I am so pleased to be a recipient of a grant that will allow me to work on a graphic novel project based on Tsilhqot’in identity, family healing, and basket weaving.
Short Description:
The objective of my project is to produce a graphic novel based on a story of a Tsilhqot'in youth learning their ties to culture and language. The exploration of their identity allows them to understand that who they are is tethered to their family and their ancestors, they are woven into the fabric of the Tsilhqot'in community and therefore, their existence is empowered and made stronger by the connections they maintain with family, kin and fellow community members.
I wanted to share some recent research and reading that I’ve been doing for my project.
Overview:
I’ve selected a few articles that allow me to refresh my knowledge on comic basics. Years ago, I was well read on theoretical works relating to comics but it’s been a while and I felt it was needed to read up on some aspects of creating a compelling comic narrative. I also looked into some works relating to autobiography, because even though the work that I produce will be fictional, there will be elements of my life (or my family’s lives) woven into the narrative. A lot of works relating to BIPOC creators of comics or autobiographical stories discuss the nature of trauma appearing in their narratives and I am reading about it to be self aware of current themes that exist. But I also want to strategically ensure my story focuses on joy and resurgence because sometimes I think Indigenous trauma is a highly consumed (preferred?) narrative by non-Indigenous readers and audiences which is super problematic. When reviewing my original research scan, I specifically sought out articles that talked about joy and resurgence. These works are new to me (and extend beyond works written by Lisa Betasamoke Simpson, Sarah Hunt, and Eve Tuck which I read frequently during my Master’s) so I’m really excited to get into that.
For comics, I do have a lot of existing books that I will reference but I thought I would add a few more recent ones. I read Ducks by Kate Beaton in November and it reminded me of my love for web comics in the late 2000s. There was a number of artists/writers who were able to convey complex themes through simple drawings and whatnot. Due to the time constraint of this project, I imagine I will approach this project in a similar way. I don’t think this diminishes that final work, instead it offers an approachability to the subject matter. It will also help me from becoming too much of a perfectionist which has caused me to not begin graphic novel projects in the past because they feel too overwhelming.
I’m already very excited about this project and I’m feeling really motivated for the story writing phase of this project. I’ll post another update in the Spring!
Theoretical Works:
Baetens, J., & Frey, H. (2014). Understanding Panel and Page Layouts. The Graphic Novel: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (103-133).
Baetens, J., & Frey, H. (2014). The Graphic Novel as a Specific Form of Storytelling. The Graphic Novel: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (162-187).
Boon, S. (2023). The Routledge introduction to auto/biography in Canada. Routledge.
Knowles, S. (n.d.). The Postcolonial Graphic Novel and Trauma: From Maus to Malta. In A. Ward (Ed.), Postcolonial Traumas : Memory, Narrative, Resistance (2015, pp. 83–96).
Marshall, Emily Zobel. Harlem Tricksters: Cheating the Cycle of Trauma in the Fiction of Ralph Ellison and Nella Larsen. In A. Ward (Ed.), Postcolonial Traumas : Memory, Narrative, Resistance (pp. 83–96).
Reder, D. (2022). Autobiography as Indigenous intellectual tradition: Cree and Métis âcimisowina. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
To Read:
Callison, C., Rifkind, C., Sinclair, N. J., Ballantyne, S., Odjick, J., Daigneault, T., & Mazowita, A. (2019). Introduction: 'indigenous comics and graphic novels: An annotated bibliography'. Jeunesse, Young People, Texts, Cultures, 11(1), 139-155
Emberley, Julia V. Part 1: ‘A Witnessing Love’: Testimony in Indigenous Storytelling. The Testimonial Uncanny : Indigenous Storytelling, Knowledge, and Reparative Practices, State University of New York Press, 2014.
Hatfield, C. (2005). A Broader Canvas: Gilbert Hernandez’s Heartbreak Soup. Alternative comics : an emerging literature. University Press of Mississippi.
Hatfield, C. (2005). “I Made That Whole Thing Up!” The problem of authenticity in Autobiographical Comics. Alternative comics : an emerging literature. University Press of Mississippi.
Henzi, S. (2016). “A necessary antidote”: Graphic novels, comics, and indigenous writing. Canadian Review of Comparative Literature, 43(1), 23-38.
McCall, S. (2022). Teaching indigenous graphic novels: English / indigenous studies 360. Studies in American Indian Literatures, 34(1), 92-111.
Romero-Jódar, A. (2017). The Trauma Graphic Novel. Routledge.
Sidogi, P. (2021). Multi-histories: Creative and narrative plurality in graphic novels exploring indigenous histories. Junctures : The Journal for Thematic Dialogue, (22), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.34074/junc.22069
Graphic Novels:
Akiwenzie-Damm, K., Assu, S., Mitchell, B., Qitsualik-Tinsley, R., Qitsualik-Tinsley, S., Robertson, D. A., Sinclair, N. J., Van, C. R., & Vermette, K. (2019). This place : 150 years retold. Portage & Main Press.
Beaton, K. (2022). Ducks : Two years in the oil sands. Drawn & Quarterly.
Spillett-Sumner, T., Donovan, N., & ProQuest (Firm). (2018). Surviving the city. HighWater Press.
Tamaki, Mariko and Jillian (2023). Roaming. Drawn & Quarterly.
The following image is from Kate Beaton’s Ducks.