Description
The town of Elsewhere has been lost to time. Hidden by a remote mountain, Elsewhere is unreachable to the outside world. Its history and townspeople have become subjects of ghost stories and cautionary bedtime tales. The possibilities and potential of Elsewhere—whether hopeful or tragic—live in shadows of the mountain, out of the corner of our eyes, and at the edge of dreams.
Each of the 50 cards and poems of The Elsewhere Oracle represents a person, place, or artifact from Elsewhere. Together they tell the story of the forgotten town: the history of its disappearance, the ghosts that haunt its streets, and the monsters that linger in the woods and the lake. Here we encounter an inept town council, a perceptive orphan, a yearning torch singer, the robber baron who holds the town in his lunatic hands, and a whole host of characters embodying the best and worst of a community. Explore the town’s landscape and history in the archive and woods, at the lake’s edge, on the mountain and on a barstool, through farms and the factory, and along the High Street. Looking to Elsewhere, we can discover our own strengths and fears, ambitions and dreams, and the dark places that hold us back.
The poems are collected in a full-length guidebook that pairs each poem with an oracle that can be read for both divination and reflection. Use the guidebook to interpret card spreads and readings, or enjoy it separately as the poetic story of Elsewhere. With a focus on the intersection between the natural and human worlds, The Elsewhere Oracle can help us understand how our lives and futures are intertwined with nature’s fate.
The card images are iconic artworks, primarily from the 19th and 20th centuries, collected in museums. This eclectic catalogue of art from around the world creates a richly varied representation of Elsewhere. The judge is represented by a 1936 hand puppet. The teacher is taken from the 1887 “Occupations for Women” trading card series developed to promote Old Judge and Dogs Head Cigarettes. Collected in a vivid deck, the cards remind us how our present is shaped by the past.
Taken together, the deck, poems, and oracles provide an interactive divinatory and literary experience. As a whole, The Elsewhere Oracle reminds us that the possibilities of Elsewhere are endless, and the possibilities here are in our own hands..
© photo by Tom Sundro Lewis 
