I can tell that the summer is coming to a close because all I want to do is drink buckets of tea. I always love tea, but I slow my consumption down in the sweltering summer months. As soon as it dips below 75, however, my body decides that it is now autumn. Needless to say, I’m excited for more clement weather and my favorite holiday right around the corner. (Not that anyone is going to be…
We all have those artists whose work we keep intending to read, but somehow they keep getting put off for one reason or another. For me, that was Ronald Wimberly, specifically his book Prince of Cats. I knew that I had to fill that gap in my comics reading, and so this second Black Creator Spotlight centers on Wimberly.
Ronald Wimberly is an award-winning comics artist whose work includes the…
Got a shipment from @comicopia this past weekend! I wrote about Venus in the Blond Spot already for @comicsbeat, but having the physical book in my hand is really something else. It's gorgeous, full of color pages and extra artwork. Looking forward to reading these, especially excited about Satoko & Nada! . . . #mangahaul #mangamaven #localcomicshop #supportyourlcs https://www.instagram.com/p/CEUf9adD8Z2/?igshid=1u00yro1u3x5m
Jeepers Creepers. . Got a tripod for my phone, and it came with some cool lenses, including a macro lense. Just needed the tripod to take some hands-free videos, but maybe I'll end up playing around with more photography while I'm at it. . #macrophotography #eye #selfie https://www.instagram.com/p/CDj5HazhrSZ/?igshid=ghyrxv9a0f29
My daughter has a plush octopus named Veronica. Veronica, a Squishmallowbrand toy, came with her name, as well as a stated interest in pretzels, reading, and having adventures. She also has two perfectly round black eyes and a teeny tiny smile all set close together, a face that I would easily describe as “kawaii.” When I was a child, the general public would not have understood this descriptor.…
I’m not the biggest fan of summer. It’s been in the 90s here for weeks, and Sev and I have mostly holed up in either her bedroom or mine, the only places in the apartment with window unit air conditioners. I’m looking forward to the end of July, and the end of August, if I’m being completely honest. The heat makes me lethargic and grumpy, feelings that are compounded by this whole coronavirus…
I was tagged to do this black and white selfie challenge by two people I've loved dearly for a very long time, @fancycat27 and @saralynne.leo. Then I learned that this started as a show of solidarity with murdered women in Turkey, and I decided I definitely wanted to participate, though I'm going to break the "rules" a bit and talk about it. Being assigned female at birth, or being a trans woman, frequently means living a life where we must consciously be aware of and avoid violence against us. People of color are at an even higher risk. And yet despite the fear, I find that it is the women in my life who are frequently supporting, nurturing, and pushing me to find beauty and purpose. I want to tag @gedaagi_binesikwe, who is very dedicated to the movement for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and who is always reaching out to me with fun videos, helpful tips, and just general warmth and friendship. I'm grateful that you reached out to me all those years ago. And I also want to tag @shmandyy and @prynnette, two women whom I've also known and loved for a very long time, who always make me feel less alone in my fears and dreams. I feel like I can talk with you both about anything, free of judgement and knowing that I'll feel buoyed by our conversation for a long, long time. Gender is complicated, but I have personally always felt very connected to womanhood and sisterhood, though my definitions of both have evolved over the years. I want a world where women aren't being murdered, abused, and coerced -- a world where we feel able to stand tall and proud in who we are. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDRg8dChi7x/?igshid=yn64xk0yqoaa
Peppermint lemonade. . (I have an overflowing bounty of herbs right now.) . #drinks #lemonade #peppermint #herbs #homegrown https://www.instagram.com/p/CCwl4othTL2/?igshid=lj081i1odcnf
Got an order from @comicopia today, and they threw in a copy of the @drawnandquarterly Free Comic Book Day offering on manhwa! I've got a lot of work-related reading to do this week, but I'm looking forward to tackling these soon. . . . #comics #manga #manhwa #freecomicbookday #gekiga #graphicnovels #shoplocal #localcomicshop https://www.instagram.com/p/CCoeBr7nyrS/?igshid=j5odzgqawhqb
I’m kicking off the Black Creator Spotlight with a profile on Bianca Xunise, a Chicago-based artist whom I have followed on Twitter and Instagramfor years now. I initially began following her because of her involvement in the Chicago goth scene, and for her punk and goth related jokes, outfits, and musings. In the course of the last few years, I have been treated to her comics as well, many which…
Toward the end of May I began to lose steam on writing, partially because of mom duties, but chiefly because of current events — namely, the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests. Between the fight for racial justice, the extremely blatant displays of police brutality, and the ever-looming specter of COVID-19, there were so many things going on in the world that were so much more…
I started this blog with the express intention of highlighting the comic works of marginalized creators, of lauding the works of women, queer folks, and people of color. The recent conversations around racism in the United States have left me with the realization that I have grown complacent in my coverage, and have not done my part in reviewing the works of Black creators. My expertise is around…
Still life. . . . #roses #flowers #stilllife https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYgaMGBTba/?igshid=ar7t6kzrpgub
So many articles on comics out there in the world begin with “Comics: not just for kids anymore!” to a point where it’s eye roll-worthy. This need to brush the “kiddie fare” under the proverbial rug is not only obnoxious, but also disingenuous. There are lots of comics for kids — and they’re great, even for adults. “All ages” doesn’t mean it’s baby stuff, it means it’s interesting to readers of a…
Even before Severina was born, I was a big fan of books for children. While I was pregnant, we read to her in my belly, and we’ve been reading to her ever since she was born — regardless of the fact that she’s only now even starting to notice the pages in earnest. I believe that reading to children is the cornerstone of kindling their love of literature, and that reading is not only good for its…
For the past two months, much of the world has been in a state of lockdown, self-isolating because of the rapid spread of COVID-19. In the midst of all this, I have been wondering how I could reach out and help people find some comfort while they remain apart from friends, family, coworkers, and their normal daily lives. While it’s true that listicles of what to read in quarantine are abundant on…
Time moves differently when you have a baby. Though being stuck at home without seeing family and friends makes things feel sluggish, I also can’t believe that my daughter is approaching three months old in a mere few days. Maybe it’s the fact that I turned 30 at the beginning of the month, but I’m starting to feel like an old person who can’t stop saying “Where has the time gone?” Not that 30 is…
