š”Asking the Impossible š”
On the ferry leaving Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Major Morrison asked me, āSo, are you going to tell both sides?ā Ā
Major Morrison had been one of four staffers shepherding the media tour all week, driving us in a minivan around the base and pointing out what we could and couldnāt take photos of. We could take pictures of the McDonalds, the hotel, the tiki bar, the flags, memorials, and signs, but not water towers, power plants, prisoners, prison staff, or prison doors. Guantanamo Bay feels like an arid, suburban, American town. Like Phoenix-by-the-Sea, but with an internationally infamous detention camp nearby that no one talks about.
Like everyone I met at Guantanamo, the major was careful to be both polite and politically inscrutable. Bring up detention policies or American foreign affairs and heād just return a stoic, neutral nod from behind his sunglasses. But bring up about hunting or hiking and heād happily share a funny story in his Alabama drawl. Because of this culture of awkward, polite, political-neutralness, the ferry was the first time anyone on base had asked about the angle for my book-in-progress... conveniently, on our way to the airport to leave.
āI always think āboth sidesā is too simplistic of a framing,ā I said, talking loudly over the wind that rushed past the ferry. āThere arenāt two sides to every issues, there are as many sides as there are people involved, because everyone has their own personal perspective.ā
When I first started thinking about writing a book about Guantanamo, it felt impossible. There are so many stories to tell, all of them made massively complicated by 17 years of legal wrangling. When I donāt know how to start, I begin thinking about what questions to ask. Finding the right questions guide me through many complicated situations. Life is never as simple as black and white.
āIām not asking, like, āIs this good or bad?āā I told the major. āIām interested in: How did we get here? Where do we go from here? What did we do wrong? What was the impact? And how can we do better?ā
The major nodded in his unreadable way. I felt lucky, in that moment, that itās my to be curious. I donāt have to pretend to be neutral. I just have to keep asking questions, and see where they lead me.
Stuff I Made
The Nibās Empire Issue - After two years of freelancing, Iām an official Very Real Employee of The Nib! I helped out on the current issue of the print magazine, Empire. I edited this comic about the colonial roots of a tasty cheese snack. Ā
Women of Color Run Portlandās County Government - While everyone is focused on national politics, I always think it makes more sense to look locally. For Portland Monthly, I profiled the all-women Multnomah County Commission. Ā
127 Zines - Iām working my way through making a zine every day for the year. Check out my Patreon to support the project, get zines in your email every morning, and get monthly snail-mail from me! Hereās a recent zine. Please note the PDX airport carpet in the background, because I drew this in the early dawn hours, waiting for a flight.
Stuff I Love
Artists Supporting Abortion Rights - A lot of artists are pitching in to support the National Network of Abortion Funds and Planned Parenthood as right-wing politicians push to roll back access to abortion. The image above comes from Celia Jacobs and is free to share with credit. Artist Carson Ellis is donating all proceeds from sales of these āOnwardā cards to Planned Parenthood.
Bomba EstĆ©reo - One thing I would bring to Cuba if I get the chance to go again is more music! People use their very limited WiFi access to download music on their phones. They often asked me to share American music. I only had a disappointing collection of ethereal dreampop songs to share. Cubans, on the other hand, introduced me to lots and lots of fun dance music, including Bomba EstĆ©reo, which Iāve been listening to nonstop since my return. Ā Ā
Uprooted by Naomi Novik - The only thing that made spending so much time on planes recently bearable is that I had a super engaging fantasy book to listen to. I could close my eyes and be immersed in the dark, magical world of this book that turns a lot of fantasy tropes on their heads.
Radio Ambulante - If youāre a Spanish-speaker or someone whoās trying to become a Spanish-speaker, I suggest listening to the podcast Radio Ambulante. I listen to the show every week to practice Spanish. Start with a cool episode about Cuba! Ā
Dresses with Pockets - Two weeks ago, my brother got married! His wedding was the perfect excuse to wear clothing without stains on it. I bought two dresses from eShakti, an Indian clothing company that tailors dresses to your specifications. Itās perfect for someone like me who is oddly shaped, wants to pay people fair wages, and demands pockets. I got literally 100 compliments on this lemon-print dress.
Someone to Know
Living in Philly last year, one of the best people I met was Emma Eisenberg. First off, she is friends with everyone. Secondly, she co-founded an upstart literary organization called Blue Stoop that hosts great events. Thirdly, she has a perfect cat. Fourthly, she just finished a book!! This is a massive inspiration to me I slog toward my own book deadline, unsure if I will finish the book by June 14th or be slowly crushed to death by the pressure of writing a book. I recommend following Emma on Twitter and then pre-ordering her book about investigating the murder of two women in Appalachia.
Something to Do
Read a Graphic Memoir
I meet people all the time who say, āI want to get into comicsā¦ but I donāt know where to start.ā You are living in a lucky time! So many excellent nonfiction comics are being published right now. This month, I have two brand new graphic memoirs to recommend. If you donāt have the cash to buy these, you can ask your local library to order them. The first is I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib, who writes a really charming, funny, and insightful memoir about growing up in an Egyptian-Filipino family in Southern California. Ā The second is Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, which is a series of anecdotes about the authorās relationship to gender and sexuality. Really stellar work. If youāre not sure where to start with comics, why not start with these two?
Iāll write again next month! In the meantime, you can keep in touch on Instagram or Twitter. Is this your first time receiving this newsletter? You can see the archive here.