Hello.
As I write this message, the sun is trying very hard to break through the clouds here in Seattle. My month of taking in the Riverside sunshine spoiled me! It was an incredible residency and I will hold it in my heart for some time.
When I returned, I almost immediately boarded another plane, this time bound for Chicago, where Comic Nurse M.K. Czerwiec was debuting her graphic memoir, Taking Turns: Stories from HIV/AIDS Care Unit 371. I was invited to interview M.K. for the opening festivities:
Photo credit: Grace Pisula
It was a heart-warming night. The nurse who hired M.K. on the AIDS unit in the 90s was in attendance!—along with many of her friends, family members, colleagues, and fans. You really should read this book! It is a profound and necessary archive. I described it to M.K. as a blessing.
Next week, I’ll be returning to the Sou’Wester in Southern Washington for Short Run’s 3rd annual Trailer Blaze residency. I am eager to be away making art with some of my favorite people. My residency project will be a 4-page travel narrative (in the spirit of “Hitched” but set at sea) for Cold Cube Press. Cold Club’s risograph-printed publications are beautiful pieces of art and the invitation to contribute to their 2017 anthology was an honor. I am excited to create collage and cut paper work specifically with the riso-printing process in mind; I think this project is going to stretch and challenge my creative limbs.
Otherwise, my life has been consumed with planning the 2017 Comics and Medicine Conference. If you’re in the area, think about at least stopping by for the public programming. We’ll be announcing the schedule toward the end of the month.
Take care, everyone.
Mita Mahato 