Author Description

"Reading Alphabet will plunge you into the welcoming rainbow of LGBTQAIU comics. This collection is thick and juicy, retrospective and introspective, futuristic, celebratory, exploratory, imaginative and thoughtful. And sexy and loving too! This hefty anthology was put out by Prism Comics, a nonprofit organization that promotes awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender creators, stories, characters, and readers in the comics industry. One of the ways Prism does this is by sponsoring an annual Queer Press Grant, to assist in the publication and promotion of LGBT comics. Winners receive not only publishing assistance but also get help in promotion, tabling at cons, and panel appearances-much of which comics' publishing necessitates. This compilation features works from past winners, including Robert Kirby, Eric Orner, Hazel Newlevant, Justin Hall, Tana Ford, Ed Luce, Pam Harrison, and Jon Macy. Howard Cruse, Jennifer Camper, Roberta Gregory, Paige Braddock, Tyler Cohen and Dylan Edwards also contribute. Fifty-two artists in all contributed pieces for this volume, and, as Faith Cheltenham says in the introduction, "Many experiences and lived narratives share the heart of their homes with this book, and this anthology holds within it characters that are you and me, and every one of us in between." Early queer comics were mostly coming out stories, and there are some of those in this compilation too. But what's exciting is the variety of storytelling encompassed here. "Requiem for a Hot Comb" by Ajuan Mance is a different kind of coming out story, sharing the narrator's move away from processed hair to natural black hairstyles. Elizabeth Beier's "V is for Virginia" reclaims lesbian history, by visualizing love letters between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West. "The Feminine Mystique" by Diego Gomez brilliantly inserts erased feminist, LGBT, and non-white histories back into the traditional textbook timeline. "Sorry Mom" by Vi Cao explains why being asexual