Storytelling as Survival: Introducing The Alchemy of Ivy Mae

Storytelling as Survival: Introducing The Alchemy of Ivy Mae

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we process the times we’re living in. Climate change, housing insecurity, poverty, social unrest, and now constant reminders of solar activity and technological fragility — these aren’t just headlines. They shape how we live, how we connect, and how we imagine the future.

One way I’ve been exploring these themes is through storytelling. Sometimes, activism needs a different lens — not just facts, stats, or news, but a narrative that allows people to feel the urgency and imagine new possibilities.

That’s what led me to create The Alchemy of Ivy Mae, a storytelling blog where I follow Jas, a non-binary teen navigating a world after the lights have gone out. It’s fiction, but it reflects real questions:

• How do young people survive when systems collapse?
• How do identity, resilience, and community guide us when resources are scarce?
• What role does nature play in teaching us how to adapt?

It’s magical realism and visionary eco-fiction, but it’s also rooted in the activism and awareness I write about here on Tina Winterlik.

If you’re interested, you can explore it here:
👉 The Alchemy of Ivy Mae — https://thealchemyofivymae.blogspot.com?m=1

I wrote it quickly, in just a couple weeks, even though it was meant to be a year-long project. Posts are scheduled into the future, but like many independent projects, it doesn’t get much attention. Still, I believe it adds another layer to the conversation we’re having about survival, hope, and imagining better ways forward.

Because sometimes activism looks like marching or protesting — and sometimes it looks like stories that remind us who we are, and who we could become.

—Tina Winterlik (Zipolita)