We Make the Future
I've been warned that the Pride parade in my hometown usually involves fewer than 20 people. It's hard to get people out to a public protest in a small town, even though this protest ends with a pool party at the organizer's house. But the smallness of the parade makes me more excited to participate—it feels like it matters more that I show up when I won't just be one more person amid a giant glittery crowd of supporters.
When I was in high school here in Ojai, a Southern California town of about 8,000 people, the Bush administration launched the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. There were protests at the biggest intersection in town every week. But I never went. The protesters seemed like such a sad and small group: one English teacher, two or three high school students, a few older hippies. In a small town, everyone knows you. Standing at the intersection waving a sign about peace opens you up to major public scrutiny. It was so much easier to just drive by and wave, avoiding any attention. What was the point, anyway? The protest was futile—it wasn't going to stop the war.
But 15 years later, I still remember them. The protest didn't change the course of the war in any way, but it changed the way I thought about the war. They made me realize that I was actually afraid to be public about my beliefs and values. The choice to not participate forced me to examine what made me feel so awkward and silly about taking a stand. That's the power of a protest: to make people think... even if the person who's most impacted is just one dorky high school student. So this week, at the Pride parade, I'll be thinking about the past. And I'll be thinking about how we can change the stories we tell in the future about who we are. That's why I made my banner read, "We make the future." It's impossible to know what that future will be, but it's important to me to participate in making it, rather than just cruising sheepishly by.
STUFF I MADE
Graphic Novel: Big news, everyone! I spent this winter writing a science fiction graphic novel that will be published next year by the Limerence imprint of Oni Press. The book, Open Earth, follows the interconnected love lives of young people growing up on a space station after the climate collapse of Earth. Yes, most of humanity is dead, but it's a pretty fun and sweet story—I swear! It will be illustrated and colored by dream-team Eva Cabrera and Claudia Aguirre. Thanks to my editor/friend Ari Yarwood for encouraging me to pitch the comic. It'll hit comic store shelves in 2018!
Animated Video: This summer, I'm working as a story editor for The Nib on a series of animated videos about politics. The series just debuted this week! Check out the first episode, which includes a lot of jokes about Trump's hair and also about the availability of nuclear launch codes.
Podcast: Did millennials kill traditional dating? Uh... no, because there's so such thing as "traditional" dating. This week's Popaganda podcast, Redefining Dating, looks at the history of how dating norms have evolved in the United States.
THIS WEEK'S COMIC:
STUFF I LOVE:
@LGBT_History - This essential Instagram account posts photos of moments from the movement for LGBT equality in the United States, along with extensive and wildly educational captions. What I love most about the ever-evolving archive is that it includes moments both large and small: photos of well-known politicians and historic events are mixed in with candid shots from Pride parades and protests. The photo above is by @dustyrebel.
Ken Doll Analysis - Autostraddle hilariously describes how Ken dolls look like all your ex-girlfriends.
What You Can't Carry - A really powerful excerpt from a new graphic novel about life in the Calais refugee camp. Read up.
Amplifier Foundation - This nonprofit "Art Machine for Social Change" links up artists and activist movements, producing some of the most iconic art of our era. They just opened up a gallery and community space in Los Angeles! Also, Portlanders, stop by the Community Cycling Center to check out the giant, bold Amplifier Foundation posters in their windows.
Subin Yang - I've never met this illustrator who just graduated from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, but I freakin' love the GIFs she makes! So cute!
Handmaid Invasion - Women are dressing up as handmaids to protest right-wing legislation on reproductive rights. One of those moments when reality is getting eerily close to dystopia.
SOMEONE TO KNOW:
Nicole Georges is one of my favorite artists—she's a long-time zine-maker who is always interested in telling honest stories. Her second graphic memoir, Fetch, is coming out this summer and it looks really great. It tells the story of the love of her life, a dog named Beija. Here's the blurb from the book, which sums it up pretty well: "When Nicole Georges was sixteen she adopted Beija, a dysfunctional shar-pei/corgi mix—a troublesome combination of tiny and attack, just like teenaged Nicole herself. For the next fifteen years, Beija would be the one constant in her life. Through depression, relationships gone awry, and an unmoored young adulthood played out against the backdrop of the Portland punk scene, Beija was there, wearing her 'Don’t Pet Me' bandana."
SOMETHING TO DO:
Distribute a Bunch of Awesome Magazines - RESIST! is a free print publication of political comics and graphics whose slogan is "Women's voices will be heard." It was started after the November 2016 election and their second issue is hot off the presses now. You can buy a giant box of magazines and just pay for shipping! Personally, I'll be receiving a box of 50 just in time to distribute for the 4th of July.
I'll send out an update in two weeks. In the meantime, keep in touch on Instagram and Twitter, okay?