Earlier this February, Shay Mirk, the 2023-24 Applied Cartooning Fellow, led a Queer Friendship Making Zine workshop hosted by Queer Joy Collective. Here’s a dispatch from Sebastian Crissey, the Collective’s co-director:
“Bringing together queer youth from across the country to attend this virtual workshop provided a space for us to not only create but also envision a brighter future within the arts. The workshop not only fostered connections within the queer community but also provided invaluable skills in zine-making and storytelling. The session encompassed a comprehensive exploration of zine-making history, Shay’s expertise as a professional author and zinester, and foundational skills to help us kickstart our own zine projects.
Having Shay as a positive queer role model is incredibly important for building the confidence of young people in our group as they navigate exploring their personal identities and future aspirations. By seeing someone like Shay excelling in their field, our group members feel affirmed in their own journeys and are encouraged to pursue their passions with confidence.
I originally reached out to the Center for Cartoon Studies because of its reputation for being such a vibrant, unique, and bubbly place, much like the atmosphere of the Queer Joy Collective. The Applied Cartooning Lab has proved to be an organization committed to collaboration with diverse groups with astounding expertise in visual storytelling as a tool for expression. We’re grateful for the ALC’s commitment to providing inclusive spaces for marginalized voices in the arts. Thank you to everyone at the Lab who made this workshop possible.”
