Cole

“The Plural of Or” is a non-linear story, part autobiography and part fiction, to be read as a poem or a dream. Written by Nicole Garlando. Contains adult content. Limited edition features a cover design by Chip Willis and archival photography of Garlando by Kate Sweeney.

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Feedback from Readers:

“I love the honesty in the lines. The truth. The lifting up of the banal and the broken.” – Joseph

“Thank you for your gift of The Plural of Or. It is reminding me how words are color and emotion under description when they buck normal laws of writing. There are such intense and honest feelings in it, a reaching out with language to what has no words.” – Sarah

“It is so many things. Striking. Haunting. Delicate. It reads like an ocean wave. It has breath. I am swimming in the memory of the words right now and can’t wait to read it again. This is a beauty of a book. I can still feel it in my chest, the hollow of me.” – Mina Estrada

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Gratitude from the author:

Jalen Ramsaw (Alexander Dreamer and Radar) for believing in me and helping me cross the finish line of this work. I came to him with “The Plural of Or” in 2020 when I wanted to record my reading of it on audio. So that year, I read it aloud in one long take and he recorded it twice in his recording studio in Columbus, Ohio. Over the next year, I couldn’t get the audio version to feel right and so he suggested I put it out in its original, written form. He helped me move past my anxiety about letting others see it and about sharing the story of its creation. His friendship during that time and faith in me as an artist is why the book was released in 2021.

Bebe Miller and David Gray who were the only people to give me feedback on its first draft. They are a constant presence in my life and the avenues of my creative work and I am grateful for their love, kinship, and their dog Wilson.

Tawanda Chabikwa for the love and friendship. Our time, creative collaboration, and conversations over the years remind me that existence is every cell of me and to love myself. I am grateful we met that day.

Chip Willis for this cover. Thank you for your support. Grateful for all our times talking about light and how we see things, grateful how we see one another.

Kate Sweeney for the first 100 books in print! It’s a Solstice Release Limited Edition! Our friendship and connection reminds me that there is always love. I am so grateful for you and for our evolving presence in one another’s lives.

There are many other people to thank who continue to support decades of creative output including members of my family, close friends, comrades and collaborators – but those mentioned above had a direct impact on this book, specifically.