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Synesthesia

I have synesthesia. Have you heard of it? It helps me with spatial memory, which is handy with both art and science.

'Synesthesia' is a neurological condition where one sensory pathway is tangibly connected to another. There are lots of different kinds. For example, some people might see shapes when they hear specific musical notes, or experience a taste when they feel a certain texture.  For me (among other, stranger oddities), each letter of the alphabet is a different hue of the rainbow. Reading a written word is like looking at a painting. I found out while studying with classmates IN MY TWENTIES that not everyone sees the word 'spleen' as predominantly bright red.

'Lennon Faris' is the pen name I chose in part because of its colors. It has: sunset rose, strawberry red, night-sky black, twilight lavender, hilltop green, and sunrise yellow. Plus, a tiny tribute to my love of music (John Lennon, here's to you) seems appropriate.

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Biography

When I was a kid, every night my engineer dad would tell my siblings and me the most incredible sci-fi story. It lasted more than ten years and I still think about those characters.  Nowadays, in addition to my day job as a vet, I write stories. I also create art and music. (Empty churches when it's pouring rain on the roof are the best to play a moody piano piece.) My spirit creature is both the wolf and Cookie Monster.

​Lennon Faris