Digital Short Story 2019 spotlight: “Night is Here” by Vanessa Dolfinger

Project: “Night is Here” by Vanessa Dolfinger

Dollface’s objective is simple: Survive the night and keep going. As the sun sets, Dollface, a small and lonely thing, must brace herself against the night to come as Creatures of the Night begin to grow out of the shadows. They steal the warmth that she gathered in the sun and, as they steal, they grow. Throughout the night, Dollface tries her best to block out the hostile whispers of the growing Creatures. But as much as she may want to, she cannot stop. Dollface must keep her wits about her and continue pushing forward until the sun rises at dawn and puts the land at ease once more.

Vanessa is a writer, a poet and an illustrator from New York who has seen the world as one big story for as long as she can remember. As a young black child, she was particularly interested in writings and art that focused on diversity and inclusion. Her fascination with fairy tales, cartoons, urban fantasy and sci-fi led her to a creative writing degree from Fordham University, where she also fell in love with sequential art. Her goal is to further expand her love of stories in the visual realm and she’s currently focusing on poetry and illustration. Vanessa’s art can be found on her Instagram @vad_doodles