More About Nova Albion
Welcome!
The Voices of Nova Albion is where many various topics ranging from literature, original stories, commentary, art, photography, and poetry are gathered together and presented underneath one roof. In my mind, I liken it to an orchestra composed of many instruments, each playing their assigned notes, which under the direction of the conductor meld together forming a musical piece that is complete, beautiful, and pleasant to the ear. In the case of this project, the goal is to create a melody of word pictures, imagery, and concepts that transport the reader to other worlds, expand their expectations and thoughts, and provide entertainment.
Such is my intent for The Voices of Nova Albion. Here you can find fantasy and myth, fiction and facts, thoughts on subjects varying from religion to current events, and much more that will be helpful, intriguing, and useful to those who come to this place. Perhaps, those who find this realm on their journey on the wild, untamed Internet will decide to bookmark it for return in the future and linger here like the couple mentioned in the poem above.
Please find this a pleasant place for your thoughts to dwell in. Whether you decide to explore and pass on or take up residence here, I give all my visitors my heartiest welcome, warmest rooms, and brightest best wishes!
The photo of Yosemite Valley was taken by Teri Sheffer.
Nova Albion's Origin
The name The Voices of Nova Albion was chosen to describe it for a couple reasons:
- Firstly, I have enjoyed the legends of King Arthur and the land of Albion (Great Britain) as a child growing up. Lancelyn Greene's King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, T.B. White's rendition of the legend, and the BBC TV show Merlin which does an excellent family-friendly retelling are some of the sources that have given me a love for Arthurian Legend! I better not forget to mention that Mythcon 46 which I attended in 2015 also helped instill an interest in the legends by showing how much of literature has been influenced by it.
- Secondly, the discovery that my home-state California was once called Nova Ablion by none other than Sir Francis Drake when he first claimed it for Britain gave a certain mystique to the name that already brought to mind myths, adventure, beauty, and peril! So as a gracious nod to the state from whom I spent all my childhood and the start of my young adult years, my homeland which shaped me in so many ways, and the one location that I love for its beauty but not its politics – I have named this website The Voices of Nova Albion in honor of the place it holds in my heart.
The opening poem is modeled after the terrain that California has to offer those who call her home: the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean, the wide agriculture-rich plains of the Central Valley, and the high rugged mountains of the Sierra Nevadas. Not many states can boast of the varied climates, terrain, and peoples that California contains. Not many states have had the attraction that California had back in the early days of the state: climate, sunshine, and terrain. Sadly the allurement of it held in the past has not been retained in light of current events. Yet, to me, the name Nova Albion lends itself to the mysterious allure of the land. In the same way, the title provides me a base from which I can delve into what fascinates me: the realms of fantasy, knowledge, and imagination. Like California's topography and inhabitants, this website will contain a trove of fascinating, intriguing, thoughtful facts, compiled for your pleasure and interest. I encourage you to explore it at your leisure!
