Episode 9 • Lawrence Lindell • September 14, 2023 

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There was joy, all! Also, mentions of Power Rangers, Fatburger, and Otter Pops. In episode 9, Lawrence talks about telling truth through comics, readjusting to comics events and interviews, and infusing Blackward with love and appreciation for the people and spots in his community.

Thanks to Lawrence for coming on, to everyone who tuned in live, and to all watching/listening to our conversation in replay.

Originally from Los Angeles, CA, Lawrence Lindell is a cartoonist and zinester whose work has been nominated for a Believer Book Award, Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics, and a Broken Frontier Award. He is also an artist, musician, and educator who runs Laneha House, a small press co-founded with his spouse Breena Nuñez. Outside of Laneha House, Lawrence's comics have appeared in the Hello Barkada Comics series and he is a regular contributor to The New Yorker: Daily Shouts. His debut graphic memoir Blackward is set to release on September 26, 2023 from Drawn & Quarterly.

Learn more about Lawrence, his spouse Breena Nuñez, and Laneha House in our profile, "Laneha House Gets Animated," published in 2021.

Episode 8 • Rina Ayuyang • May 23, 2023

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Oakland-based cartoonist Rina Ayuyang talks about the little and big things she connects with and obsesses over and how they find their way into her comics. From Murder She Wrote to the history of her Aunties' home in The Avenues of west San Francisco, we discuss how her autobio and fictional work expand off of what's personal, embraces escape, and—by virtue of her lens—inherently centers being Filipina/o/x American.

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Rina Ayuyang is an Ignatz- and Eisner-nominated cartoonist and co-host of the podcast The Comix Claptrap with Thien Pham. Rina's career in comics began in 2001 with the self-publication of her first mini comic Namby Pamby. Her catalog of work includes over 15 self-published mini comics, the small press Yam Books, 20 one-shot comics contributed to a variety of online and print magazines and anthologies including Kitchen Sink Magazine and Mutha Magazine, and three graphic novels—Whirlwind Wonderland (Sparkplug Comic Books/Tugboat Press, 2009), Blame This on the Boogie (Drawn & Quarterly, 2018), and The Man in the McIntosh Suit (Drawn & Quarterly, 2023). 

Episode 7 • Amanda Meadows, Jamila Rowser, Kiara Valdez • March 9, 2023

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In this conversation, Amanda, Jamila, and Kiara discuss what it takes to produce projects that excite them (hint: more than passion for an idea) and how comics and book publishing must change to treat creators as humans, not machines, so that they can keep telling the stories we all need and deserve.

Learn more about Jamila in our profile, "Geek Girl, Uninterrupted," published in 2022.

GUEST PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: AMANDA MEADOWS, JAMILA ROWSER, KIARA VALDEZ.

Episode 6 • MariNaomi • October 13, 2022

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Bay area-based cartoonist MariNaomi joined us to talk about friendships, memory, and their upcoming collage-comics memoir I Thought You Loved Me (Fieldmouse Press, 2023). 

MariNaomi (they/them) is an award-winning author, illustrator, and visual artist whose work has appeared in over eighty print publications and website publications. They are the creator behind eight book-length works, and their comics and paintings have appeared in the Smithsonian, the de Young Museum, the Cartoon Art Museum, the Asian Art Museum, and the Japanese American Museum. They are also the founder and administrator of the Cartoonists of Color Database, the Queer Cartoonists Database, and the Disabled Cartoonists Database. 

Learn more about MariNaomi in their Popverse profile, "Centering visibility with MariNaomi's comics and databases", written by Christine Pasalo Norland.

Episode 5 • Karen Alleluia • September 27, 2022

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San Diego-based Filipina American artist, illustrator, and character designer Karen Alleluia joined Christine Pasalo Norland to talk about what it's taken and meant to launch kluia co, and shares her nonlinear path to becoming a freelance illustrator and retailer. From Karen's lowest point of experiencing homelessness to the high of fulfilling the Kickstarter campaign for Fish the plushie, making art is a source of comfort, confidence, and connection. And now, with careful and constant thoughtfulness, a livelihood.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SAGE TIMOG.

Episode 4 • Nicky Rodriguez • July 13, 2022

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Queer Puerto Rican comic artist, flatter, and colorist Nicky Rodriguez talks about her illustrations and colors for the upcoming picture book Con Papá written by Frederick Luis Aldama, her webcomics series The Unlucky Ones and the Edge of Nowhere, what she reflected on to create her original comic "Reminder to Self" for the Hello Barkada Comics series, and how she practices taking care of herself. Con Papá releases in August 2022 and is currently available. 

Episode 3 • Jamila Rowser & Robyn Smith • June 8, 2022

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Friends and collaborators Jamila Rowser & Robyn Smith talk about their new graphic novel Wash Day Diaries! Published by Chronicle Books, the book features a collection of stories centered on the friendship between four Black women and femmes, beginning with a colorized version of "Wash Day," the one-shot that launched Rowser's and Smith's friendship and Rowser's Black Josei Press. 

Learn more about Jamila Rowser in our profile, "Geek Girl, Uninterrupted," published in 2022.

Episode 2 • Steenz! • April 29, 2022

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Friendships, character building, and fandom: Cartoonist Steenz gives us a sneak peak into their new comics collection Heart Takes the Stage and discusses the ways they continue to infuse their style and perspective into the "Heart of the City" comic strip.

Episode 1 • Trinidad Escobar • March 10, 2022

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Nipa huts, mermaids, and the gothic: Cartoonist Trinidad Escobar discusses her new Queer erotica comics collection Arrive In My Hands, published by Black Josei Press. 

Learn more about Trinidad in our profile, "Trinidad Escobar Believes," published in 2021.