Analog Introspection (AI): Rodney McNeil Tunes Humanity Back In

E Monthly News Contributor

By: Sarah Summer

In a world that never stops buzzing, poet and illustrator Rodney McNeil is listening for the quiet. His new release, Analog Introspection (AI): The Experience, invites readers to pause the algorithm and consider what is left when the feed goes still. The book is 154 pages, published in English in late September 2025, and pairs poetry with visual elements that circle the same theme.

The book’s description frames the mood with a line that feels like a tuning fork for the whole project: “On the outer limits of Wi-Fi, human frequency lo-fi, non-mechanized.” It follows with a quiet question in a loud world, “Anyone have an ear to give?” The prompt is simple. The tension is clear. Screens on one side, presence on the other.

McNeil’s bibliography shows a creator who works across forms. Previous titles include Ro’Man’s Is Dead, The Candy Academy: Dream Candy, and Eye Hate Essays. Those works sketch the range. The new one leans into reflection and the frayed edges of life online.

The Experience pushes readers to step into the present moment with a sense of stillness, embracing the quiet away from the demands of constant connectivity. Through McNeil’s words and Montoya McNeil’s illustrations, the work beckons those seeking to rediscover the power of being fully immersed in the now, not mediated by the distraction of technology. Each page evokes a deeper sense of awareness, encouraging readers to tune into their own internal frequency. McNeil’s ability to frame such profound reflections in the simplest of terms invites a new kind of digital detox — one that does not rely on the absence of technology but rather the presence of self. The layers of thought in his book reach far beyond the digital landscape, offering a poignant reminder of the importance of listening, both to the outside world and the often-muted voice within.

This is also a family collaboration. Montoya McNeil is credited as illustrator on Analog Introspection (AI): The Experience, and the pairing of text and image gives the pages a push and pull between signal and static.

The structure feels intentional. Some pages land with a single image or short passage. Other layers thought on thought until the rhythm takes over. You can sense what the book is reaching for without the need to explain it. The language circles digital habit, data, attention, and our own capacity to notice what is happening inside. Those threads are present in the public description of the work and carry through the presentation.

McNeil’s public footprint extends beyond the page. Recent appearances include an interview on Briggs on Books, highlighted through LinkedIn, and a conversation with Take 2 With Toy, promoted across his social platforms. These touchpoints help new readers hear his perspective in his own voice.

The title itself plays with expectation. “AI” usually points toward artificial intelligence. Here it is a reminder of something else, something analog and inward-facing. The listing language makes that contrast plain, asking whether we can find calm when we pause the algorithm and listen inward. The work sits right in that space, between a technical world and a human one.

For readers discovering McNeil for the first time, the through line is easy to track. The author page gathers the titles in one place. The new book adds a steady voice to a conversation many people are already having with themselves. What is attention worth. What is the cost of constant noise. Where does creative energy come from when the scroll never ends. The pages do not lecture. They offer a mirror.

However you enter, the invitation is clear enough. Step back from the feed. Sit with a line. Look at an image. Notice what changes when the volume drops. The question lingers after the last page, the same one asked in the public description. “Anyone have an ear to give” feels less like marketing and more like a personal check in with the reader.

Explore more of Rodney McNeil’s work:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/rodneymcneil