It’s been a while! Lately, I’ve been focusing on the completion of my thesis. It’s incredibly close to being done and I’m hoping for either spring or fall graduation this year. I’m excited to share my work once it’s available publicly.
My research focus is on Eden Robinson’s Trickster Trilogy. I’m examining the trickster figure as a story methodology versus the interpretation of it as a specific character. This lens allows the meaning of trickster stories to be understood as a framework for Indigenous ideologies and histories — and ultimately lessons for Indigenous futurisms — versus viewing these stories as a static example of Indigenous culture.
Other than that, I have a comic that will be published as part of an Indigenous anthology for Vancouver Art and Comics Book Fair. This comic gathering has been one of my favourite events in Vancouver these last few years. When I was a younger person, I used to attend zine and comic book festivals but they were predominantly spaces where work by white men were featured. I always felt like there was an aspect of “community” missing from these events. VANCAF is incredible because it has such a diverse selection of artists, it’s much more BIPOC and it’s much more queer. And they are active in trying to curate more diversity into their programming which is amazing. Anyways, I’m really looking forward to the printed copy of my work and I was really honoured to be invited to be a part of it.
Speaking of publishing, I have two major illustration gigs lined up for this fall. I don’t have enough details to share but I’m incredibly excited for both of these storybook projects. I will hopefully have more information by this summer.
Besides that, parenthood is pretty much everything that I’ve been focused on! I’m so thankful for my family and for my parents, sisters, and relatives. Life is good these days, and I don’t take a single second of it for granted. Things are still a little awkward with Covid, we are still trying to be very safe with where we hang out and whatnot. But we are really looking forward to a sunny spring.
