Erin Faith Allen, Houston Artist and Author, Launches The In Between: A Travel Memoir
Local Artist & Author Combines Passion for Art and WWII History to Explore Human Nature
Allen brings readers a completely raw, emotional perspective on some of history’s darkest moments
photo by Thomas Guerrero
Erin Faith Allen, a Houston-based artist and author, has combined her need to make art with her love of travel and deep-reaching passion for history. Her goal is to ignite in the viewer with the ability to bridge the past and the present while becoming a catalyst for change. After years of research and a life-changing trip, Allen announces the launch of her second book, The In Between: A Travel Memoir.
Allen’s second book is a unique look into the people, places and tragic events of WWII.
“When the memory of history fades, it is doomed to repeat itself,” said Allen.
photo by Thomas Guerrero
Allen has made it her life’s work to ensure holocaust victims are not forgotten, and after years of research and a transformative trip. Her book details her 19-day journey through Europe to some of World War II’s most grim and blood-soaked sites through a unique combination of photographs, art and journal writing.
photo courtesy of Erin Faith Allen
Having stood at the site of Nazi extermination camp, Treblinka, where 900,000 people were murdered, she wrote, “How is it possible?…The only thing I can come up with is that humans are flawed, or blind, or disconnected. We hurt inside, and we hurt one another because of it. We do this in ways both big and small—and all the ways in between. The fact is, this horribleness can happen again. Has happened. Is happening. And people say ‘never again’ like it’s just another throwaway phrase. Sometimes I don’t even think they know what it actually means.”
“The compulsion to write and create art come from the same place,” said Allen. “With art, I let everything out, like an unconscious purging to create this raw, unedited piece. With writing, it’s more like creating a sculpture – you have to work through the process, really refining what you want to say and filtering through emotions to explore what they mean.”
The In Between: A Travel Memoir was created as Allen visited sites in Germany, Austria, Poland, Latvia, and the Czech Republic.
photo courtesy of Erin Faith Allen
The mixed-medium memoir provides readers with an intimate glimpse into human behavior as Allen witnesses history and offers remembrance while excavating her own personal demons.
Allen’s wildly-popular first book, The Underneath: A Visual Memoir, gives readers an intimate experience with her diary pages, photos and artwork, which weave the tale of her determination to liberate her voice and thrive while overcoming paralyzing PTSD, a panic disorder and depression.
Through mixed-media techniques, her art carries themes of war, the spectrum of human nature and ancestral lineage.
For more information, visit https://erinfaithallen.com/ and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
Feature photo by Thomas Guerrero