Writer, Founder,
Community-Builder
Justin authors stories and creates spaces that explore truth, cultivate resilience, and shape futures.
Justin T. Weller (Justin Weller)
Recognized nationally for kindness, generosity, and community impact.
Justin was honored as one of fifty national Magic Makers for:
Founding the Urbana Youth Center, providing thousands of students with safe spaces, meals, clothing, academic support, diplomas, and belonging.
Hosting The State of Us, a nationally syndicated radio show and podcast for 12 years, advocating for positive change and honest dialogue across perspectives.
Leading more than $10 million in economic revitalization efforts for his hometown through mission‑driven development and community investment.
“…for the incredible act of magic you’ve done for your community. On behalf of all of us at Disney, we’re so impressed with your spirit of kindness and generosity.”
Writing & Books
Justin is a storyteller whose work explores identity, belonging, resilience, and the quiet moments that shape who we become. His nonfiction writing has appeared in the Huffington Post and in numerous columns and essays advancing common‑sense, non‑partisan policy and youth‑focused initiatives.
Beach of the Universe
After dying and entering a liminal shoreline where souls choose new lives, Cassian awakens as a second‑year medical student with fragmentary memories of a love he refuses to believe in. Convinced that love is nothing more than chemistry and commitment, he builds a life designed to keep vulnerability at bay.
But as involuntary past‑life memories fracture his denial—and as a lie threatens to drive a wedge between him and Rowan, the best friend he depends on more than he admits—Cassian spirals toward a shattering emotional reckoning.
Told in three movements, the novel traces Cassian’s denial, his collapse into the truth of what love demands, and finally, the unsettling question that remains when Rowan inexplicably disappears: Was his closest confidant a friend, a memory from another lifetime, or a stranger somehow woven into the fabric of his current existence?
Life in Between
Justin’s forthcoming debut novel, Life in Between, begins with its ending. The entire narrative appears predetermined.
“That’s not why we’re here, though—to change what’s already been written.” - Dira
An unnamed narrator (who’s gender is never discussed or revealed) meets Matheo in college at a moment when visibility feels like validation and love feels like salvation. Their relationship—tender, volatile, and shaped by wounds neither fully understands—deepens quickly.
“Everything has changed, and it will always be enough.” - Narrator
“It will never be enough.” - Dira
As complexity of the couple’s bond grows, the narrator is accompanied by Dira, a persistent, provocative presence hovering just beyond the protagonist’s perception, with commentary that blurs the boundaries between intuition, dissociation, and something more.
Through stolen weekends, border crossings, and the tenuous hope that love can save what’s breaking, the story tugs between connection and reckoning. The narrator’s cascading, irrevocable decisions build momentum as Matheo’s mental health begins to unravel in ways the narrator feels responsible for fixing.
All the while, Dira—once just an inconvenient whisper—becomes a relentless force urging the narrator toward truths they’re not ready to face. Devotion becomes both sanctuary and threat, and the question shifts from whether Matheo and the narrator can stay together to whether either can survive the leaving.
Newsletter & Updates
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