Book Announcement!
and a few other things
Besides posting angsty little comics, hobbit art, and a long running story that I recently realized is a dramatization of the ‘creature in the basement’ meme, I made this Substack as a way to share stuff for folks who don’t see my rare book updates on Twitter, so here’s an announcement:
I’ve been collaborating with the wildly talented Xanthe Bouma to make a graphic novel trilogy about a middle school D&D group! It’s called DUNGEON CLUB: ROLL CALL, and the first book is out December 6th. You can pre-order and get more info here.
It’s been a joy to make - I started LARPing and playing D&D in high school, and those forms of roleplaying became a way for me to make friends and explore parts of myself. The first time I said “I’m a lesbian” was as Sir Aurelia the paladin. This book is about the friendships that form when you tell stories together, the way a fantasy campaign can mimic real life, and the excruciating agony of the dungeon crawl that is middle school. It’s written by me and drawn by Xanthe, which is truly the honor of a lifetime. Here’s the cover!
other stuff:
I was nominated for the NSK Neustadt Prize, alongside some other people who are so talented I want to dig a hole and hide in it for the rest of my life!
BUT, I will be emerging from the hole to attend Emerald City Comic Con this August from the 18th-21st, signing and selling books! I’ve never been to Seattle before, recommendations for good/weird/local food very welcome.
I’ve been learning pottery and it brings me great joy:
It feels weird NOT to talk about what’s happening in America, because it’s on my mind every second of every day. I don’t have anything new or smart to say. Donate to local abortion funds, make a habit of resistance, care for your neighbors and friends and family, have the hard conversations. Find ways to build community and share humanity. And to quote the irreplaceable Octavia Butler in Parable of the Sower: the weak can overcome the strong if the weak persist. Persisting isn’t always safe, but it’s often necessary.
Seattle food recs!! Paseo is one you might hear a lot, they're amazing & have the best tostones in Seattle imo. When I used to work downtown (pretty close to the convention center even) I was obsessed with this little place called Pane Pane sandwiches, highly recommend them. My other favs are in Capitol Hill (the gayborhood!) - so just a little ways east of downtown/the convention center. There's Annapurna Cafe, the absolute best Indian/Nepalese food, Ba Bar (I really love their congee in particular), and Wild Rose, Seattle's lesbian bar, does Taco Tuesdays :) My favorite little hidden gem is Ma'ono, which only exists inside of some of Rachel's Ginger Beer locations (the ginger beer is also fantastic) - I think the one in the Cap Hill RGB is closed since the start of the pandemic though, I know the University Village one is open but that's a little out of the way, and the other one is inside the Amazon complex so it's near downtown but I'm not sure how accessible it is. Last recommendation is, generally: Seattle has amazing Ethiopian food, pretty much everywhere. My personal favorite place is Cafe Selam in the Central District, but I don't think I've ever been unsatisfied with any Ethiopian place I've tried in any neighborhood. In general, Seattle has a really great & huge restaurant scene, so there's a ton of places to try, but honestly you really can't go wrong with any of them. I hope you enjoy visiting for the first time!!
Village Sushi in the University District is the best sushi I've ever had.