Syrian comic book writer Hamid Sulaiman says that there are two questions that he is always asked and that he still has a hard time answering. The first is what he does for a living. Usually he goes with “graphic novelist” or “painter”. The second is where he lives. “I have two homes,” he says, “and I don’t sleep in any of…
“I don’t actually read that many comic books,” laughs Takoua Ben Mohamed. “And I have never set foot in a comic book fair.” Don’t mistake what she says for a snooty, “I don’t read comic books, I only make them.” Make what you’d like to see in the world, they say. More broadly, make something that embodies what you want…
This end of the year post has been a tradition for many years, and it’s for me one of the most pleasurable things to write. This one is pretty long, so gear up, or perhaps skip to the section which is of most interest to you. Looking back at this 2018, I feel bursting with gratitude. I do what I…
“It’s a modern, canonical story that is a foundational narrative for the Vietnamese Australian, and indeed global Vietnamese diaspora,” explains The Boat producer Kylie Boltin. “The Boat is an engaging, innovative and creative execution of a specific refugee story. I am proud that a project we created leads to rigorous discussion and reflection and has such a string resonance and relevance to today.”
I love the end of the year so much. Looking back and taking stock of what worked and what didn’t, because acknowledging that even what apparently didn’t worked is the seed for something even bigger to happen. And also, recognizing that nothing is ever wasted, and everything will converge eventually, because it’s all you, all one person is one universe…
One of the things that makes me happy in life are conversations with people, giving me kernels of wisdom and guidance that I can readily apply to my life and to the projects I’m bringing forward. Some of the people I talk with regularly and exchange opinions and mutual suggestions are my closest friends, Laslo, Roberto, Giovanna. Or family –…
Derailing and getting back on track: story of my life. I’m the girl who is most fascinated and enticed by the idea of reinventing herself, of wearing new different clothes, of starting all over again as a blank slate. Thing is we are never a blank slate. And this is good in a way. My core is strong, and like…
“Scholastic years” are perhaps more meaningful for many in framing seasons of life than actual “calendar years”. Summer is the great divider, and for me September has often corresponded in looking for a new house and resuming old and new plans. And yet, the end of the year is a great opportunity to stop and look back at the recent…
A few weeks ago one of the coolest festivals in Rome took place at Forte Prenestino, an ex-jail turned occupied centro sociale. CRACK Fumetti Dirompenti is devoted to independent publications, comics, street art, zines, graphic work, art and books. This has been by far the more fun report for TeenPress; I have found so many friends joining the festival, each one looking for something different and getting a variety of inputs from the event. The theme this year was “The Capital”, alluding to the recent Italian scandal of Roma Capitale, butalso to the relationship of artists with economic powers and dynamics. Enjoy the video (plus a couple of pictures below).
Here I am with my inevitable red hat, in the third video realized by the news agency TeenPress. In a previous post I already mentioned my participation to this project by the association Arciragazzi Roma, targeted to young adults. Questionable logo, but heaps of passion. For this report I interview the people behind the publishing house Biancoenero. In Italy they have been the first to create children books marked by what they call “high readability”. That means books easily readable by kids affected by dyslexia, cognitive problems or simply “reluctant readers”. It’s always such fun realizing these reports and it gives us also a chance to sneak into amazing Roman buildings. And now for the video (in Italian)
