The seventh year of two cookie began and it couldn't have
gone any better. I was reluctant to start another year, hoping that seven wasn't
bad luck. This was the first reading in over 9 months. Its hard to take time
off and immediately jump back into things. No one wants to go to work after the
weekend. Kids aren't jazzed about heading to school after summer break. So
would people still come out to the reading after months and so many changes these
past few years? As a host, I think about these things a lot. But I felt the
need to celebrate that this project I created has been a thing for seven years.
When it started, I wanted to showcase great writers I saw in the communities I
was part of. Those were people making zines, students in my fiction writing
classes, other writers from the literary community, musicians, and maybe a few
people that made comics. It was easy to gather them together when you’re
providing free cookies. Over the years, the series has hosted first time readers
alongside previously publishes writers. There have been a number of book and
zine release shows. The reading series has supported the literary and arts
community and they've supported right back. That’s what keeps me going. So if
this proves to be the start of a bad luck year, bring it on. Its been a great
ride and this year is just getting started.
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| Readers Amy (left) and Alenka (right) |
For this first reading of the season, the variety was no
different than what makes a TCM. Opening the night was Women Write About Comics
contributor Alenka Figa. She hadn't read in public before, AND she never put
out a zine. Well, she now can check both off her bucket list. Alenka shared a
wonderfully woven narrative about caring for her cat Nova that has a rare
feline disorder. At the same time, her grandmother has been receiving
personalized care from her aunt. And while talking about the care of others,
she reflected on the need for self-care. We can’t be there for others if we
aren't there for ourselves. The chapters of her story flowed back and forth
from family, to Nova, to herself in a seamless manner that was reflective of
her work as a journalist, yet befittingly collected into a zine.
Amy Giacalone read second, sharing a great piece of fiction
from a novel in progress. Where do we go when we die? We become ghosts that
take the CTA, duh. Or so were the characters in her piece, materialized
entities struggling with their afterlife. The story of how they became ghosts
was vivid without seeming fantastic. Amy has a way of humanizing her characters
to the point where we suspend reality and visualize their situations,
back stories, and surroundings. Good fiction immerses the reader into its world,
so upon leaving there is a sense of longing for more.
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| "This year will be different..." Rebecca Mir Grady |
Next was Rebecca Mir Grady, no stranger to reading at TCM.
She self-publishes a series books called She is Restless, zines w/ a spine. The first part of her reading was a discussion
about the series which thematically tackles current natural disasters and
climate change issues through fold out illustrations and paintings. The second
part of her reading was a look at a project in process. Beginning January 1,
2017 , she started a daily journal and is not going back to edit. She shared a
glimpse into her life and her partner’s documenting their workout routines,
holiday gift giving, the start of her
new job as a nanny, participating in the Women’s March, oh and their
engagement! That was really exciting to see on the screen. Stylistically this
was more like field notes on the life of Rebecca rather than the type of web
comics that daily entries have become. It was refreshing, personal and
touching. Thanks Rebecca for sharing!
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| Celia pre-reading grumpy face |
Normally during a reading I’ll take a break. Tonight I figured we were on a roll so no need. I was pretty excited to announce Celia Marquis, the CHIPRC artist in residence for this summer. She’s from Montreal and the reason why I booked this reading at CHIPRC. I wanted people to see her work, meet her and expose the series to a special guest that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to invite. After a typical Johnny Misfit long-winded introduction, Celia inquired about a break. Oops. I knew I should have done this. It didn't detract from her reading, which was a dual presentation of fiction and comics. Her comic Motel La Siesta was inspired by a story her boyfriend told her about his teenage friends. Celia has illustrated a comic version of his story, where a group of boys rent a hotel room to have a party. They smoke, drink, take a dip in the Jacuzzi, invite over girls, fart, basic teenage hotel party behavior. The nuance was that the printed comic, she also included an insert zine of the full story’s text. Celia read from the text, but followed along with the comic. I hadn't seen that before and was super glad to have one person read fiction and project comics. The circle was now complete. Celia, keep on doing this!
Closing the night was Yewon Kwon reading a comic she put together and printed
during her internship w/ Chicago’s only risograph printing house, Perfectly
Acceptable Press. The comic was about a group of friends, The International Cult
of the Dank Arts of Friendship. Not to give anything away b/c you should really
grab a copy, but the story was full of hilarious situations, sex, weed, and
online playlists. Her performance was topped off with some audio accompaniment,
a feather cape, and a small trip around the crowd on a razor scooter. It was a perfect ender and a crowd pleaser.
Great job Yewon!
A big thanks to all the readers. This was a great beginning
to the season. Thanks to my wife for making some good homemade vegan cookies.
Thanks to all the supporters who have allowed TCM to be a series for seven
years. Check back here for info on the rest of our summer meetings.
Best,
Johnny
