“All responses to the world take place within our bodies.” — Gloria Anzaldúa, quoted in Alice Wong’s Year of the Tiger.
I spent this past weekend sitting behind a table in Boston, folding zines and giving them away. Whenever I’m at a comics convention like this weekend’s MICE, I set aside part of my precious tablespace for a box full of free mini-zines. Each zine costs me only seven cents to print and folding them all day keeps my hands busy as the crowds pass by. I sell comics, too, of course, but I usually give away about 300 zines during a weekend of tabling. To me, it feels important at festivals to have something to give away for free—an offering to create connection, not mediated by money.
And it’s nice to be able to make good connections with strangers. This year has been scary for queer and trans cartoonists. More right-wing people around the country are demanding that books with LGBTQ themes be removed from schools and libraries—PEN America documented over 3,362 book challenges during the past school year, many of them targeting books that celebrate queer stories. My friend Maia Kobabe’s beautiful, tender, intimate book Gender Queer was been the most-challenged book in America for two years. I recently decided to look up challenges to books that I’ve worked on. I learned that The Nib’s collection Be Gay, Do Comics, which I helped edit, is now banned from four school libraries in Missouri. The Nib: Too hot for Missouri!
But seriously. Books with queer and trans themes aren’t harmful to kids, they’re helpful to kids. It makes such a huge difference to see yourself represented in the world, to feel seen by the pages of a book. Books like Gender Queer, like Heartstopper, like The Magic Fish, help both kids and adults feel understood and less alone. Gay comics save lives.
Whenever a librarian or teacher stopped by my table at MICE, I asked, “Have you had trouble with book challenges this year?” Everyone I talked to said yes. Sometimes the library board or school principal had their back and the books stayed. Sometimes they didn’t and the books were removed. Some had their lists of book purchases reviewed and slashed. I met a teacher who spent their own money to create a little queer-friendly library in their own classroom—and was hoping no parent would complain.
On Sunday afternoon, as the festival was winding down, a teen came by my table and lingered just far enough away to read the titles of my comics. I gestured to the box of free zines. “These are free, please take some,” I said, hoping to be heard through my mask and above the din of the room. The teen immediately started picking up zines, carefully reading the title of each one and then flipping past it, taking inventory of the entire stash before deciding which ones they would take home.
I watched them eventually choose the zines they wanted—a copy of every clearly queer zine I had in the free box. They took one called Queer Enough, one about nonbinary pride flags, and one about top surgery.
“Do you make any zines or comics yourself?” I asked.
“Yeah,” they said. “I made one instead of writing an essay for school.”
“What was it about?”
“The history of ACT UP,” they said.
My throat tightened and my cheeks got hot. I knew I was going to start crying.
“That’s really cool,” I croaked. “That’s really, really special.”
“Yeah we sold it at school as a fundraiser for a trans rights group,” they said.
When was this kid born? Maybe 2008? 2010? To them, the queer activism of the 1990s was history—a history they cared about. A history that could inspire them, that they could teach their friends about. Even as conservatives are trying to pull every gay book off school shelves, teens are finding ways to learn about the world, to learn about themselves. Around us was a room overflowing with artists of all ages, genders, and orientations, all making their own gorgeous, funny, wild, joyful, angry work.
“That makes me so happy to hear. Thank you for being here,” I said, my eyes stinging.
They put my zines into their pocket and slipped back into the crowd. I turned away. I wiped my eyes. I took a deep breath. I started folding a new zine.
Life Update: I’m in Vermont Until May
I need to take a cue from this honest-to-God real Vermont highway sign and slow waaay down. This week marks the end of an emotional and logistical marathon. Since the beginning of August, I’ve driven across the country with my friend Jenni, started a fellowship at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, spent two weeks in the woods at the Macdowell art residency, tabled at the Small Press Expo in Washington DC (and complained about it), finished a second draft of my book on making nonfiction comics with my friend Eleri, attended a weekend-long queer festival in California, and, finally, tabled at the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo. Whew. Even writing that out is exhausting.
But now I’m here. I will slow down. I’ll be making comics and attending classes at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction until May 2024. Please feel free to send me your Vermont recommendations. I’ve already been to Babe’s, my new favorite bar, and am currently consuming at least two crisp, farm-fresh apples a day, as is required by Vermont law.
Upcoming Events
Classes: I’m going to be teaching two classes online starting this October: Memoir Comics on Tuesday evenings and Making Queer Comics on Sundays. The memoir comics class I led last spring was my favorite class I’ve ever organized; the group really came together in a magical way. I’m hoping to create that same sense of support and belonging in these two classes, which both run for eight weeks.
Short Run: Seattle’s Short Run Comix & Arts Festival is my favorite comics event of the year. Some perks: It’s free. It’s only one day. It’s full of amazing artists. If you can make it out to Seattle, come say hi! November 4th, Seattle Center, 11am-6pm.
Nonfiction Comics Fest: After Short Run, I’ll be back in Vermont for the rad-sounding Nonfiction Comics Fest, which gathers creators of reality based comics from all over the country. It’s also free to the public, so stop on by. November 18, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT, 11am-6pm
Stuff I Made
Crow Parenting zine - I made this zine about the surprising family structure of crows for the Queer Creatures bike ride that friends and I led over the summer. It was a hit! People liked the zine so much that I printed many more of them. You can read the zine here and buy a copy here.
What I Learned from Top Surgery zine - I’m very proud of this adorable and helpful zine I made with my friend Nelle about their experience getting top surgery this summer. I think it’s a practical resource both for people who are considering top surgery and people who will be taking care of them as they heal. You can download and print the zine for free here.
Stuff I Love
Normalize Crying in Public sticker - I don’t just cry over teens at comics festivals, I cry in public all the time! So I laughed out loud when this sticker during my cross-country road trip at Room of One’s Own Bookstore in Madison, Wisconsin. I now keep it on my favorite water bottle to display prominently during class.
Fidget toys - My approach to teaching has changed a lot in the past year and one new thing I’ve incorporated is bringing fidget toys to every in-person class and workshop I lead. I think distributing these at the beginning of class to anyone who wants one helps recognize and normalize neurodivergence. I don’t know if other teachers do this, but I think it would be a nice thing for everyone to incorporate!
Googly eyes - Have I ever mentioned that one of the best purchases of my life was a roll of 2,000 googly eyes? I actually just bought my second roll, because I used up all 2,000. I put these babies on everything.
Why Comics - I absolutely slept on this 2017 book by comics critic Hilary Chute until cartoonist Dan Nott assigned us the introduction to read. From the title, I had thought this book was a defense of comics, which felt tired to me. But it’s actually such a thoughtful critical analysis of why comics are good at exploring different themes. I’ve been photocopying so many pages to use in upcoming classes.
New TV seasons I’ve been dying to watch but haven’t yet because I’ve way been too busy: Reservation Dogs, Heartstopper, Sex Education, Our Flag Means Death. Once I get back to Portland for winter break, I’ll have a *lot* of catching up to do. Please feel free to tell me what you think of any of these new seasons!
What I’m Reading: Prose
Tipping the Velvet - How did I not know about Sarah Waters until the year 2023. This British lesbian author writes saucy and thrilling stories mostly set in Victorian England. I devoured the audiobook of this story about a gender-bending vaudeville performer.
Year of the Tiger - Alice Wong’s memoir about her journey building community and connecting as a disability rights activist is full of insightful moments and so many lines I wrote down to make sure I remember.
What Bravery Looks Like - This memoir by Laurel Braitman is a little surreal because it’s set in my hometown—I know the places, trees, and smells she talks about. Laurel talks about several kinds, including losing her childhood home in the 2018 Thomas Fire. I felt her words so deeply.
Burnout - I was literally number 1,200 on the hold list for this book at the library, so I guess it’s a hot one. Dr. Emily Nagoski, who wrote the essential book Come As You Are, wrote this book with her sister all about how stress affects our bodies and what we can do about it.
What I’m Reading: Comics
Wash Day Diaries - Artist Robyn Smith is co-teaching a publication class I’m part of, and I realized I should definitely read her comic Wash Day Diaries, written by Jamila Browser, until now. The art is so wonderfully expressive, it’s a real treat.
Impossible People - I love Julia Wertz’s new memoir, which is eloquently subtitled “A completely average recovery story.” She details how drinking made her life excruciatingly boring—and how hard it was to finally get sober.
Something to Do
Buy a Banned Book
Why not? See what books are being challenged in your state and consider picking one up. October 7th is the official day of action around banned books in the United States, so consider ways you can support the teachers and librarians in your community who are fighting against censorship.
I don't want to overhype it, but you have very good things to look forward to when you get to catch up with Reservation Dogs. I'm sad it's ended, but it finished really strong. (I'm somewhat consoled that the second season of We Are Lady Parts is being teased - and not to put more TV on your plate, but if you haven't seen that, I think you might like it a lot.)
Not exactly a Vermont recommendation, but if you get a chance to head over to New Hampshire, there is a fantastic family restaurant in Sugar Hill, Polly's Pancake Parlor, that is something of a local legend for very good reasons. It could be rolled into a day trip with the cog rail up Mt. Washington, which is pretty cool.
Ooh, Sarah Waters! That makes me want to reread Tipping the velvet. Also, a comic about ACTUP by a teen 🥹 thanks for sharing about that--it feels like much-needed queer joy. I’d love to send you a zine for a swap if you’re up for that.