I’m grateful for the overwhelmingly positive response to our introduction of this genre in 2019 and continued growth in quantity and quality of submissions, including the amazing work featured in our 2021 Summer Contest Issue. Graphic Lit is such a versatile genre, and I get excited by the possibilities that the comic form allows. That’s why I’m extremely pleased to be able to present this issue’s selection of work which are examples of that range of possibilities.
In “Your Salt Mines”, Angus Woodward tells us of an awkward and sensitive experience as a teacher and how he processed it. Using clean lines in a sketchbook art style paired with an honest first-person journal, Angus allows us to experience this moment in his life in a truly immersive way.
With the poetic sequence, “Make”, Ben Miller shares an excerpt from his book comprised of complex spreads of drawings, clippings, and text which give us “x-ray vision” through the screen/page and directly into the artist’s mind and creative process. Can you decipher it? How about upside down? Sideways? Be careful not to drop your digital device as you attempt to consume this piece.
Finally, Belle (Bom) Kim gives us six comics titled, “Invincible, Self-Love, Coping Skills, Acceptance, Badass, and Cupcake”. I dare you not to identify with the thoughts and feelings Kim shares in these short, bright, and intensely personal strips.
Andrai Whitted
Graphic Lit Editor
