Near-Future Neuroaesthetics Novel, Written by Recent Portland Art Museum Docent President, Released by White Wave Books

Portland, OR, October 06, 2021 --(PR.com)-- Jen L. Hanson’s debut novel, “Sensored Souls: The Secret Life of a Mind-Hacking Neuroscientist,” published by White Wave Books, will be released on Amazon on October 5, 2021. Hanson, who served as President of the Portland Art Museum (PAM) Docent Council from 2018-2019, creates an eerie portrait of the intersection of brain sciences and the arts - —exploring a speculative aesthetic experience based in some haunting reality.

“Consciousness and exploring the mind are timeless contemplations in art and science,” says Hanson, who guided museum tours for eight years at PAM, in addition to working as lead instructor of the organization’s 2017-2018 docent training program. “Sensored Souls is an illuminating and timely blend of art and neuroscience, aesthetics and ethics, revealing just how far one may go in the desperate search for the elusive human soul.”

The Portland Art Museum, the seventh oldest art museum in the United States, is a strong community partner in furthering education on neuroscience and art. Partnerships include Oregon Health & Science University’s Brain Institute, the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, and NW Noggin, including events in October 2021. Such groups exemplify why Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer called the Pacific Northwest “a neuroscience powerhouse.”

Hanson developed PAM’s Art & Meditation tours in 2015, drawing from her experience as one of the area’s top meditation and yoga instructors. She served as a monthly mindfulness guide publicly and privately, including leading artful meditation workshops for the annual OHSU Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative conference held at PAM.

With neuroaesthetics on the verge of making a quantum leap forward - as art, science and technology weave together to create stronger solutions to complex problems—"Sensored Souls" shines a light on the art of brain connectivity. In Hanson’s new novel, fantastic technology and futuristic Buddhism dance with characters caught in unpredictable, evil events. Set in a near-future urban underworld, clear writing makes themes of sensory perception and enlightenment accessible.

Coming from Portland where writers like Ursula K. Le Guin put speculative fiction on the map, this innovative cross-genre metaphysical sci-fi story offers a treasure trove for those who love insightful dialogue, accessible philosophical inquiry, plot surprises and a strong female lead.

Jen L. Hanson is a Portland, Oregon author, photographer and beekeeper who inspires others to find their creative flow. She spent eight years leading art tours at the Portland Art Museum, including as President of the Docent Council and instructor for the docent training program. Prior to that, after earning her M.S. from Northwestern University in journalism, she edited financial magazines in Manhattan and worked in high-tech public relations in San Francisco. Hanson, a well-known yoga and meditation instructor, has worked at the illustrious Multnomah Athletic Club since 2009. She has published more than 30 photography books privately, and is pairing her images with her poetry for a larger retrospective in 2022.