This is not the spring any of us anticipated. All of my travel has been cancelled for the foreseeable future. My days have consisted of trying to get some exercise, teaching or preparing to teach, trying to make some art, and responding to Covid-19 in various ways with graphic medicine.
First, my colleague Alice Jaggers and I have been hard at work curating the many comics that have emerged since this pandemic was declared March 11.
As a result of that work, I was quoted in this NPR story about how the virus has been visually represented. Alice and I also presented to the American Library Association’s Graphic Novel Roundtable about emerging Covid-19 comics. You can watch that entire panel here.
Next week I will be participating in the Nursing Mutual Aid Twitter Conference.
Saturday drumroll…@NrsgMutualAid #NMA2020 is happy to welcome the following presenters 4/30: @danjaxsn; @jennymgormley @DrLenaG @MichelleBoakye @ComicNurse @RayGannon9 @shoshiaronowitz @Radical_Nurses pic.twitter.com/hjRa3SOrLq
— Wanda Montalvo PhD, RN, FAAN (@Montalvo501) April 25, 2020
My colleagues and I on the Graphic Medicine International Collective Board have been sponsoring and running a weekly event on Zoom called “Drawing Together.” Each week, one of us leads a group of about forty participants in a structured reflective drawing exercise. Drawing is followed by sharing our work and reflecting on our current circumstances. We are proud that participants have gathered from around the world. The weekly gathering is open to all. For more information on how to participate, visit this link.
Teaching my Death Panels: Exploring Death and Dying through Comics course gave me the opportunity to interview the legendary New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, which was an unforgettable experience. I’m editing that interview now and will release it as both a Graphic Medicine podcast and a video. Links to come soon.
Finally, social distancing has meant that release of the anthology I edited, Menopause, A Comic Treatment has been postponed. More information on rescheduled release-related events – in person and virtual – will be on the site as soon as possible.
Look forward to reading!