Lani McHenry

One Day

“It’s one of the great cosmic mysteries. How is it that someone can go from being a total stranger to the most important person in your life?” – One Day, Netflix

There’s a special ache in my chest, an overwhelming cacophony of emotion when I think about the Netflix adaptation of One Day, based on David Nicholls’ beloved novel. When it dropped in February of 2024, it scratched an itch in my soul I didn’t even know existed. I still watch it occasionally to feel something.

The Netflix original series, One Day, follows Emma and Dexter, who forge an unexpected friendship on the night of their graduation from the University of Edinburgh. From that moment on, we witness the messy, beautiful, and unpredictable twists of their lives over the span of twenty years. And trust me—a lot can happen in twenty years. This series isn’t just another romantic drama; it’s a vulnerable exploration of love, friendship, and the bittersweet passage of time. As someone who adores a good Netflix romance, this adaptation stands head and shoulders above the typical syrupy, made-for-streaming love stories. It cuts through the fluff to capture the raw humanity that seeps into our connections—both in the moments we share and the ones we spend apart from those we love. Emma and Dexter are perfectly flawed and effortlessly relatable. If you haven’t yet watched Netflix’s One Day or read Nicholls’ novel, I can’t recommend it enough. Buckle up for an emotional rollercoaster—you’ll laugh, cry, and maybe, just maybe, feel that special ache, too.

Bea Basa

Piranesi

I am well and truly aware I am late to the party. I’ve owned a copy for months, but didn’t get around to it until recently. I can say now that I regret not reading it sooner; Piranesi truly is a marvel of fiction.

This is a book I firmly believe must be discovered on its own, and thus I will explain as little of the plot as possible. Piranesi is written from the titular character’s perspective, a naive but observant man of unclear origins. He resides in a sprawling, otherworldly house that is constantly ravaged by waves. His only companions are another human named “the Other,” and a strange collection of skeletons that he has given different names.

Its unorthodox narration may strike a first-time reader as confusing. Piranesi capitalizes various mundane words for reasons that are unclear, and you’ll be wracking your brain trying to navigate his roundabout descriptions of the setting. There is, at first, little discernable plot beyond Piranesi’s fairly mundane journal entries. But I encourage all readers to continue forth—as the story slowly unravels itself, so too does the character of Piranesi.

Through Piranesi’s weird and wonderful story, Clarke offers a deeply insightful exploration into trauma—one that I did not anticipate, but welcomed with grateful arms. It examines the post-traumatic re-adjustment to life, and seeing beauty in the world despite everything that’s happened. It is strange; it is moving; and Piranesi’s hope is infectious.

Bekah Bahn-Crownover

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories 

The following quotes open Carmen Maria Machado’s collection:

“My body is a haunted house that I am lost in. There are no doors but there are knives and a hundred windows.” This excerpt, taken from Jaqui Germain’s poem “Bipolar is Bored and Renames Itself,” is followed by words from Elisebeth Hewer: “God should have made girls lethal when he made monsters of men.”

These epigraphs will haunt you as you dive into Machado’s unsettling and powerful exploration of women’s bodies and their experiences in her short-story collection, Her Body and Other Parties: Stories. I read this collection for a creative writing workshop last semester, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

Through eight electrifying stories in a gorgeous blend of genre, Machado maps the startling realities of women and the various violences enacted upon their bodies. One of my favorite stories, “The Husband Stitch,” uses familiar fairy tales that are commonly told to young girls, often as warnings, and recontextualizes them to showcase how female bodies are being continually policed. This short story also delves into the experience of a female character—a girl in love turned wife and mother—who gives endlessly in a world that seems to mercilessly take. Another story, titled “Real Women Have Bodies,” makes you question what it means to be a woman, and what it means to be recognized or seen in a world of unachievable expectations.

I laughed. I cried. I raged. It’s a beautiful collection of stories that needed to be told.

Melissa Paulsen

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Before James Cameron commandeered the term “Avatar” with his movies about blue people, the original pop culture term “Avatar” stemmed from the hit Nickelodeon TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender which aired from 2005 to 2008. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a story of war, the bonds of friendship, and what it means to find peace in a conflict-filled world.

Protagonist Aang is a young boy and the “Avatar,” a.k.a. the chosen one to master all four elements and bring peace to the war-ravaged world. He’s also the only surviving member of the Air Nomads—monks and nuns killed in a genocide at the hands of the Fire Nation as part of a plot for world domination. This is technically a kid’s show by the way. But that’s where the brilliance of Avatar: The Last Airbender is found. While it would be easy for DiMartino and Konietzko to pull their punches and depict the Fire Nation as a one-dimensional villain, they make the show appealing to all ages through well-developed characters, masterful world building, and a thoughtful portrayal of mature themes like oppression, patriotism, and grief.

While Avatar: The Last Airbender had a chokehold on my childhood (I thought I was a fire bender until I scared myself by accidentally igniting an EXPO marker), its popularity has grown immensely in recent years through its sequel series The Legend of Korra, and the live-action adaptation on Netflix (we’re not talking about the M. Night Shyamalan film). Dark Horse Comics also publishes a series of Avatar and Legend of Korra graphic novels, and there’s a Chronicles of the Avatar series published by Amulet Books where my fellow nerds–ahem–fans of the series can dig deeper into Avatar lore.

Hannah M

The Intouchables

Recently, I watched The Intouchables, a wholesome French film—I’m a sucker for heartfelt cinema like this. It’s a bit like the movie Me Before You, minus the romance and with a much happier ending.

The movie centers around Driss, a young man who feels like a side character in his own life. Unmotivated and dejected, he seeks job rejections to qualify for benefits. During one of these failed interviews, he meets Philipe, a wealthy man who uses a wheelchair. Intrigued by Driss’ indifference, Philipe hires him as his carer, and an unexpected friendship blossoms.

Their relationship evolves from mutual distrust to one of respect; I would even go as far as calling it a brotherhood. Their dynamic was the film’s heart, as they infuse each other’s life with purpose and push themselves out of their comfort zone. It’s a heartwarming reminder that the most unexpected people can enter our lives and make such a remarkable difference.

The humor was perfectly balanced with some heavier themes, with Omar Sy as Driss being the standout performance. Though there is an American remake of this, nothing can capture the humour and spirit of this film (and we all know how American remakes are!)

Dominic Loise

Elsbeth

My wife and I came to Elsbeth in its second season. After enjoying an episode, our evenings were soon filled with cozy crime solving, binge-watching joy to escape the everyday. The show follows attorney Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) as she works with the Department of Justice to oversee the New York Police Department’s monitoring of the NYPD after some controversy arrests. But, is that the only reason she’s keeping an eye on the police station? 

If the character name of Elsbeth Tascioni is familiar, it’s because Preston played her in The Good Wife and The Good Fight. Those two previous shows were legal procedurals, but Elsbeth is a twist on the police procedural. Like the classic Columbo, this show is an inverted detective story, where the audience sees the guest of the week committing the murder at the beginning of the show and the remainder of the episode is the “howcatchem.” And just like Peter Falk in Columbo, the fun with Elsbeth is watching Preston know something isn’t quite right, then pick at the loose threads of evidence and slowly unravel the perpetrator. 

Carrie Preston plays Elsbeth as someone who cares, listens, and gives people the benefit of the doubt. Elsbeth learned to trust her gut about people. She likes that this position with the DOJ allows her to do positive work as a lawyer. She uses it to help others she encounters, lift up those around her, and create the best working environment possible at the police station. Even though solving murders doesn’t fall into her job description, it is by observing that Elsbeth notices the little details viewers enjoy until “just one more thing” helps the whole mystery come together to make her case. 

If you’ve ever met one of our wonderful F(r)iction staffers, you’ll quickly learn that almost every one of them was once an intern in our Publishing Internship Program.

This program is run by our parent nonprofit organization, Brink Literacy Project. While our publishing internships are a great way to get a crash course in the literary industry, they can often provide a path to what can become a long and rewarding professional relationship. For more information, please visit the internship page on the Brink website.

Bea Basa

they/she

What is your favorite place to read?  

I’ll have to go with the everyman answer: my bedroom. Where, however, depends on the mood. Most of the time, I like to do a little “gargoyle-sit” on my desk chair—knees splayed against my chest and a grotesque hunch that only worsens the further I fall into a book. With nothing but my lamp as lighting, I look ripped straight from a flying buttress. 

In quieter hours I create an impromptu pillow fort. The lamp-lighting remains, though less “Gotham City” this time. I crank up my space heater, curl up all cat-like, and promptly sink into the denizens of sleep. Simple, but so cozy. There is truly no better feeling than relaxing with a book after a long day. 

You’re walking up the side of a mountain along a winding, wooded path. You look to your left and discover, by chance, a door in the side of the mountain. Do you open it, and if so, where does it lead?

I would, because the chance of adventure outweighs the fear of any dangerous beasts lurking within. So, I’d open the door to first reveal an ordinary-looking cavern pass. It winds and bends and tightens up near the end—but eventually, it’d lead to another door. I’d give it a tentative push, and I’d be greeted by a lush spring hidden inside the mountain. It’s illuminated only by slivers of sunlight. Wildflowers spill swathes of colors into the greenery, and a meandering stream nourishes the soil. In the center, a wise old oak surveys its domain from an islet, its roots reaching high and low. I pluck baby’s breath from the ground nearby, and set off to explore…or take a nice, long nap under the oak’s welcoming canopy. 

How do you take your coffee? If you don’t drink coffee, describe your favorite beverage ritual.   

This is nigh-blasphemous as a perpetually tired student, but I’ve never been a huge coffee enjoyer. Just never got the hype. I’ve tried weaning myself into the habit with many an iced mocha—all varying degrees of quality—but I just can’t get behind the bitterness. 

I do adore a soul-warming tea, however, and take it the same way regardless of flavor: with a generous squeeze of honey. If it’s black tea, I don’t skimp on the milk. But in general, I’m partial to jasmine green tea; it’s delicate, floral and utterly perfect when paired with manuka. 

(For any Irish people reading, Barry’s all the way.) 

What is your favorite English word and why? Do you have a favorite word in another language?  

I’m a big fan of Italian loan words adopted for music theory. “Staccato” feels like a pulsing heartbeat, while “adagio” takes its syllables soft and slow; I just love how they roll off the tongue. They’re also great for sprinkling a little musicality into aural descriptions. As for another language, I’ll go with “mo ghrá” (Gaeilge) and “mahal ko” (Tagalog). Both are words meaning “my love’”in the languages I grew up around. The simple, universal affection behind them cements them as favorites for me. 

You’re on a deserted island. You have one album and one book. What are they and why?   

For a book, I would choose Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built. The book reminds you that you don’t need to have everything figured out—that sometimes, simply living is enough. It’s thought-provoking without the heaviness that pervades most philosophy. I think I’d need that more than anything if I was alone and stranded. 

As for music? Respectfully, the first answer that came to mind was “Oh, god, don’t make me answer this”. I am terribly indecisive about music. My taste is on the heavier side—grungy, (post-)punk, alternative nonsense—but I don’t think it’d ease any of the fears that come with being stranded. So, I’ll turn to a genre I love equally as much: folk. I believe the acoustic guitar has a sort of healing power, and I’d want my castaway soundtrack to be grounding and hopeful. What immediately comes to mind, then, is Big Thief’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. To me, this album is like an eclectic blend of tea: an ensemble of flavor profiles that warm the soul in perfect harmony. Adrianne Lenker is truly spectacular.  

If you could change one thing about the literary industry, what would it be?  

The level of accessibility to individuals from marginalized communities. For an industry dedicated to sharing stories, too many voices are left unheard. 

As part of the Filipino diaspora in Ireland, I grew up surrounded by literature I’ve loved, but never truly felt represented by. Even now, I find there is little effort made in promoting minority authors beyond BookTok romantasy. There is far too much focus on what is “marketable,” and I firmly believe the issue of literary trend-hopping goes hand-in-hand with a lack of diversity. Of course there is the occasional sleeper hit—that is, when a book diverges completely from these trends—but I find those are few and far between. We should not have to adhere to current trends and water down our creative ideas in order to have our voices heard. 

While I do acknowledge that things are far better than they were, there is always work to be done in uplifting these communities. More efforts should be made in allowing them to bring their perspectives to light through story. 

Bekah Bahn-Crownover

she/her

What is your favorite place to read?   

Honestly, anywhere and everywhere! Under the covers late at night, by the windows of my favorite coffee shop, on the couch snuggling with my two cats—you name it. However, one place that recently became one of my favorites is in the car, reading a book out loud to my husband during our commute home from work and school. It’s so fun getting to see his reactions to things!

You’re walking up the side of a mountain along a winding, wooded path. You look to your left and discover, by chance, a door in the side of the mountain. Do you open it, and if so, where does it lead? 

As an inquisitive Ravenclaw, I feel compelled to open the door. But before I do, I check around and do my research to make sure it isn’t a trap. Once I know that it is indeed safe, I open the door and discover the door functions as a changing portal, granting me access to any and every fictional realm I have ever read about. Yay!

How do you take your coffee? If you don’t drink coffee, describe your favorite beverage ritual.   

I love coffee; it is currently getting me through the very last stretch of my master’s program. While I start each morning with a cup (or two or three), one of my favorite things is trying new coffee flavors, especially the fun seasonal drinks at the cute little coffee shop I have here in Tea, SD. I tend to gravitate towards sweet cream cold brews, however, with my current fixation being an Irish cream cold brew.  

What is your favorite English word and why? Do you have a favorite word in another language? 

The first word that comes to mind is “ethereal.” With my background in music, I find myself continually fascinated by how written lines sound when spoken, and how storytelling can serve as its own form of beautiful music. The sound of “ethereal” off the tongue—with dreamy, repeating vowels and soft, whispering consonances—seems to embody its own meaning, creating atmosphere just in its own unique combination of syllables. How cool is that!

You’re on a deserted island. You have one album and one book. What are they and why?   

Wow, I love these questions! While I am currently enamored with Jorge Rivera-Herrans’ EPIC: The Musical, a concept album following the story of The Odyssey, I would have to choose the album Out of the Ashes by the USD Chamber Singers. I know this may sound a bit strange, but just wait—there is indeed a method to my madness. Out of the Ashes is an album that my college choir recorded and dedicated to the resilience and perseverance of music and hope through the tragedies faced during the COVID pandemic. This album not only holds an extremely special place in my heart but also contains a wide range of long and vocally challenging acapella choir songs, each with eight-part harmonies, and some sung in Italian or Latin. Thus, being bored out of my mind on a deserted island, I could bide my time with re-memorizing each of the songs and then learning each of the eight harmony parts. It would keep me entertained for quite a bit.

I follow a similar train of thought for the book I would choose; while not necessarily one of my all-time favorite books, I would bring Moby Dick with me to the island. That book is so rife with cultural and historical allusions, motifs, and philosophical and metaphysical debates that I am sure I could read it quite a few more times and get something different out of it every single read. I would also have plenty of extra time being stranded to track and take note of all the different patterns Melville engages with, such as the recurring Shakespearean tragedy references and the subtle shifts in narrative perspective. I’ve been meaning to find the time for an in depth reread anyway!

If you could change one thing about the literary industry, what would it be?

In addition to the industry’s ongoing struggle with accessibility for underrepresented voices, I’ve been feeling the emphasis on marketability in publishing is starting to stifle original, authentic storytelling. This pressure to cater to what’s popular seems to be leading to formulaic, predictable narratives that miss the emotional depth truly great stories bring, especially in some of the popular genres right now. In chasing trends, we run the risk of losing the raw, unique voices that make literature so meaningful and long-lasting. Wow, I didn’t mean to get so deep, but thanks for asking!

Hannah M

she/her

What is your favorite place to read?   

My armchair, but if I could be anywhere in the world, I’d read at the beach. The last time I went on holiday was in the off-season, and I had the entire beach to myself. It was so refreshing and calming to simply sit there and read, with nothing but the sound of the waves and not a single care in the world.

You’re walking up the side of a mountain along a winding, wooded path. You look to your left and discover, by chance, a door in the side of the mountain. Do you open it, and if so, where does it lead? 

You would not catch me hiking up a mountain! But if I stumbled upon a mysterious door, I’d definitely open it. And I’d love for it to lead to The Night Circus. I would head straight to the wishing tree and explore all the different tents. I’d love to get lost in the magic, and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d want to be!

How do you take your coffee? If you don’t drink coffee, describe your favorite beverage ritual.  

I’m not a huge coffee drinker, so my go-to drink will always be a chocolate milkshake—preferably a Ferrero Rocher one. Topped with whipped cream of course! 

What is your favorite English word and why? Do you have a favorite word in another language?   

My favorite word is midding, an obscure term for the feeling of being near a gathering but not quite in it, like resting your eyes in the back seat of a car listening to friends chatting up front—essentially experiencing the excitement of being present without the weight of needing to participate.

You’re on a deserted island. You have one album and one book. What are they and why?   

This is a tough one! I’d pick The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. It’s so layered, and I think that every time I’d reread it I would find something new, whether that’s some foreshadowing or a deeper understanding of the characters.

As for music, this might be heinous for some, but I’m not a huge music lover! I’ll occasionally listen, but I don’t have strong favorites. That said, the only album that has recently wowed me is Raye’s My 21st Century Blues. It’s so raw and different to anything I’ve recently listened to—she’s so underrated!

If you could change one thing about the literary industry, what would it be?  

Having more entry-level opportunities (which includes internships) outside of central publishing hubs, which for me is London. Having the opportunity to complete work remotely would be life-changing, and can open up the industry to many people who can’t afford to move (which is a major reason I’m so thankful to Brink!). There’s so much untapped talent beyond the major cities, and it’s time the industry reflected that.

Lani McHenry

she/her

What is your favorite place to read?   

I love reading in the hammock on my front porch. I can lose myself in a book while listening to soothing bird songs and basking in the beauty of the magnolia tree growing in my front yard. 

You’re walking up the side of a mountain along a winding, wooded path. You look to your left and discover, by chance, a door in the side of the mountain. Do you open it, and if so, where does it lead?  

I would most definitely walk through it…for the plot, of course! And it’s definitely just another portal to Narnia; maybe it’s my turn to be queen.  

How do you take your coffee? If you don’t drink coffee, describe your favorite beverage ritual.    

I’m not a coffee fan…it’s not my cup of tea. My cup of tea is mint flavored with honey, served hot, of course!   

What is your favorite English word and why? Do you have a favorite word in another language?   

Ambivalence is my favorite word because, as a writer, I find solace in embracing the tension of opposing truths. The world is rarely just black and white—characters and stories, like real life, are complex and multifaceted. I love contradictions; people themselves are full of them, and that paradox is what makes us human. To live fully is to hold space for both certainty and doubt, love and resentment, who we are and who we are not. Once you learn to coexist with contradiction, life becomes richer—and writing becomes a whole lot more fun.   

You’re on a deserted island. You have one album and one book. What are they and why?   

If I could bring one album to a deserted island, it would be Dance Fever by Florence + the Machine, easily my most-played record since its release in 2023. Her music and lyricism are empowering to my femininity. Her songs awaken the untamed, wild woman within me, which I’d love to embrace during my time on a deserted island. For a book, I would choose The Midnight Library by Matt Haig because it gave me a fresh perspective on my life choices. Having this book with me would serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement, reminding me that there are an endless number of possibilities that life still has to offer—especially as I contemplate the choices that led to me being stranded on this island. 

If you could change one thing about the literary industry, what would it be? 

I would love to see the inclusion of more writers from diverse and underrepresented communities in fantasy, sci-fi, and surrealist genres. While there are so many incredible works by LGBTQ+ authors and authors of color that bring much-needed diversity to literature, there’s definitely room for more. Creating space and fostering acceptance for these voices is especially crucial in today’s political landscape. Representation holds immense power, but there’s even more power in ensuring that those stories are read and shared.

Melissa Paulsen

she/her

What is your favorite place to read?   

My favorite place to read is on the living room recliner next to my miniature poodle pal, Delilah.

You’re walking up the side of a mountain along a winding, wooded path. You look to your left and discover, by chance, a door in the side of the mountain. Do you open it, and if so, where does it lead? 

I open the door and find a glowing portal. Inside the portal there are three pathways with each leading to a different pet dragon to adopt. The first is a black and yellow dragon the size of a black bear with bioluminescent scales and a mound of books. The second dragon is red with blue stripes and fits inside my palm. The final dragon is the size of a skyscraper, wears a fedora and a pair of glasses, and has golden scales, violet eyes, and a beard made of clouds. I choose the book dragon to inspire my writing.

How do you take your coffee? If you don’t drink coffee, describe your favorite beverage ritual.  

I take my coffee with vanilla-flavored liquid creamer from Coffee-mate. I also like the vanilla-cinnamon or peppermint mocha flavors. My go-to order from a café is a vanilla latte with oat milk.

What is your favorite English word and why? Do you have a favorite word in another language?   

My favorite English word is pandemonium because it describes chaos and reminds me of silly panda videos. My favorite word in another language is the Spanish word for “poodle” which is “caniche.” 

You’re on a deserted island. You have one album and one book. What are they and why?   

The album I have is U2’s Songs of Innocence and the book I have is An Ember in the Ashes by Sabba Tahir. I chose Songs of Innocence because of its poetic lyrics and different tones of music, such as the song “Sleep Like a Baby Tonight” for relaxing or “Volcano” for when I need a pump-up song. Sabaa Tahir’s Ember in the Ashes is the first book in my favorite series and would not only provide a good source of entertainment but also remind me of humanity’s resilience.

If you could change one thing about the literary industry, what would it be?  

The one thing I would change about the literary industry is to remove the false sense of scarcity that can be associated with it by allowing everyone to share their stories. There would be no more rejections. Instead, every writer would have one-on-one feedback opportunities with an editor to continuously revise and publish their stories as a process rather than an all or nothing approach. 

Asmaani Kumar

Light Shop

An intriguing genre-bending Korean drama, Light Shop is the latest TV adaptation by Kang Full, the acclaimed webtoon creator and screenwriter behind Moving. Initially starting in the horror genre, Light Shop slowly transforms into a heartbreaking story of a group of people affected by a tragic bus accident. While the premise centers around a light shop, which appears to stand guard between the dead and the living, it’s a deeper story about the relationships between all the characters who cross paths there. It explores grief, regret, loss, love, and the will to live using the metaphor of a lightbulb. And, it doesn’t come off as preachy. What really stood out to me after watching this show was how many emotions we feel can be portrayed through fantasy worlds and can cut deep when done right. It’s a short series, no longer than eight episodes, but it will leave you thinking about the strange and surreal ways stories about people and their relationships can be crafted.

Kaitlin Lounsberry

The Brutalist

Don’t let the run time sway you, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist is one of the best movies released from 2024. “Best” is a strong statement, I understand, but I watch a LOT of movies, especially new releases. So, I feel it gives me some degree of authority to make such a sweeping statement given how many days of the year I spend in a dark movie theater.

Shot on VistaVision, a near defunct way of shooting movies that was notably used to film classics like Vertigo and To Catch a Thief, the film follows the life of László Toth (Adrien Brody), a visionary architect from Eastern Europe, as he immigrants to the United States following WWII. After he settles, his architecture career takes off in the states after he meets Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Through sweeping shots and breathtaking examples of filmmaking, we watch the trials and many, many tribulations Toth faces as he attempts to bring his talents to life. The Brutalist is a tale of the immigrant experience, a tale of heartbreak, a tale of love despite the odds, and a tale of artistry and the madness and sacrifices that often come along with it.

Dominic Loise

West Hollywood Monster Squad

Marvin, the main character in West Hollywood Monster Squad, is a young adult who’s found himself and his people but not his community. As such, Marvin is clingy to his small clique from high school. He circles the wagons on his small circle of friends during a night out and feels threatened they’ve gone to college and met new people. Marvin’s “green-eyed monster” creates just as much drama as the monster apocalypse they’re trying to survive during a night.

As the diverse group of characters venture out of the drag club, Marvin faces how much he is stuck in the past emotionally. As his personal issues threaten the survival of the group, he is given the reading he needs by his favorite drag queen and learns he has to move forward, emotionally and physically. Marvin finally sees the difference between putting in the time and being ready when the opportunity comes allowing him and the others to save the West Hollywood community.

Sina Grace brings an honest and emotional voice to each of the different characters in West Hollywood Monster Squad, and Bradley Clayton’s inviting art style helps insure the character’s stories are not lost amongst the monsters. The two have created a work for readers whose horror tastes may be more Dragula than American Horror Story with monsters being that of after-school television animation and humor.

In Barking, you use handwritten text that sprawls out from the text into the panels, blurring the line between narrative and reality. What was your process forming the visual features of the novel?

First, I plotted the full story before drawing, akin to a film script. Then, I broke the story into chapters; this allowed space for a set-up, points I wanted to make about mental health crisis care, and a crucial change in the closing chapter. I had previously spent a significant amount of time developing the visual style of Barking while I researched the themes with a development sketchbook. The difficulty with creating graphic narratives is allowing time to draw everything you write. It’s a long, laborious process, so it’s wise to make sure you can complete it.

To depict the experience of a mental health crisis, the art had to have a sense of urgency. So, the reader could feel the grip of psychosis, layouts flowed with the protagonist’s state of mind, and the lettering overwhelmed and contrasted reality.

It took time to find the layouts and narrative devices. I realized the art needed to not be overly planned, so I wrote loose dialogue and action in scenes, sketching freely until a chapter started to form. It was a very experimental approach to making a graphic novel, and perhaps one I wouldn’t repeat, but it was the only way to make Barking. Telling stories from such a personal place felt, at times, like an exorcism. I banished the demons of my past onto the page in carbon and hopefully I’ve trapped them there. It was a difficult book to create, but it’s reception by readers has been incredibly cathartic.

Your story features significant themes of grief and depression. If you could change anything about the way these issues are represented in media, what would you like most to see? And how did you channel these thoughts during the writing of Barking?

I had specific hangups about the depiction of both. Part of what caused me to end up in such a bad place, was how narrow our understanding is. Grief is always linked to loss; it’s seen as devastating at first, but something that society expects you to get over very quickly.

It can also manifest in various guises. I was sad, but I was also furious at the world. My loss made me aggressive and unsympathetic to the point that people couldn’t see that what I was struggling with was destroying me. Feminine rage is an uncomfortable image, so I was keen to bring that to the forefront in Barking.

If you picture someone as depressed it will be a slumped over figure, locking themselves away. I was the opposite. I had three jobs, a busy social life, and on the surface, seemed to be coping, but I was also drinking heavily and getting into dangerous situations.

Apparently, anger is viewed as a more masculine response, so I wanted Barking to challenge how we think people behave when they crumble; how their ethnicity and gender affects that, as does the sympathetic nature of their behavior. Difficult people are not easy to help, but they probably need it more.

Alix’s inner world takes center stage throughout the text, and at times it is difficult to know what is real or unreal within her world. How did you strike a balance between depicting the all-consuming manifestations of Alix’s mind with the wider story?

It was important for me that readers felt as disorientated as Alix does in her crisis. However, I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose them entirely. I chose to keep realistic time frames by adding time stamps and dates to each chapter. The story is set 18 months after the death of Alix’s friend to address that aspect of grieving. I used research, and anecdotes from friends, to get accurate timings for the sectioning process at NHS hospitals.

I know some readers have struggled to keep pace with the book. It’s a challenging read both in content and visuals. I thought I might only get one chance to make a book like this, so I decided not to compromise my vision. I’m glad, as many have embraced its chaotic nature and found it an emotional read.

Though the story features elements of realism and psychological drama it also incorporates aspects of horror. Were you inspired by any horror projects or concepts in crafting the hound voice that stalks Alix?

When you start developing stories, you realize how much of your world view is based in folklore and film tropes, at least it is in my case. I knew early on that I would depict the depression as the “Black Dog” symbol.

I was discussing the links to Black Dogs and doom with my partner when he mentioned Old Shuck. It’s Yorkshire lore about a beast that roams the moors. It originates down south in Suffolk and is known as Black Shuck. It’s the inspiration for The Hounds of The Baskervilles and reminded me of other tales with black dogs that signaled death.

I was profoundly affected by An American Werewolf in London as a child. I saw it way too young, after the death of my best friend when I was 6 years old. The sections where the protagonist talks to his dead friend were incredibly soothing to my mind. I realize now that I created my own lore around death based on that experience. It’s hugely influential in Barking.

You’ve stated that Barking was inspired by your own mental-health experiences; do you have any advice on how to approach incorporating real-world experiences into artistic expression?

This is such an individual path to tread. Originally, I was going to create a story with myself as the protagonist, but I found I depicted myself in a much more positive light than in reality. It was incredibly difficult to draw myself, acting as I did, going though the worst memories I had, and be brutally honest. So, I started sketching character ideas and found it much easier to be open about my experience through Alix Otto.

Sometimes, I think you can get a message through better with fiction than reality. Add a dash of horror, ghostly tropes, or a phantasmagorical beast, and readers might be more inclined to take it on board. It also allowed me to incorporate not just my experiences, but the experiences of friends and the wider mental health system.

It’s not only yourself in these stories. If you decide to take the more realistic approach, make sure you speak to anyone living that may be included and consider the social and emotional repercussions. My own family have found it very difficult to read Barking. Many people didn’t realize what I was going through, and I found it impossible to tell them. But through Alix, they can now see, and it’s there if they want to know more.

Barking was your debut piece, but you have new projects upcoming that also center around difficult issues in modern culture. What is your next work about?

My next project, Shelter, is a folk-horror series set in late 60s/early 70s West London. It’s inspired by my dad’s childhood amongst the Irish community, my own childhood growing up in a live-music pub, and our eclectic regulars alongside my love of Celtic folklore. I wanted to create a story that focuses on the women of a community and how immigrant groups form networks to protect themselves in hostile environments.

Lastly, do you have any advice you’d like to share for aspiring writers hoping to break into the publishing industry?

I certainly do! Firstly, whatever idea you have just get making it. Make the book you want to make, not what you think readers want—they will find you. Chat to other authors, chat to publishers and bookstores but don’t just pitch your idea at people, be interested in what they do. Be active in your part of the industry: join local groups, support other creators, form a work-in-progress group to support each other. Creating books can be really isolating so find your people and grow your community.

If, and when, publishers or agents show interest don’t just sign that contract! Join a union such as Society of Authors who will vet contracts. You can always negotiate with decent publishers, so hold onto copyright, creative control, adaption rights and moral rights as much as possible. Talk to other authors represented by them who are willing to share their experience.

Finally, don’t lose heart if success doesn’t happen quickly. Publishing is a long game, so stick with it and your time will come. It’s a competitive industry and those at the top are a minority so do it for the love of doing it and just enjoy it. Everything else is a bonus on being able to do something as cool as making stories. Best of luck!

You’re currently working on Hulk Not Smash: Practice Mindfulness the Mighty Marvel Way. Can you tell us more about this project and how it came about?

Hulk Not Smash was put together by our extraordinary writer Amy Ratcliffe and the good folks at Chronicle Books. When they came to Marvel to look for an illustrator, I think it was my work on Marvel Meow and Lucky the Pizza Dog that got me the gig. This book teaches people about self-care and mindfulness through examples of Marvel’s fan-favorite characters, with exercises to practice ourselves. Readers will learn to not judge a book by its cover and keep an open mind like Beast, learn to face your fears with Daredevil, be in the present with Kitty Pryde, and so much more!

How would you say the concept of mindfulness fits into comics core values, especially when some readers pick up monthly issues to see fight scenes and punches on panels?

I think readers really need to read the story around the fight scenes. What I love about every Marvel character is they each have their own flaws and struggles that can resonate with a lot of fans. It’s not about punching harder to win a fight. Fights can be a metaphor for a relatable obstacle, and it takes a lot of thinking that gets them to overcome these challenges. 

You’ve recently written Sentry, who is a Marvel superhero connected with mental-health storytelling. Also referred to as the Golden Guardian, Sentry has had calming impact on The Hulk while also being a threat to other Marvel heroes. Where was the character at when you wrote SENTRY: LEGACY?

Robert Reynolds is still dead after the events of King in Black. I got to introduce brand new characters to carry the mantle of the Sentry. And while each one of them had their own everyday challenges, it was the main lead, Mallory Gibbs, who shared a close parallel to Robert Reynolds with her disability, cerebral palsy. Imagine having the ultimate powers of one million exploding suns but not be able to have 100% control of your body due to tremors. She deals with the self-doubt of not feeling worthy to have such powers, but later realizes, she needs the same perseverance as she did living with CP.

In the past, Robert Reynolds’ mental-health struggles were projected outward. Can you talk about the relationship between Sentry and the Void and how that relates to the concept of shadow self?

I barely touched on the Void in my series as its concept was a huge can of worms for a four-issue mini-series, especially when I was busy trying to flesh out the new characters. But Mallory Gibbs spends a good half of the series with her own internal struggles after a big accident when her powers unexpectedly ignited. She slowly comes out of her cocoon by practicing her powers bit by bit to good use. It’s the accidents that bring her back down in a rut. But she realizes that she has the power to help and it’s better to try than to do nothing at all.

Could you talk about how the characters in SENTRY: LEGACY explore the division in fandom mindsets regarding diversity and inclusion with mainstay characters?

I wanted to show representation for the minority in fandom who rarely see themselves in comics as the hero. Right away, I knew this initial idea would trigger backlash from some fans that want their traditional superhero to return, which was never the initial mandate for my series. I’ve seen it in the past on Twitter with other POC characters becoming successors to the classic superheroes. But Robert was at least honored through his milestone memories from his Marvel history in SENTRY: LEGACY. What made the series worth it for me was the positive feedback from fans that related to Mallory Gibbs’ disability. Editorial and I did the work and collaborated with our creative consultant Cara Liebowitz, a disability advocate, to make sure a character with CP is handled authentically throughout this series. I hope we get to see more of Mallary, a.k.a.: Solarus, in the future.

In the end, SENTRY: LEGACY is about giving yourself grace and time as you level up. Can you talk about a time when you learned that lesson in your career?

I think that was back when I finished my own self-publishing series, The Pitiful Human-Lizards. I was doing all the roles in that series for five years: writing, penciling, inking, coloring, lettering, etc. As I wrapped it up, I thought I told everything I wanted in a superhero comic. I was also burnt out and going through legal issues with a former publisher that made me want to quit comics entirely. But then my good friend Chip Zdarsky reached out to me out of the blue and wanted to collaborate on a project together. It became my second wind in the industry, and I wanted to give more than I previously did, knowing more eyes would be on this book. And that caliber of work won us an Eisner Award and brought me so much attention from other editors, and that’s when my career began to sky-rocket.

What other projects do you have coming out?

I’m currently writing the ongoing series Werewolf by Night: Red Band with artist Sergio Davila, and I wrapped up on writing for the Dazzler limited series which ends in December. There’s a bunch more that I can’t say at the moment.

If we could focus on Dazzler for a moment, antimutant sentiments are currently at an all-time high in the Marvel Universe with the fall of the mutant nation, Krakoa. What pressures are on Dazzler?

With Dazzler’s new level of success from topping the charts and selling out arenas, she’s trying to please all her fans, both mutants and humans. But when she knows her fellow mutants are being threatened and discriminated against in the world, she decides to take a stand. And that might not please the other half of her fans. So, Dazzler and her team are navigating through these pressures during the tour while villains and even a talk-show host try to villainize her for being a mutant.

How does the character’s music showcase her personal journey and what artistic roadblocks does Dazzler face?

Her songs are Dazzler’s narratives. They are another level of storytelling. I’ve fit in history about her past relationships in them and her own struggles when she was outed as a mutant by her music producers. I don’t think Dazzler has any artistic roadblocks at this point. Her album is fully produced and out in the world for everyone to hear. Some people may have their own interpretations of her songs (read issue 2), but she makes it clear what her stance is on stage. She’s a mutant, out and proud.

Antimutant sentiment comes from a place of fear that mutants are the next stage of evolution. Can you tell us how physical and verbal threats against Dazzler help her to evolve?

She looks to her PR/lifestyle manager, Wind Dancer, to navigate the dangerous tides, but for the most part, follows her own heart to do what’s right.

Where can our readers find you online?

People can find me on Instagram @jasonloomakescomics.

Dreams! We all have them. And we’ve all seen our dreams change throughout our lives. A childhood dream of being a rodeo cowboy might evolve to obtaining a computer science degree… Or even the other way around… Whether you’ve dreamed of jetting off to the stars or creating vast worlds that transport eager readers, these potent aspirations motivate and drive us.

That’s especially true here at the Brink Literacy Project, where we utilize the power of storytelling to affect the lives of people on the brink—anyone who is marginalized in society or otherwise lacks access to traditional means of learning about and employing the art of storytelling. We want to make dreams come true for our students, everyday.

But… what about our staff members? What have they dreamed about as wee storytellers?

Alexander Lumans

As a young writer, what did you dream your future in publishing would be?
In my earliest writer days, including my college and MFA years, I’m pretty sure I dreamed about auditorium classes full of overly studious English majors, all discussing their analyses of a book I wrote. As a student, I actually loved doing this, especially when I got to talk about a book I was particularly obsessed with. It now feels a little weird realizing part of my publishing dream involved school and research essays, but school was all I really understood back then.

How did you think you would obtain that dream?
Thankfully, I learned pretty quickly how much you need to give yourself over to your obsessions. The kinds of bizarro obsessions I didn’t really understand: collecting bottle caps, taxidermy, cool graveyards. And I decided to trust them to light my way deeper and deeper into the unknown.

Has the dream changed or shifted? And if so, how?
I think (hope) it’s changed! Of course, I’d still love to publish a book that college students have to pull support quotes from while resenting their professor. But the dream also feels so grounded in the hopes of writing a book that only I could’ve written. A book that exists only because I exist.

How does actually being a writer compare to what you dreamt it would be like?
It’s so much more difficult than I first dreamt of. Mostly because so much of the world doesn’t want you to write at all. It wants you to waste time buying things on Amazon. It wants you to watch Monday night football. And it wants you to ignore art. I try to remind myself that anyone who writes is creating against the grain, which makes the writing feel even more worthwhile.

If you could meet any other writer, living or dead, in your dreams who would you meet with, and why?
Barry Lopez, who unfortunately died only a few years ago. His incredible nonfiction book Arctic Dreams changed my very DNA. Not just as a writer but as a person who must engage with the environment with conscious decisions. In my dream, I figure he and I would go wandering together around the North Pole and talk to polar bears.

Eileen Silverthorn

As a young writer, what did you dream your future in publishing would be?

When I started college as an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing, I thought for sure I would be an author or an agent. All about that first part of the publishing process: the creation and the advocacy.

How did you think you would obtain that dream?

When I looked around at my fellow writers, it seemed that you had to either be writing or reading when you weren’t workshopping or submitting. I thought if I did it enough, I would eventually get there. I didn’t think luck or timing had anything to do with it!

Has the dream changed or shifted? And if so, how?

This dream has done a complete 180! Well, maybe not completely. Editing and writing are both different and adjacent for me in in terms of fulfilling my creative dreams. The idea of being an editor felt like it would have too many rules, too much technical focus. If anything, though, guiding authors through the editing process it has allowed me to become a better writer AND better reader, grasping the nuance of both.

How does actually being a writer compare to what you dreamt it would be like?

Being a writer has been WORK. I knew that being an AUTHOR would require a lot of dedication and hustle, but there was this fantasy that once you “figured it out” then you could lean back and just write. If only it was that easy. Writing is fun and fulfilling, but also an unending journey of development. And like most things, requires constant practice.

If you could meet any other writer, living or dead, in your dreams who would you meet with, and why?

I would love to meet Oscar Wilde in my dreams. Not only would it be a good time (he would be GRAND at a party, I mean, c’mon), but so much of his writing has seemed effortless to me. Inherently curious, creative, descriptive, but like he doesn’t take himself or his craft too seriously all the time. His writing and stories are not everybody’s cup of tea, but they don’t need to be to have value. This perspective is harder to understand and maintain than you’d think, especially in this industry and in our broader, content-consuming culture.

Ari Iscariot

As a young writer, what did you dream your future in publishing would be?

I don’t think my conceptualization of being published was very concrete when I was a teen. There was just a desire to have my writing, my “dream” novel, out in the world and being read and loved. I was also very involved in editing and beta-reading for fandom works as a teenager and that inspired my love for helping people develop their stories. I hoped I could continue that beyond the realm of fandom, in a professional capacity.

How did you think you would obtain that dream?

College, internship, and then plenty of hard work. The ush.

Has the dream changed or shifted? And if so, how?

My desire to edit hasn’t changed, and I’d love to have my own business some day with clients who are drawn to my personal style and approach. I don’t, however, want to publish traditionally in the way I used to. My desire now is to learn enough HTML, CSS, and Javascript to create a website to publish my stories and make them interactive. I want complete creative control over the art, soundscapes, music, etc., in my stories, and traditional publishing wouldn’t allow that.

How does actually being a writer compare to what you dreamt it would be like?

I don’t think I ever had a stage of dreaming of being a writer. I am a writer. It’s what I’ve always done. You could as soon ask me to stop breathing as to stop writing. I’d be lost without it.

If you could meet any other writer, living or dead, in your dreams who would you meet with, and why?

I did an interview on our F(r)iction site not too long ago with Phoenix Mendoza, and she would absolutely be my pick. She’s been my inspiration for years; her writing influenced my style more than any other writer I’ve read. Who knows, if she’s down, maybe some day I can travel across the states and make it a dream come true!

Dominic Loise

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern

Alan Scott was the first Green Lantern created in 1940 by Mort Nodell and Bill Finger. Like today’s characters, he used willpower to create emerald shaped images with a power ring. Being a kid/adult with anxiety, I was attracted to the concept of willpower and focusing your energy on a task. I even bought a Green Lantern-like ring to wear and would be questioned about being a man wearing jewelry. 

Recently, Alan Scott came out as one of DC Comics’ queer characters. The Green Lantern title has always been on the forefront of dealing with social issues. The classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow run of the early 70s showed heroes addressing social issues of the time. In the 90s, the series had a storyline dealing with violence against the queer community. But Tim Sheridan’s Alan Scott: The Green Lantern tells the stories never told out.

Told in flashbacks, Sheridan uses settings and characters of Alan Scott’s classic comics to explore the characters who masked their true identity and weren’t in the Justice Society of America WW2 era. Arkham Asylum is the location for the trauma conversation therapy, and the men hiding in the dark alleyways are not there for robberies but connection.

Alan Scott also finds those who support him throughout this series, which are all told via heartfelt moments. Alan Scott: The Green Lantern lets a classic character’s true self step into the spotlight and out of the shadows on his own timeline. 

Simon Kerr

To Be Taught, If Fortunate

Winter! It’s cold. And we all know what else is cold: the vacuum of space! As holiday times approach, I continue to think of nothing but hope-punk space novellas, a.k.a. the Becky Chambers Special.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate follows four astronauts who study exoplanets. Each planet has unique biomes, flora, and fauna, some unbelieveably beautiful and some chilling in darker ways. Come for the casual queer representation and stay for the exquisite scenery.

Eileen Silverthorn

Christmas Horror

Don’t get me wrong, I love some Hallmark holiday cheese and classic Christmas stories. But my love for the horror film genre—even the ridiculous, campy ones—is a year-round thing. Therefore, I have been binging everything from Krampus, Gremlins, Black Christmas (the original and the remake, I don’t discriminate), and the new Terrifier 3. There are more, too many to even name here, but I am considering making this festive and spooky movie marathon an annual tradition in my family. If you want to bring this seasonal chaos to your watchlist as well, here are some ideas to get you started.

After Wenyi Zhu’s “Magnolia Moon”

It was I, Daughter of the Stars,

who plucked the milk moon from the earl gray sky,

brewed a new cup with her magnolia petals,

stirred to life with my spines.

Her steam is sweet to breathe,

Sakura spirits caressing the blue craters of my eyes,

blushing my pale sick skin.

Sweeter to sip,

as she weeps bright tears upon my lips,

soft spins silk upon my tongue.

She makes me smile,

wraps me in the warmth of her halo,

fills my belly with the promise of life.

You’ll never know coldness,

or darkness,

or starvation

again.

My child,

you’ll never know.

I smile,

and I smile,

And the moon bleeds black

and smiles back

as the world fades to purple dust.

Eli has officially been declared a missing person. I trudged through the snow, my boots leaving deep impressions, while I watched my breath escape in shivers. We had one flashlight and six people’s worth of determination to find Eli.

Max was ahead of me, shouting into the void: “Eli! Come on Eli! I know you can hear me, dammit!”

I jogged to catch up, my breath shallow in the cold.

“Max, we have been searching for hours.” I said, through choked back tears.

“He’s fine, Kit. We are going to find the idiot. Okay?”

“Okay,” I sniffed back.

I could feel something was wrong. It felt like the tether tying us together had snapped and Eli suddenly went loose.

We would always go for walks along the river together. Giggling, cracking jokes, howling up at the sky like the goons we were.

I took a turn through the woods and headed down the hill towards the riverbank. I kept walking, mindlessly, not really sure what I was even looking for. A body?

I was looking for a body.

The police found Eli’s car at the trailhead. His phone, keys, and wallet sitting in the front seat.

I continued walking along the rushing water of the partially frozen river, rubbing my hands together from the biting cold. I had been out here for hours, looking, longing, hoping.

As I continued down the riverbank, I stumbled into a clearing. There was a perfect opening lit by the moon; a tree poised so it hung gently over the water.

And there he was.

I dropped to my knees and screamed up at the sky. The kind of scream that stained memories, burned lungs, and caused aches in your bones.

Max and the others came running from behind and took in the scene. Max dropped down and wrapped his arms around me. We huddled there together in the snow—the moon the only reminder the Earth was still standing.

Inanna Carter

Golden Hour: Part. 2

I’m a K-pop girlie through and through, and I’m more than happy to say my latest obsession is ATEEZ. After listening to their song “Bouncy (K-Hot Chili Peppers)” at least fifty times throughout the year, I proceeded to become a casual listener until “Crazy Form” popped up. Considering I’m still in my post-concert depression months after seeing them live, it’s safe to say I like their music.

ATEEZ’s latest album, Golden Hour: Part. 2, released on November 15, and I can’t get enough of it. I hyperfixate like crazy, so I’ve mostly been listening the title track, “Ice On My Teeth,” but my favorite part about ATEEZ is the diversity in their music. If you want something more hip-hop, “Ice On My Teeth” is perfect. The music video is gorgeous, and all my ATEEZ head canons are coming true. But this is a different type of music they’ve been working on, and their past albums have a much different vibe. No matter what your favorite music genre is, I urge you to listen to some ATEEZ. I guarantee you’ll find something you adore.

Nate Ragolia

The Substance

Fans of body horror classics like David Cronenberg’s The Fly and James Gunn’s Slither can rejoice for Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance perfectly melds gore, humor, and trenchant social commentary. The film follows Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) a one-time Hollywood ingenue and Oscar-winner who has transitioned from acting to hosting a TV aerobics show. On her 50th birthday, she’s fired by a shrimp-spittle-slime ball network executive (Dennis Quaid) who makes it no secret her age is the reason. Distraught, Elizabeth has a progressively worse day that leads her to a young nurse who offers her a flash drive containing information about the titular Substance. After injecting the mysterious medical miracle, Elizabeth’s life is transformed and a younger version of her has a new lease on life in the spotlight… but this is a horror film, so things get messy, sticky, bloody, and gross quickly and frequently.

Director Coralie Fargeat does an impeccable job capturing the gore and viscera, and hearkening back to giallo films like Argento’s Suspiria, and even Kubrick’s The Shining, but what’s most incredible is how she employs the male gaze and its voracious and wolf whistling consumption of the female body to enhance the tension and pervasive exploitative energy. Not only do we spend long shots taking in the nude bodies of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, Fargeat also actively deconstructs the women as sex objects, where the focal points of breasts and crotches and butts are montaged to remind us of our cultural failure to really see the whole person comprising the women we exploit. This exaggerated, force-feeding of the male gaze pays off in an ending that pulls no punches. If you thought Carrie had a bloody conclusion, The Substance will ask you to hold its beer.

Kaitlin Lounsberry

Wicked

I’ve been a Wicked fan since 2004, a year after the musical premiered on Broadway staring powerhouse duo, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. I was 10 the first time I watched the musical in Chicago and it become a pivotal moment for my childhood. Fast forward 20 years and those same overwhelming feelings exist as Wicked, the movie not the play or the book, finally comes to the silver screen.

Originally whispered to be in the works in 2010, Wicked shifted from director to director until it finally settled with Jon M. Chu in 2021 and shortly after came the casting announcement of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. It was also announced the film would be split in two, forcing fans to wait even longer for the conclusion of this story. Though there were some additional setbacks due to COVID-19 restrictions and the SAG-AFTRA strike of 2023, Wicked finally hit theaters mid-November. And was the wait worth it? Yes, yes, 100%, yes. As someone who has seen the musical more times than I can count and read the book that inspired it all, I like to think I’m a fairly good judge of this adaptation.

Grande and Ervio embody Glinda and Elphaba earnestly and with the care and attention lovers of the musical expect for the iconic duo. Their vocals harmonized in such a cosmic way it’s as if they were destined to star opposite the other. Supporting actors Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang, and Jeff Goldblum exhibit the same zest for their characters as Grande and Erivo. It’s evident the amount of care and consideration Chu put into every decision made in the creation of the film. It is magical, in the most simple and complex ways you could imagine. I cried, as did most everyone around me, as the titular song, “Defying Gravity” closed out part one. I’m not sure how much better I’ll fair emotionally when part two is released November of next year, but I’ll be waiting, eagerly and heart full, to be changed for good.

Dominic Loise

Sunflowers

Sunflowers by Keezy Young could be presented as a companion read to my previous selection of A Fox In My Brain by Lou Lubie. Both biographical graphic novels have the writer/artist exploring mood disorder and destigmatizing the conversations around the classifications and public perception of bipolar disorder. With A Fox In My Brain, Lubie deep dives into the diagnosis and misdiagnosis of her cyclothymia as she goes through therapy and mitigates life. Sunflowers presents to the reader the feeling of cycling and Young’s experiences with bipolar 1 disorder. 

Young starts Sunflowers with the feel-good period of hypomania and through color palette and line breaks portrays their feelings as their personal narrative slides into disconnection associated with mania. Young maintains an organic shift of hues as they begin exploring the psychosis stage. Here, their word blocks are tight, like bricks stacked together, to give the sense of someone behind a wall of racing thoughts while imagery outside the dialogue is out of focus, showing the inner self cut off from the tangible world. 

Young doesn’t shy away from the feeling of darkness that comes with bipolar 1, but they also present a pathway of mental-health awareness and address the stigma associated with bipolar disorder. I read and connected with Sunflowers just after an out-of-state move. My self perception at this time was focused on how I would need to start again with a new talk therapist, psychiatrist, and being away from my core support group. I feared all the work I had done on myself was slipping away with the stress of a move and selling/buying a home. Feeling disconnected from all that, this graphic novel helped remind me I wasn’t alone as someone with bipolar disorder, I wasn’t starting over with my mental health, and I was continuing to heal in a new place.

I am truly grateful that Keezy Young’s Sunflowers was the first thing that I unpacked to read in my new home.

Sunflowers is published by Silver Sprocket.

The corners of Dolly’s eyes are marked red so that the cameras can find them; secretly, it’s so I can always see where she is looking. From the wing, I can tell that she is making eye-contact with every single person in the front row left to right. Each word, she sings especially for each of them, the clear notes of her voice dancing in the air like flakes of early-December snow. Where I stand, though, it isn’t snow so much as ash from a nearby fire. From behind the cyclotron, the spotlight glows a rusty red—as red as the tilled dirt in their tiny town, red as her heart-shaped lips, red as the Republican party. It hangs above me, her, and the entire auditorium like the strawberry moon— but only I can see the red. The audience only sees white, and she only sees the audience. The strawberry moon means that fruit is ripe and ready for picking—shouldn’t all those yokels be at home, harvesting?

The solstice heat was sticky and oppressive, although it was nearly midnight. We laid in the untouched plot of land behind her house. Her father kept trying to grab it, but the zoning office found new ways to thwart him. He is the mayor, for Christ’s sake, she would rant to me. Secretly, I was grateful—I didn’t want to see all the wildflowers mowed down to make room for cow pasture. The way her blonde hair was splayed out on the grass only confirmed my opinion. It looked like the ring around Saturn, a halo to her big round face. She stared at the stars, and I stared at her.

“One day, we’re going to get out of here.” She affirmed, then rolled over and kissed my cheek. I nodded and looked up to the big strawberry moon. “We’ll move to the big city—Nashville, or St. Louis—rent a tiny apartment, and we’ll meet men that aren’t farmers, and—”

She glances back over her shoulder as she turns for water and casts a wide waning-crescent smile. The glare of the spotlight casts her lace dress and the teeth I know to be brilliant white a faded shade of cadmium. The light glances off of her celestial body, and I understand now. She only reflects. Never produces.

When she turns to face the audience again, I walk out the stage door to the parking lot. I look up at the sky, drinking in the stars and satellites and bits of space junk; I drink up Venus and Mars, but I spit them out again, because they aren’t mine to hold. I try to hang on to the harvest moon, but it vanishes from my hands in a red puff of smoke. I brush off my dusty hands and go back inside. Dolly will need her Diet Coke soon.

Dreams! We all have them. And we’ve all seen our dreams change throughout our lives. A childhood dream of being a rodeo cowboy might evolve to obtaining a computer science degree… Or even the other way around… Whether you’ve dreamed of jetting off to the stars or creating vast worlds that transport eager readers, these potent aspirations motivate and drive us.

That’s especially true here at the Brink Literacy Project, where we utilize the power of storytelling to affect the lives of people on the brink—anyone who is marginalized in society or otherwise lacks access to traditional means of learning about and employing the art of storytelling. We want to make dreams come true for our students, everyday.

But… what about our staff members? What have they dreamed about as wee storytellers?

Valerie San Filippo

As a young writer, what did you dream your future in publishing would be?
I dreamed of writing “the Great American Novel.” I’m really not sure what that means.

How did you think you would obtain that dream?
As a young writer, I truly thought a brilliant idea would strike me like a bolt of lightning. I would be so favored by the muses that a novel would flow from my mind fully-formed. Agents and acquiring editors would sense the birth of such an inspired work as if beckoned by the star of Bethlehem, and they would lay bids of six-figure book deals at my feet. I would be rich beyond comprehension! I would be the voice of my generation! I would be a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson!

Has the dream changed or shifted? And if so, how?
Thank goodness the dream changed. I learned to love the process. I don’t write because I love being published, I write because I love writing. I’m living my dream every day. I write as much as I can. I help other people bring their ideas to life. On very rare occasions, a stranger will reach out and tell me they liked a story I wrote, and then the world feels cozier and kinder than it did before. That’s really special. That’s the dream.

How does actually being a writer compare to what you dreamt it would be like?
Writing involves a lot more work than I imagined, but I love the work more that I ever thought possible.

If you could meet any other writer, living or dead, in your dreams who would you meet with, and why?
This feels awkward to admit because we do sometimes work with him here at Brink, but, I would want to spend time with Pat Rothfuss. I read The Name of the Wind at a point in my life when I was starting to lose my sense of wonder, but the way Pat uses language changed the way I looked at the world. The thing is, when you render something with his measure of care, you can’t help but love that thing. I feel like he would be a great person to do absolutely nothing with. Like, dude, let’s sit in the world together for a minute and describe the sacred things we see. Everything is beautiful. Show me.

Dominic Loise

As a young writer, what did you dream your future in publishing would be?

As a young writer, I was self publishing a comic book with an artist friend right out of college. It was based on a newspaper strip from his college paper and the goal was for the book to help sell comic strips to newspaper syndicates or the comic would take off on its own.

How did you think you would obtain that dream?

It seemed very attainable. The independent comic book community was incredibly inviting. We traveled to the second APE(Alternative Press Expo) and met some legends in the industry at a bar after the convention. They were telling us how to take our zine to an actual comic book.

Once we had a comic book we sent around comic strip samples to newspaper syndicates and magazines to see if they were interested. We even went to the conference for newspaper syndicate artists in Columbus, which happens every few years, to talk with creatives and get an honest timeline for selling a strip.

Has the dream changed or shifted? And if so, how?

The dream shifted when the comic book market collapsed in the 90s. Marvel started self distributing their books. Many independent comic book distributions closed and soon a lot of the direct market comic shops were closing.

I remember we had a new issue about to go to press and that week Marvel announced they were going to self distribute and we held it back. We watched everything play out and never printed that issue. And getting a comic strip in a newspaper is hard work. Statistically, we were told it’s easier to get drafted into the NFL.

From there, it seemed life got in the way and I couldn’t get into the industries I had a foothold in so I got a corporate job.

How does actually being a writer compare to what you dreamt it would be like?

The reality of being a writer is much better. I started writing again as therapy and the people apart of my work have helped my healing. These supports have made me a much better writer than I have ever been.

Also, I have learned to joy of rewriting.

If you could meet any other writer, living or dead, in your dreams who would you meet with, and why?

If I could meet any writer, I would enjoy being in a room with Steven Moffat. His speeches on Doctor Who are what I play when I am having a hard day. And since we are talking about time travel, I would talk to myself as a younger writer and say it works out the way it should have for the better life.

Maribel Leddy

As a young writer, what did you dream your future in publishing would be?

I dreamt I would be a published author. At one point, I wanted to be the next Louise Erdrich—publishing a book before I turned 30. 

How did you think you would obtain that dream?

I thought I would go to college and write the next great American fantasy/sci-fi series, get published pretty quickly, and then have a miniseries on Netflix. 

Has the dream changed or shifted? And if so, how?

Well, reality has certainly reared its ugly head. Writing isn’t often that lucrative, nor is it as easy to break into publishing as I hoped it would be. I also haven’t actually written my novel/series yet, so there’s that. Being an adult, in general, takes more time and is much more difficult than I think I ever imagined as a kid. Enjoy your youth—you know, the one you have before you have to start paying an electricity bill every month! 

How does actually being a writer compare to what you dreamt it would be like?

In many ways, it’s just as wonderful as I thought it would be. I get to do what I love. How many people can say that? Not me, even a year ago (I quit my marketing job to pursue writing full time). Of course, it’s not as easy as I thought it would be either. It requires a lot of focus to get anything done, which I don’t always have. And sometimes you burn yourself out from overthinking things. That said, the communities I’ve built as a writer keep me going even today. There’s also a lot less sitting in coffee shops over a steaming mug of tea with the patter of rain on the window outside and a cat curled in my lap. That’s the kind of fantasy that truly only exist in dreams. Most coffee shops in NYC don’t have cats. Or good wi-fi. Or bathrooms.

If you could meet any other writer, living or dead, in your dreams who would you meet with, and why?

Definitely Shakespeare. I want to ask him if he actually wrote all those plays. And then I want to hit him on the head for some of the stuff in them.