Fired Green Tomatoes

Based upon a personal experience, this book tells the tale of a farm-hand who is casually fired while plucking green tomatoes off the vine. The frost-bitten tomatoes and the words spoken leave a chill in the air as the farm-hand tries to convince her body to spring into action, and flee from this awkward situation. She has no obligation to continue plucking tomatoes, and yet, she does. It is a story about the inability to make sense of a sudden shift, an unforeseen change, and how it often renders the body and mind seemingly frozen in place, unable to comprehend what has just happened.

Writing this book has fueled my interest in making paper using natural fibers and other agricultural byproducts. The paper for Fired Green Tomatoes is made entirely from tomato stalks and leaves, and once finished, will be illustrated with handmade ink and block prints.