe I can hit the right tone by focusing on unifying values--such as friendship, joy, courage, and pity--rather than ideology. But anyone who works with me should be comfortable with this aspect of this project.

As a near-term goal, I'd like to write an essay or OpEd."