Ladydrawers Funding Campaign

[anne!]

Hey Sweets,

I have a lot of stuff coming up in the next few weeks, including the release of a new book at the end of August, but that's not why I'm writing today.

You may know The Ladydrawers kicked off a funding campaign Friday to publish a print edition of our Truthout strips alongside additional material from our three anthologies, published essays, and the incendiary postcard project. The Ladydrawers' work has gotten some great attention lately, including this great piece on ThinkProgress, this one on Bitch, and this one on the WAM! website. There are more upcoming, too, that you'll be able to check out, along with everything else, on the blog. 

The most recent strip, on submission and publishing rates as broken down by gender of creator, generated an enormous amount of discussion. It's illustrated by Nicole Boyett, who's the first among the student research team to graduate and be able to illustrate some of her own findings as a professional comics creator. She's also the lead on the funding campaign, and I asked her to explain why she was heading it up. She sent the below in response, and although I've seen some of the same things she has, her take on the impact of this project floored me. I hope you enjoy it.

heart,

aem

Begin forwarded message:

From: Nicole Joy Boyett <nbo...@saic.edu>

Date: July 21, 2012 10:47:13 PM CDT

The Ladydrawers are basically of one of a kind. I don't know of any other place where pros and novices and doctoral candidates and fans just get to it and make something. Where we're not allowed to be crippled by obstacles and fears and not-good-enoughs. Whether it's ground breaking research, killer comics, or interviewing people who make your little comics heart stutter, Ladydrawers is all over it. And here's the really sly thing, all of these people who walked in the door feeling isolated, or bewildered, or even just mildly interested? Become authorities. They conduct this research that nobody else has done, they make comics in a two-week pressure cooker and walk away published artists. They come out as teachers and advocates and above all, as a community. 

 

I have friends for life because of Ladydrawers. I have people who I can call at two in the morning and say 'I have this idea' and they'll show up the next day with pens in hand. I've seen people break down in tears when they found us, when they saw the numbers and went 'that's me!'  I've seen students who normally prefer going unnoticed speak up—in lectures, sure, but also to their friends and even their heroes, saying 'No, that's wrong! And let me tell you why. Let me tell you with math.' That transformation is invaluable. It means there's a whole pack of smart, savvy, magnificently talented comics folks out there who have each other's backs, and who want to make comics great. 

 

They've made a lot of amazing things. At the core of it all is this trove of research and interviews, and out of it they've spun zines and comic books and comic strips and graphs and charts and live performances and posters and bingo boards and statistical turtles. The trouble is, it's all over the place. It's difficult to see everything, to get the big picture, unless you're a really dedicated web stalker. 

 

This work is smart, brave stuff, and we really want to collect it into a book that will set it off. This book will take all things Ladydrawers and curate them into a single, sharp volume. It'll be colorful, it'll be full of cats, it'll be great.Printing and editing and shipping something like this takes a lot of time and money, and while we're spoiled for talent and enthusiasm, we can't do it by ourselves. Every bit helps, from just getting the word out, to picking up a limited edition poster or shirt or any of a basket of other great perks from our Indie gogo.  Help us make this book a reality.  Help us make a change.  

—Nicole