Month: January 2009

Shameless Magazine wrote a really nice review of my comic books yesterday, including Lust, I Love Led Zeppelin, and Monkey Food. The post writer, Tiina, likes that I work well with others:

Ellen Forney is a much-loved feminist cartoonist, whose work has appeared in all sorts of places including Bust magazine. She does amazing collaborative work with a diverse range of people, including writers, activists, chefs, potheads and even her grandma.

I like that she calls me a feminist – it’s arguably kind of a quaint term at this point, with a really fuzzy definition. Who knows what it means? I don’t specifically fight for Wimmyn’s Liberation but I grew up on “Stories for Free Children” (in Ms. Magazine – Mom had a subscription from issue #1), I have extra respect for women who do well in whatever they do, and I have certainly reaped the benefits of my foremothers. I mean, really – it’s still relevant. Fist in the air!

One of the many things I love about Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the respect for history and lineage – photos of the masters hang prominently on the wall. One of those founders is Mitsuyo Maeda, aka “Conde Koma” (“Count Combat”), the judo master who landed in Brazil in the early 1900’s and took li’l Carlos Gracie as a student.

There are few photos of him but I wanted to draw him, and did my best with those few fuzzy photos and a few questions to my Prof. (“What is he doing with his hands??”) And then, why not more wallpaper? So here you are, another wallpaper option, for when your desktop needs to be more simple and sleek. (Original splashy BJJ wallpaper here.)

1680 x 1050:

iPhone:

I just got back from my week-plus retreat on Bainbridge Island and AH! It was awesome! I thumbnailed several chapters of my book (though I haven’t sent them to my editor yet – hi, Chris!) and came up with a much, much better outline. I also moved from feeling overwhelmed and intimidated to feeling excited and am actually enjoying myself – a huge leap. I’m aiming to have the proposal done by the end of February, which, to my great relief, looks like a very attainable goal.

Me toiling in my yurtlet at Sacred Groves, where I did a retreat last June.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Jamie Vann, the most awesomest research assistant I could possibly hope for.