this week I received the insane news that COOK LIKE YOUR ANCESTORS is sold out of nearly every copy from it’s first printing. and it released barely two weeks ago! I have no words. a second edition is being rushed to print (with a bunch of little fixes, blessedly) and will be available in February, the month to which I’ve also postponed the giveaway. I cannot thank you all enough for the support.
if you’re curious about what the process was like, the inspiration behind it and more, here’s an interview I did with the lovely nonprofit Black Children’s Books and Authors.
thank you endlessly to everyone who came thru Secret Headquarters to celebrate the release :') so much work & love has been poured into this book, and this night alone made it all worth it.
speaking of, the cartoonist co-op is running a campaign with #ConnectingGaza, which supplies e-sims to people on the ground in Gaza, allowing them to circumvent internet blackouts during the siege and continue connecting with the wider internet.
I’m hopping on the offer to exchange art in the value of the donated e-SIMs. to see what more art can be redeemed (as some really amazing artists are doing commissions!) visit https://cartoonist.coop/esims4gaza to learn more.
otherwise… it’s that time of year again. the anniversary of Fred Hampton’s assassination. though this piece aches with all the things I would have done differently or drawn better circa 2019, this piece on the life and death of revolutionary civil rights leader Fred Hampton I did for The Nib unfortunately stays relevant. here it is in full, with a change in font that should make reading easier than the original publication!
(click images to view in full. if you have trouble, I also made a public post of it here.)
more comics on the way in the form of freelance… excited for this longform piece on African foodways, on departures from that, on what tradition even is, all surrounding the relationship I cultivated alongside my late grandmother with the black eyed pea.
excited to share soon (though it’s already available for subscribers along with reference and recipes here <3 )
I hope you all are staying warm, eating well, and holding your loved ones close. talk soon.
Congratulations on the book's success!!