A TRUE STORY

The Magical Book of A True Story is an illustrated, epistolary style, coffee table, hardcover book. The illustrations follow the dramaturgy of the stage performance, A True Story. The writings published in the book are from several of the protagonists in the stage performance. An important methodological element used during the artistic process of A True Story was to write letters. Those letters were intimate moments shared between the person and I (Daniel Mariblanca). The protagonists and their willing family members were asked to send me letters every two weeks, for almost two years. This exchange between us was crucial to the development of our relationship and the journey we would embark on together. A large part of the content within those letters inspired us to create the artistic material for the performance. For me, it was so clear that the collection and transitions the letters created needed to have their own life. To have this as an expansion of how we understand each protagonist involved, was the motivation to publish their growth through the letters. The Magical Book of A True Story is indeed a true story. The Magical Book of A True Story (TMBoATS) is an artistic collaboration between Claudia de Sessa- illustrator and Daniel Mariblanca- developmental editor. Jasmine Jones- pre-production editor and Davone Sirmans- editor and proofreader joined the team. The editorial team worked in close collaboration with the protagonists and their family members, both in publishing as well as in production of the performance, which was created in parallel. TMBoATS was developed in real time, capturing life’s moments the protagonists were experiencing. Funding support provided by: Kulturradet