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I am loving exploring the world of graphic narrative. Recently, I wrote a short story graphic narrative about growing up and Narrative Magazine published it. You have to log in to see it.
I met Helen Thomas last year at a conference called “Women and Power” at Omega Institute. We were presenters on the same panel about women and the media. She was funny, gracious, kind, opinionated. Among her many bon mots, she said (and I love this) that”If you want to know what’s happening in the world, read the comics.” (paraphrase, but close).
My feeling is that as we get older, we women learn to lose our inhibitions in many ways. Helen Thomas represents that clearly. We realize that being careful is not all that it is cracked up to, that being nice at the exclusion of ourselves should not always be the most important quality to have. Her comments on Israel and the Jews, however, went too far in my estimation. She is, of course, allowed her own opinion, but even she realized after the fact that what she said was not right. Her emotions got the better of her–I am not sure if it was because of her age. Maybe after years of being asked questions, she let her inner editor fall away when she shouldn’t have.
I am sorry she will end her career on this note…if in fact her career is ended. Maybe she should do stand-up. Sarah Silverman has shown that raw comments get a laugh from many. In my cartoons, I try to be uninhibited but thoughtful, not hurtful, and not provocative as in pushing people’s buttons. I want to be like Helen Thomas, but not as she was last week.
The cartoon below was done last week (June 10, 2010) and has run in numerous online sites, starting with womensenews.org, then dscriber.com and now salon.com It’s getting a lot of comments, mostly in the form of dialogue between the commenters on their own opinions. As long as the comments don’t get nasty, dialogue is what we need.
When I was in Paris in early 2010, I was interviewed by some very nice women for a French online magazine. Here is the video:
Tomorrow, I was invited to travel to another French cartoon festival, this time in Carquefou. They are honoring women cartoonists this year, and I look forward to meeting cartoonists from around the world who are women. Much of the work is political, and while I work for The New Yorker, my work is often political–either socially or culturally. I hope to blog for The New Yorker about the events. I will also write about it for Women’s Enews and blog for the Cartoonbank.com
The 11th Rencontres Internationales du Dessins de Presse (RIDEP)
The standard for reporting on women’s issues worldwide is upheld by the site womenseNews.org. They cover issues and concerns about women around the world, and no one compares to them. I feel fortunate to have joined their roster of amazing writers and correspondents as a contributor of cartoons. Here is my second cartoon for the site. I also feel honored to be a cartoon contributor next to one of my cartoon heros, Nicole Hollander.
The new blog, No Country for Young Women, transcribed my speech at Omega Institute and features it on their home page today. The creator of the blog is the wonderful filmaker Elena Rossini. You can find her work on The Illusionists website and her website.
Here is the link to the transcipt, and a few of my cartoons. I will post the video of the speech soon.
Journalists Pat Mitchell, Helen Thomas, Courtney Martin, me, Chareah Jackson, Jensine Larson.
Women and Power Conference, Omega Institute, Sept 2009
“If you want truth in this country, read the comic strips.” -Helen Thomas
The great icon, Helen Thomas, speaks the truth! She said so many great things on Saturday, in her interview at Omega Institute. She and I were on a panel, Women and the Media. It was an incredible honor to meet her and participate with her. We were interviewed by another amazing person in journalism, Pat Mitchel.
An interesting new news site, called dscriber, invited me to contribute cartoons…or panels or anything, really. I did this a few days ago in response to the hiring of Diane Sawyer as news anchor. I know the media and Hollywood love to create battles, particularly between women, so I drew this cartoon. The sad thing is, the public eats it up, and wants to believe that women hate each other. It’s hogwash, of course, and has to be shot down!
I haven’t posted a cartoon lately on Sotomayor…did this one a while ago when she was nominated. I suppose because so much was being done, I wanted to hold back a bit until the dust settled, then try. Plus, the hearings were boring and predictable. The real news was her nomination and the immediate reaction. May do another soon.
