Journey to St. Thomas Tales for Our Time

A Twenty-First century reimagining of The Canterbury Tales, set on a vacation cruise in the midst of the pandemic; a wonderful story for our time
  Hoping for an adventure (at a discounted price), two dozen strangers set sail for balmy St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. As different from one another as strangers can be, they agree to pass the time by telling stories. As the passengers share their stories, they begin to learn some astonishing things about their neighbors. 
  Then, partway through the voyage, they are notified about a virus that has spread across the United States and their destination. The ship is quarantined, and they are destined to loll on the waves of the open sea until a port welcomes them. 
  Stuck together in the confines of the ship, the group continues to regale each other with ingenious tales. A Journey to St. Thomas is a modern reimagining of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Josiah Hatch, who studied Anglo Saxon and Middle English languages at Oxford University, writes in iambic pentameter, craftily updating Chaucer’s characters to those on the present-day cruise liner. Touching on topics that include political differences and discord, elitism, economic hardship, and the percived inability of the ordinary citizen to make a difference, this rich and innovative novel captures the humor, insight, and pathos of the original while telling a very modern story 

Cathy Morrison is a children's book illustrator working from her home studio in northern Colorado. Her studio overlooks the Mummy Range, the northern side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Josiah Hatch was born in Savannah, Georgia, a fourth generation Georgian. He attended Princeton University, where he graduated summa cum laude, majoring in Ancient Greek and Latin with a minor in music theory.  A Marshall scholar at Pembroke College, Oxford, he studied Anglo-Saxon and Middle English. He spent a year in Italy studying Latin literature, history and art.    After studying at Oxford, Josiah moved to Washington, serving as a museum administrator at the Smithsonian Institution, a speechwriter and political aide, and, after obtaining a law degree from Georgetown, a lawyer.

Contents
Foreword: Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales vii
General Prologue  1
1.    The General’s Tale 45
2.    The Welder’s Tale    75
3.    The Preacher’s Tale 85
4.    The Widow of Los Altos’ Tale 95
5.    The Farmer’s Tale 113
6.    The Scientist’s Tale 136
7.    The Sports Recruiter’s Tale 164
8.    The Accountant’s Tale 182
9.    The Insurance Salesman’s Tale 205
10.    The Shop Steward’s Tale 224
11.    The Builder’s Tale 239
12.    The Businessman’s Tale 252
13.    The Cruise Director’s Tale 259
14.    The Physician’s Tale 265
15.    The Army Captain’s Tale 271
16.    The Business Lawyer’s Tale 286
17.    The Angel Investor’s Tale 291
18.    The Pilot’s Tale 300
19.    The Social Worker’s Tale 309
20.    The Charity Queen’s Tale 325
21.    The Teacher’s Tale 330
22.    The Lobbyist’s Tale 341
23.    The Aide-de-Camp’s Tale 347
24.    The Bartender’ Tale  357
Apologia 367
Acknowledgments    369
Bibliography 371
About the Illustrator 373
About the Author 374