Stories for Peace
From a friend on the path.
AUTHOR / ILLUSTRATOR / NARRATOR
Sharing stories that inspire courage and peace.
Selene Ammaccapane is a writer, artist, and narrator who recently stumbled into realizing her dream of writing and illustrating the story she always wanted to read as a kid. It only took years of trying. Her love of that process grew into the aspiration to continue building peace through story and art. This space is designed as a place to share THE BOOK she's written, THE SERIES just starting, and related vocal recordings from THE BOOTH.
Hopefully, in sharing the process of creating this work, many more stories for peace will be created and shared, inspiring many people to the path of peace.
Current Projects
THE BOOK // MJ's Backstory
MJ Masters
The Universe
MJ Masters is sixteen and terribly confused about who she is and where she fits in such a troubled world. In her family, her conservative father blames her older brother for the increasingly liberal views of the family. And her mother is trying to ignore the mounting tension. Lacking the tools to cope with her resulting anxiety, MJ tried to end her life as a way to take control and escape the insanity. Then she meets a friend who introduces her to mindfulness through Teen Camp at a Zen Buddhist Monastery. This starts her journey to knowing, loving, and trusting herself. She comes to accept where her parents are unable to show up for her, and learns she is already enough just as she is, capable of showing up for herself.
THE SERIES // starting on Substack!
MJ’s story continues through a letter exchange with her Aunt Gia, and is shared as a series in the Substack newsletter, Groundswell.
Still on roller-skates whenever possible, MJ finishes high school early and heads to Washington D.C. to study art therapy. The growing political tensions in the country continue to tear apart her world. She realizes what she wants most is to be a voice of peace. The problem is she has no idea how to go about that when she also has to cover rent and food, and not be overtaken by despair.
With her mother less and less available to help work through things, MJ starts a letter correspondence with her Aunt Gia who had always been a source of joy, encouragement, and guidance in her life. Their letters help MJ deepen in her mindfulness practice and her commitment to peace building.
Things take an unexpected turn when MJ starts volunteering with the peace movement. She learns about a program where college credit is earned through individual self-designed, paid internships, studying with mentors from different cultures all over the world. This helps her find her footing on the path of Right Livelihood and understanding how to build a life of meaningful engagment, working for true peace and understanding in the world.
THE VOCAL BOOTH // Let's collaborate!
A Voice
for Peace
The Story, MJ Masters The Universe, started as a novel. I reverse storyboarded it into a series of 84 images. Then I rewrote the story as kind of summary of the novel, so that each image had just a bit of text. Now that story is continuing monthly online through the illustrated diary, "Where In the World is MJ Masters?"
I recorded audio of myself reading the very first draft of the story. The feedback on those recordings grew into the aspiration to use my voice for peace more broadly. In addition to recording my own audio for the MJ series, I am also interested in collaborating with other authors on narration projects, focusing on nonfiction in the areas of wellbeing and mindfulness. I'd love to do MG and YA fiction, too!
We're just getting started.
Why focus on
courage and peace?
We are always facing uncertain times.
Life requires courage when we aim to be present and develop compassion and wisdom from whatever we experience. We are tempted into comfort bubbles. We get lost in consumption to distract ourselves from our vulnerabilities. We've built an economic system that exploits this. And a culture committed to reinforcing it. But, we're being taken for a ride too few profit from. True peacework often requires the courage of facing our greatest fears. And that's where we are now as a country. So we ask, what can we do? And the answer is to engage in the path of peace. That's what this project is about.
Why get
involved now?
Today, the United States is one of many countries facing fundamental choices in the direction we take as a global society, and ultimately, as a planetary system. If we manage to avert dictatorship and fascism, we can't just "go back to" the same insanity of prioritizing profit so we can secure our comfort. We have to learn to practice peace as individuals and invest in building healthy communities that make for a just and equitable society. That is the only path to peace for any of us.
Your support makes this work possible.
Joining the journey.
MJ Master's The Universe started as a novel written to share the benefits of mindfulness with teens. Then it became an illustrated story book. Now, it will now continue through a letter exchange and illustrated haiku series shared through a newsletter on Substack: Groundswell // Fight Like Water
If you'd like to support this project, donation tiers like the ones below may soon be accepted on Substack.
TIER 001 // Free to join!
Happy Raindrop
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Exclusive access to the ongoing series
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Additional community offerings
TIER 003 // $50/year*
Soft Rain
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All the stuff from previous tiers
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17% cheaper than monthly subscription
TIER 002 // $5/month*
Gentle Drizzle
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All the stuff from the previous tier
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Deep Gratitude!
TIER 004 // $100/year -- gift a 2nd subscription!
Over The Rainbow
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All the stuff from previous tiers
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An extra dose of gratitude!
COMMUNITY FEATURES IN DEVELOPMENT
Livestream Q&A
Get access to group livestreams once they get up and running.
Exclusive Stickers
Stickers can be collected like passport stamps from MJ's adventures.
Spark Sessions
Creativity workshops online!
Sun Showers
Occasional messages with art, audio, or surprise gifts to support your creativity.
MJ Archives
A collection of material from written and recorded rough drafts of MJ's story.
The Letter Series
MJ's story continued through her letters with Aunt Gia.
Art Supplies
Stationary and other fun stuff to support creativity! Coming soon!
Using
my voice
for peace
I welcome opportunities to collaborate on other narration projects. I'm focusing on nonfiction in the areas of mindfulness and wellbeing. I'd love to do YA and MG fiction, too!
Please reach out here to connect!
1 / Listen Now > Coming Soon!
MJ MASTERS // STORY SAMPLE
Listen to the first chapter of the novel-length "shitty first draft" of THE STORY. A third-person narrative version of MJ's story.
2 / Listen Now > Coming Soon!
DEMO TAPE // STORY SAMPLE
Listen to three audio narration samples. One nonfiction, and two fiction pieces, one in first-person, and one in third-person.
Be part of the community
Join us on Substack to continue following MJ's adventures after graduation! Subscribe below to get advanced updates, exclusive content, and first-access to community events.