May 2025 Newsletter

I'm gonna try a new thing where I put the most important updates up front before getting more rambly the further down you go. I know I can get a bit long-winded. :)

• I will be at CAKE in Chicago again this year. That's June 28-29 at the Irish American Heritage Center. This is one of my favorite indie cons ever, so I'm always so happy to be part of it.

• Cruel Muse updated with another chapter. This is actually the last chapter I wrote. I went in and added this one to flesh out the characters a little bit more before all the horror stuff ramps up.

• This month's Art Club illustration is posted here.

• On the ol' XXX Patreon, The Enigma Squad and the Lesbian Vampire Sex Cult storyline is almost done. Then we begin the next chapter, titled Haunted Glory Hole.

For subscribers, Magical Women issue 1 just wrapped up, and issue 2 starts this week. I'm only going to be able to update one page a week for the next couple months because of a huge project I'm working on. More on that in a little bit. I've been so happy with the response that issue 1 has gotten, and I'm very excited for the next 30-something issues ahead. Thank you to everyone who has been leaving comments and hyping it up. This is more valuable to me than money, honestly. This is what keeps me going and feeds my soul. I'm definitely planning on releasing digital issues soon. I'm considering doing a small run of printed single issues if anyone would like something like that.

So, the reason I'm going to be so busy in May and June is that I am organizing curating a huge collaborative art exhibit about queer history to display for Pride. Every exhibit will be in the form of a diorama. By using a medium that is a staple of school projects, it's meant to highlight how this information is not taught in schools, but should be. Until it's more widely known, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves and each other. If you're curious about getting involved, you can find more information here: https://www.rosalarian.com/queer-history-project

Every year in June, I spend the whole time wishing Pride could be something more than a party sponsored by a vodka company. Yes, queer joy is an act of resistance when we are made to suffer by our enemies, but also, Pride is the one time of year when the most queer people come together in a physical space, and we should be taking advantage of that by organizing. Pride events have always felt boring and monotonous to me (especially since they're so often built around cis gay men's tastes) and I think 2025 is a good year to shake things up. Also, I had this idea:

Maybe next year. I remain cautiously optimistic that there will be Pride next year in America. I have to believe that we can win so I can keep going. I have to believe that the fight is worth the struggles and the extra efforts we're going through right now to keep everyone safe. Although I've been doing a little bit of living like there's no tomorrow. Using the good China. Using the good art supplies. Writing the stories I always meant to get around to. I'm trying to maintain a balance.

The number one thing I have noticed in all my research on queer history is that the solution for almost every problem we've faced has been community. We take care of each other. But the community is currently shattered into a bunch of self-serving pieces, and we need to do more to unify. Biphobia, transphobia, enbyphobia, and other intra-community bigotry needs to stop. Racism, sexism, ableism, body shaming, kink shaming, whorephobia and other forms of bigotry need to be dealt with as well. We need to get our shit together. I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but it needs to be repeated anyway.

I've seen far too much sentiment to the effect of "Black trans lesbians will save us!" but honey, Black trans lesbians are dealing with enough shit on their own, and should not be the ones saving us. The strongest should be protecting the weakest, not the other way around. The ones with the most privilege should be doing the most work, and we need more cishet people to stop being bystanders and start being actual allies. A lot of folks are happy to cheer for our "team" from the sidelines, but would never risk their own privileges to join us on the field, yet still want the clout of being called an ally. I say that "ally" is only useful as a verb, not a noun. It's not an identity, it's action. "I don't want you to actively be killed" is the bare fucking minimum of human decency, and does not get a trophy.

As you can tell, I'm pretty emotional these days. Passionate, really, but also angry and sad and scared. But also fired up and optimistic and energized for the fight. I'm just glad it's warm enough that I can garden again. Literally touching grass is wonderful, even though I'm allergic to it. I'm ripping out my lawn and replacing it with local flora that assists pollinators, as well as my own little "victory garden" of fruit and veg, mostly tomatoes and zucchini. Sometimes, with my hands in the earth, I can have a little moment where everything is good, and I feel connected to centuries of humans doing the same thing in the same earth. It's very calming.

Things I've been loving lately:

• Blue Prince. I'm obsessed with this game. I think about it every day.

• Sinners, the movie by Ryan Coogler. I think it is 100% perfect. It's one of the best movies with one of the best soundtracks to ever bless this earth. I want to talk about it to everyone I meet but I also don't want to spoil anyone, so just get down to the theater asap.

• Strawberries and tomatoes. I've been trying to eat more in-season produce. One, it tastes better, and it's also better for the planet.

• Glass and ceramics. I got a bigger, better kiln for an early birthday present, and I can make so many cooler things. Today I am making a pomegranate. I will show it off on socials.

Okay bye I love you and hope you're doing okay in these troubling times.