Emorries

a magnifying glass over photos and books

Emorries

n.
vivid memories of a certain experience that you carry in your head for years until they’re casually disputed by someone who remembers it very differently—correcting basic chronology, clarifying a misread gesture, or adding context you never knew—which makes you want to look again at all the images you’ve been using to piece together your worldview, wondering what details might’ve been hidden in shadow all this time, or washed out by your own naïveté.

After documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, whose work often addresses the fallibility of memory and how little of reality can be captured in a photograph. Pronounced “em-uh-reez,” like memories, but with a piece missing.

Heart Of Aces

a person covering their eyes with their hands

Halfwise

a train coming towards the camera shot from the tracks

Inerrata

a hand holding a broken cup

Archimony

a person looking at broken furniture

Anchorage

a person's arm extended over river rapids

Backmasking

a woman's face with a double exposure

Present-Tense

a close-up of a stopwatch

Mithenness

a person standing on the side of a road

Daguerreologue

Daguer-reologue

a man sitting in blurred silhouette at a desk

Lisolia

a bookcase containing objects

Etterath

a graduation cap and gown on a chair

Rasque

close-up of the shards of a broken vase

Blinkback

a wall full of pictures and objects

Yeorie

a woman with tendrils of smoke moving across her face

Anticious

a group of men in hats looking at elevated signage

Keta

a hand reaching through paper with a flower drawing

Harke

a dreamlike image of a person's face over water

Aftersome

rows of opaque and clear marbles

Pâro

Cover image for the Pâro word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Present-Tense

a close-up of a stopwatch

Midding

Cover image for the Midding word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Tirosy

a close-up of a young child's face

Backmasking

a woman's face with a double exposure

Lackout

Cover image for the Lackout word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Grayshift

a spiral staircase from above

Suente

Cover image for the Suente word card on the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Ecury

a close-up of cave drawings and symbols