yourartistfriend
Izz ~ she/her š³ļøāš | Illustrator by day āļø Tarot reader and witchcraft practitioner by night š
7847 points
Hello, friends.āļø
It has been September for... some days :D...
( Listen, I never said these posts would come on the first of every month, please temper your expectations, thank youu šāāļøšš )
I have been going through it, folks. I had so many stressful things to take care of in August and that's going to extend to this month for me as well, and in some ways into the next. I feel like I have been behind on life-stuff all month and it really messed up what would normally be my downtime and my reading practice.
BUT!
We shall not crumble under the pressure of the world!
We shall get hard stuff done and also get better at taking care of our mental health! šāāļø
We have committed to bookish tarot check-ins every month, and so you better believe that's exactly what we will do. Grab a chair, let me be your most humble host, and let's look at some pretty cards and talk books. Come, come, comeā¦ āļø _
How this works
I pull some cards for us and write a little bit about what Iām seeing when it comes to reading inspiration for the month ahead. You are welcome to simply take what resonates from the reading and move on with your day, or, if you think of any specific books that align with what Iām describing, comment those titles down below for people to check out. These readings donāt aim to be particularly predictive, and they arenāt meant to be taken as gospel. This is simply a bit of fun, something to bring you some reading inspiration if you need it, and an opportunity for us to further connect as a community.
_
Iām using the Lilifer tarot deck, created by Marion Costentin, published by Little Darkness. The spread is designed by me.
Here are the questions we will be looking at, and the cards we got. For a better experience, I recommend viewing the pictures below on the Pagebound website!
Okay, friends. General advice for our reading practice in September seems to be pretty grounded. We're talking about simple day-to-day things, the little steps that ultimately take us to where we want to go. No earth-shattering, mind-bending energies here. There is a bit of a limbo, a bit of potential for discomfort, but it seems temporary and manageable. Letās talk!
Our general reading inspiration and potential is represented by the Seven of Pentacles. This is a slow-moving energy. Itās the seeds we planted slowly growing over time. They wonāt grow any faster if we sit and stare at them, overthinking and second-guessing ourselves, but if we are patient and consistent, they yield the most delicious fruit. The energy of this card is what we need every time weāre working on something that matters to us and that we want to make a key part of our life at any particular time. Itās a steady energy, not a spur-of-the-moment, flighty one.
The card that represents our potential issues when it comes to reading is the Six of Swords. This card often represents a bit of an uncomfy transition, although one that we expected to happen for some time. What Iām seeing from this is a suggestion of some change in our reading practice in September, the kind of change in routine that we need a little bit of time to get used to. This might be due to a lot of us wrapping up our vacations and going back to work or to academic environments around this time. Regardless of reason, we need to be reminded that our reading habits should be flexible enough to change as the rest of our life fluctuates. If this is not the case (hi), we should look into that and make it our goal to adjust. We deserve to have access to reading no matter what other things are taking place in our life, and if what we are used to doing doesnāt work anymore, we can restart at any time: pause current reads and start something more fitting, change our monthly or yearly goals, and manage our TBR so it isnāt giving us stress.
There seems to be good potential for our reading practice to develop meaningfully this month, but it might be good for us to avoid rushing it, even if we might be tempted. Letās try to stay away from the āall or nothingā mindset, and see how we can instead be more flexible with our reading goals and the ways we go about reaching them. . _
Now let's see what reading inspiration we can get from the rest of the spread. Nonfiction is where we will start.
Weāre looking at the first row of cards as one group. We have the Knight of Pentacles, and the Page of Cups talking to each other. The Knight of Pentacles is our general topic. Iām thinking that here it signifies positive progress and chasing a particular goal in life. This Knight cares so much about this goal, and they are willing to commit themselves and make sacrifices in order to reach it.
If the Page of Cups were to sit with our lovely Knight, it would ask them whether the things that take up most of their time and energy still align with what their heart truly desires. Now, this Page loves life and is full of hope, but they arenāt detached from reality. They understand we canāt always choose to do the job we love, or just go off and follow our passions wherever they may take us. However, they also know that sometimes we lose sight of what we want because of what society tells us we should want. Or that sometimes we convince ourselves that we donāt have any time to devote to our passions at all, even if that may not always be true. This Page also understands that the capitalist society we live in often makes us forget that we have inherent worth regardless of how successful or āproductiveā we are, and that things can have value even when that value cannot be exactly measured. These topics might be good to look into for our non-fiction reading this month.
We can also look into books that bring us back to our passions, back to our āwhyā, so we can figure out whether what we spend our time on is still for us, or whether we might have lost sight of ourselves somewhere along the way. This is a difficult question to ponder, and thatās why I think the approach card here, The Six of Cups is really important this time around.
The Six of Cups is often connected to nostalgia and the inner child. This is a gentler approach to this topic. As much as it is sometimes necessary, weāre not destroying anything with fire in this case. Instead, weāre gently pivoting in the right direction. Throw some humor in there while youāre at it.
I think as adults we sometimes forget we also need to be taken care of, and that we deserve gentleness. So for this monthās non-fiction, maybe weāre looking at books which will give us just that: a companion, a hand to hold as we figure out a particular aspect of our life, or a safe space to play and try new things that we feel excited about. This card is also one of stories, and reminiscing on specific moments of the past with the benefit of hindsight, so it might lend itself well to a memoir, if that is your thing. . _
Onto fiction! This is quite an interesting line-up this month.
We open up with The Moon card. The mood and atmosphere here is HEAVY. What Iām immediately getting here are those books where if the atmosphere wasnāt as strong and specific, the stories would end up falling flat. We are looking at stories that feel a bit like fever dreams. Things are a bit more floaty, immaterial. Perhaps weāre in the head of the main character, going through their imaginary scenarios, dreams, and anxieties. Or perhaps the rules of the world that we live in donāt apply the same way in these books. Moonlight often obscures the view, only showing partial pictures of things, so thereās an air of mystery and confusion. Itās the kind of books where you have to get on board early and trust the author that the journey they are taking you on will ultimately pay off.
Now, the Queen of Swords represents the issues for our character(s) in the story. When weāre talking about the negative side of this queen, thereās definitely issues with overthinking and unprocessed emotions. This Moon energy might just be the result of escapism that this character engages in.
This doesnāt have to be literal, and it likely isnāt. The Moon is very comfortable with symbolism, and very at home with allegories. The whole story could be a metaphor for processing specific emotions or difficult life events, which really opens up the options for the books this month.
Our third card is The Magician. Note how this card visually stands out with its warm red and orange in a spread full of muted colors. Just from that, I think weāre looking at books where the author was not afraid to commit to their world and everything that makes it unique. The author didnāt intend this book to be for everybody and didnāt mind being different. That said, weāre not talking about uniqueness for the sake of uniqueness. The Magician acts with full understanding of who they are and what they want to bring into this world. This is a distinctly authentic style, and this is evident in the writing.
Iād say we should look into some weirder fiction this month, the books where the atmosphere drips with imaginative visuals, or descends into straight up mental spirals. The singularity of the figures in these three cards is also making me think of first-person POV, so you may want to consider that as well, if you think youād enjoy having that perspective to the story.
. _
Thatās our reading for September! And how I loved sitting with you!
Did you think of any books that fit the reading and that youād recommend to the rest of the community?
Since Iāve been so over the place lately, I ended up starting many of my currently-reading books from the beginning and opting not to track progress for now. My September plan is otherwise empty, so Iāll just allow myself to see how I feel as the month goes on and only start new things if I either finish something Iām currently reading, or if I officially pause it and put it aside. Hopefully this will help me get back into the groove of things soon :)
Since September has already started, what are we reading?? Are you joining the readalong? Did you plan any buddy reads? šāļø Iād love to hear a few updates from you, friends, Iāve not been too active on here recently.
In any case, thanks for stopping by! āļø _
Previous readings:
August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Beautiful illustrations done by John Burgoyne. _
"John Burgoyne is a member of the New York Society of Illustrators and an alumni of Massachusetts College of Art. John has won over 100 awards in the United States and Europe including Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Hatch Awards, Graphis, Print, One Show, New York Art Directors Club and Clio." (information taken from the artist's website)
You can support him and find the rest of his work through his website: John Burgoyne Illustration _
moss-mylk is interested in reading...
2w
I Eat the Stars: How to Live Fully and Beautifully in a Collapsing World
Sarah Wilson
From New York Times bestselling author Sarah Wilson comes a deeply moving, wise guide to finding joy and meaning in a world that seems to be falling apart Itās hard to escape the feeling that something is deeply wrong . . . that life has become precariously off-balance. We are hit hourly with headlines about catastrophic wildfires, unprecedented flooding, record heat waves, collapsing democracies, AI and nuclear threat, rising economic inequality, widespread unrest, and more. In I Eat the Stars, Sarah Wilson argues we are undergoing what every complex civilization before us hasāsystemic collapse. So how do we continue to live as sensitive humans amidst such a tumultuous shift? What does life look like when the systems we rely on deteriorate? Should we be having kids? How do we make financial decisions? Should we be prepping? And, most importantly, how do we avoid succumbing to doom and despair? In I Eat the Stars, Sarah Wilson delves into these pressing questions. Drawing on many years of research and wisdom gained from more than 200 conversations with philosophers, poets, game theorists, and spiritual leaders, Wilson takes readers on an intimate journey as she lays out a path for living fully, meaningfully, and beautifully through these troubled times. Our predicament, she argues, is ultimately an urgent call to us all to relish what is valuable to usāto eat the starsāand to return to our humanity once again. I Eat the Stars empowers readers to move beyond panic, doom, and despair. With her warm, incisively intelligent, wise, and down-to-earth voice, Wilson creates a space for readers to confront their fears and anxieties about an uncertain future, guiding them toward one rooted in truth, hope, justice, creativity, community, and to step up as āwarriorsā and meet the moment. We are in what we were warned about for decades. But from a crisis comes stunning possibility.
yourartistfriend commented...
2w
It's been okay! It's expectedly very brief on each of the artists so far, but it provides a jumping off point for research, which is what I'm using it for. I believe it is written in chronological order, and I just wrapped 1700s.
It's still very early, but sometimes it feels like these women are discussed in relation to men (colleagues, fathers, husbands, etc.) a little too much for my taste. That said, I can understand why the author chose to do that, as the book was written to point out the inequality in comparison to their peers, and also because women during this time often needed an "in" to even have space, materials or buyers for their work. In that way, mentioning the men that helped fascilitate this or that affected their life makes sense.
It's been very digestible so far, which is great because you aren't required to have any prior knowledge on art to dive into this topic.
These are just my first impressions! I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing some more diversity as we get into the 1800s art scene!
notbillnye finished a book
2w
Vicious
Victoria Schwab
A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers. Victor and Eli started out as college roommatesābrilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can findāaside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revengeābut who will be left alive at the end? In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.
yourartistfriend commented...
2w
Such a well-made template! Thank you for sharing this with all of us š„°
i am aware most people are not as into spreadsheets as i am, but if anyone is interested in it (or just likes making things as structured as possible), i'm sharing my rating spreadsheet below
this is what i actually use to rate most books (i don't use it always, specially with older / classic books, because i think the categories don't quite reflect what's actually relevant in classics). overall, though, it really helps me organize my feelings and think of an evaluation that better reflects my opinion on each book
it's super simple: there's 5 categories, each worth 1 star. every category has then 3 possible ratings: zero, half, and 1 whole star. just check whichever option makes more sense and the spreadsheet adds up the numbers automatically ā¤ļø and provides you with the final rating in the bottom ā¤ļø magic. seriously, how can people not appreciate the beauty of spreadsheets? /j
i came up with the qualitative descriptions to help assign a rating to each category, but if you want to use this template, you can write them however you'd like, of course. i mostly wrote what made sense to me. use it however you want!
š my book rating spreadsheet - view only | š my book rating spreadsheet - make a copy
it has two different color options in case you have beef with green+pink. to edit the template, make a copy :)
and follow me for more oddly specific sheet(s) š lol
yourartistfriend is interested in reading...
2w
De-/Anti-/Post-colonial Feminisms in Contemporary Art and Textile Crafts
Katy Deepwell
yourartistfriend is interested in reading...
2w
Stitching the Intifada: Embroidery and Resistance in Palestine
Rachel Dedman
Tatreez ā elaborate hand-embroidery ā is an ancient Palestinian craft characterised by remarkable beauty and complexity. Beginning with an introduction to the regional diversity of historic Palestinian dress, Rachel Dedman traces the politicisation of embroidery after the Nakba of 1948. From its evolution into a symbol of the nation, to its powerful presence during the First Intifada, and reimagination by contemporary artists, tatreez in Palestine embodies many forms of personal and public resistance
yourartistfriend is interested in reading...
2w
Between the Horns: A Book of Liminal Witchcraft
Elwynn Green
The real craft of the witch. Not pretty. Not polite.From deconstructing the pillars of magic to imparting wisdom on the use of tools and elements, Between the Horns breaks down witchcraft practices and makes them more digestible, helping you reach your full magical potential and build a more thoughtful, rewarding relationship with the liminal world.For decades, New Age mysticism has dominated and obscured the path to true traditional witchcraft. The witch of old was a figure surrounded by spirits, studying subtle changes in the landscape, living at the edges of societyācalled upon only by those whose desperation outweighed their fear.Modern witches have been led astray from the common sense so desperately needed in the craft. Through books, music, and screens, the media has painted a quaint picture of pointy-eared simpletons singing and making merry or pint-sized winged fairies dressed in scraps. The witch hasnāt escaped this rebranding. Hollywood has clung to the trope of the evil, demonic hagāout to cause disruption and wreak havoc on unsuspecting townsfolk.Elwynn Green removes these stigmas with a no-nonsense approach to practical magic from a traditional foundation. Between the Horns in-depth look at heuristic witchcraftHistory and origins of the workingA path from developmental awareness to complex energy workingsGuidance on black, green, and red magicsEncouragement to face the self and break taboosĀ For many, witchcraft may only be a phase. Something to become bored with and eventually discard. But for others, it becomes the lost note to the unfinished song they have been singing. Between the Horns invites you to explore and expand your esoteric knowledge and practice, leading you toward your full magical potential.
yourartistfriend TBR'd a book
2w
Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English
John Russell Rickford
Renowned linguist John R. Rickford and journalist Russell J. Rickford provide the definitive guide to African American vernacular English from its origins and features to its powerful fascination for society at large.
yourartistfriend TBR'd a book
2w
Black Women Writers at Work
Claudia Tate
The tone and spirit of this splendid volume of conversations with fourteen Black women writers is eloquently stated in Claudia Tate's introduction: "With one penetrating glance they cut through layers of institutionalized racism and sexism and uncover a core of social contradictions and intimate dilemmas which plague all of us, regardless of our race or gender." Responding to basic questions on the themes of why and for whom they write, and how they perceive their responsibility to their work, to others, and to society, these well-known playwrights, poets, novelists, and essayists talk about the connections between their lives and their art. Toni Morrison notes that the longing for commercial success "is a substitute for value in your life." Kristin Hunter is "interested in the enormous and varied adaptations of black people to the distorting, terrifying restrictions of society." Toni Cade Bambara wants readers to understand why women need to keep writing their "anger, dismay, disappointment, or just sheer bewilderment" about the woman-man thing: "Women are not going to shut up. We care too much... about the development of ourselves and our brothers, fathers, lovers, sons to negotiate a bogus peace." Nikki Giovanni speaks of alienation as a force which can produce vigor: "Our strength is that we are not comfortable any place; therefore, we're comfortable every place." In this superb collection, the answers, asides, and truth-telling are as diverse, dazzling, and large-spirited as the writers themselves. -- Description by Jesse Larsen from "500 Great Books by Women"
yourartistfriend commented...
3w
A compromise! šāāļø So glad you had a good experience and enjoyed swimming! Such good news š¤ø
Hello to everyone hanging about on Pagebound! I hope you're entering into August with a commitment to yourself and a determination to make the best out of whatever you are dealing with this month.
Iām feeling particularly in my element today sitting down next to the cards I pulled for us. I have loads of very messy notes in front of me, and two stacked cups from my coffee and tea on the side of my laptop, the top one which I started to use as a garbage can for candy wrappers and pencil shavings. You get the picture. š¬
Anyway! I am excited to talk about book inspiration for this month. This is usually a bit of a longer blog, so if you are interested, Iād love it if youād keep me company for a bit, and letās talk about books! :) _
How this works
I pull some cards for us and write a little bit about what Iām seeing when it comes to reading inspiration for the month ahead. You are welcome to simply take what resonates from the reading and move on with your day, or, if you think of any specific books that align with what Iām describing, comment those titles down below for people to check out. These readings donāt aim to be particularly predictive, and they arenāt meant to be taken as gospel. This is simply a bit of fun, something to bring you some reading inspiration if you need it, and an opportunity for us to further connect as a community.
_
Iām using the Lilifer tarot deck, created by Marion Costentin, published by Little Darkness. The spread is designed by me.
Here are the questions we will be looking at, and the cards we got. For a better experience, I recommend viewing the pictures below on the Pagebound website!
For our general reading potential and inspiration for August we have Ten of Wands, and potential issues are represented by the Ace of Swords. We have been getting high-powered Wands cards in this position since June. That fiery energy seems to still be there, and lots of it, and the Tens often symbolize a culmination of something. The thing with this kind of active energy is that being exposed to it for long periods of time can be overwhelming and hard to manage successfully. Considering we've been riding this wave since June, we might want to be cautious about how we proceed in our reading practice. The moment when we receive the Ten of Wands might just be a perfectly timely reminder to reassess our plans and strategies in order to prevent ourselves from taking on more than we can handle and burning out as a result.
The Ace of Swords as the potential issues hints at our ideas of what a successful reading practice looks like, prompting us to think about our reading not in relation to other people, but in relation to what we want to ultimately get out of it. There is nothing wrong with impulse reading, or jumping in on books our friends are planning for August, as long as we are honest with ourselves regarding how much we can handle at this time, and as long as we are clear that we are getting something valuable out of it. _
Let's look at some book inspiration for August. Five out of Six cards is of the Major arcana, so we are dealing with some big themes this month!
For non-fiction books, we have the Queen of Wands as the main theme, with Strength symbolizing the specific aspects of the theme. Our approach is illustrated by the The Hierophant (I love the way this artist depicted The Hierophant in this deck!)
The main theme is of the passionate and creative nature. This Queen is a mature figure that does not shy away from being who they are. They donāt consider themself as ever being too much, or too loud, or too weird. This Queen embodies confidence, inspiration, and all our passionate pursuits in life. They are led by a stubborn determination to achieve their goals and they have valid reasons for that self-assurance.
With this general theme in mind, the Strength asks us to look beyond whatās easily apparent. It asks us to explore what it takes to follow our heart despite everything that may be in our way. Weāre talking about books that directly or indirectly pay homage to the creative and the āunusualā souls in this world (individually or as a whole) diving deep into the complexities of what it means to take part in any creative act or passion project that is openly out there for other people to see: the road blocks and the problem-solving, the failures that stand behind every success, and the constant inner battle to stand firm for what we believe without becoming self-destructive.
This interpretation aligns with our book style and approach. The Hierophant is an experienced teacher and a wise guide. This card might suggest that those kinds of books that may be best for this are the books written by our elders, or generally by people who have much experience on the topic and are happy to share their stories if it means helping the community as a whole. We are looking at a wide selection of reading material: from books about specific artists or artist groups, to those about activists, community organizers, authors, figures from the occult world, and all kinds of performers (actors, singers, dancers, drag queens, etc.). This selection also includes books that are written as practical guides for the reader to directly engage with, so we might also want to consider how we show up in the world when it comes to our passions and what books might have useful tips and exercises for us to work through. _
Letās look at the bottom row of cards here, the ones that pertain to fiction books. We have nothing but the major arcana, and if you look at the illustrations, there is fiery energy in every single one of them! We arenāt dealing with the kind of stories that talk about quiet everyday life. This is the stuff of legends and adventures!
Our story theme is symbolized by the Judgement card. This is a card of transformation, one that has been in making for a long time. Often, this card talks about a welcomed change, but that doesnāt mean it isnāt a hard one. Our characters are vulnerable and at times very scared, but they are led by something bigger than themselves.
The card that represents our charactersā biggest struggles is The Emperor. This card often talks about leadership, authority and tradition, and in this position itās telling us that our characters are going against the grain in these stories and challenging the status quo. The change we are talking about in the Judgement card has to do with those in power. Our characters know that things have stopped working a long time ago and that change is necessary.
Our last card is The Chariot talking about the approach and the story framing. This is the card of the journey. This is a dynamic kind of story, one that is hard to put down. The road ahead is unclear, and there are most definitely hurdles and moments of weaknessā¦ but the commitment to the journey takes our characters through. There are growing pains, dangers and inconveniences, but they ultimately learn how to ride this chariot to victory. This kind of liberatory journey brings a chaotic energy, and our characters have to be okay with leaving what they once knew as their comfort zone in pursuit of a better world for everybody. _
Thatās some August musings, from me to you! If there were any specific book titles you thought of while reading, you can drop them in the comments, and maybe we can give some recommendations to one another. _
When it comes to my reading practice, I technically only finished one book in July, however I started and read most of one that aligned well with last month's cards, and then also went back to some of the ones I started before. Iām pretty happy with myself.
I honestly felt like I read every available second in July, but as someone who takes a bunch of notes and goes on research tangents every time something's interesting, I read very slowly. I read so many books in the past where I felt like I forgot the contents only a few months after, and that was getting to be a big problem for me. I didnāt feel like it was because I was not paying attention, things were just not sticking. Eventually I decided to take notes every time a book is interesting to me, so even if I have to re-read it, I can still look at my notes and remind myself of the important sections more easily, as well as reference them later on if needed.
Anyway! Just figured there may be other people like me who feel like they donāt always retain information well. I think our brains all function a bit differently to one another, and we just have to find what work best for us. That said, I donāt think that simply taking notes fixes everything for me, but it does make me feel more comfortable knowing that even if I donāt remember important information, it will likely be somewhere in my notes where I can easily find it.
Thank you for sitting with me for a bit today. Happy reading, and I hope something really nice and comforting happens for you in August. :) _
Previous readings: July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026
yourartistfriend commented...
3w
This was such a good time. I highly recommend it. I haven't written any reviews in ages but I'll write one for this to elaborate on my thoughts because I really hope people pick this one up!
( I'm honestly tempted to go back to the beginning and read it again but I have too many books yet to read this year so I'll try not to.... UNLESS it's a buddy read? š )
yourartistfriend finished a book
3w
It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic
Jack Lowery
Shortlisted for theĀ J. Anthony Lukas Prize The story of art collective Gran Furyāwhich fought back during the AIDS crisisĀ through direct action and community-made propagandaāoffers lessons in love andĀ grief. In the late 1980s, the AIDS pandemic was annihilating queer people, intravenous drug users, and communities of color in America, and disinformation about the disease ran rampant. Out of the activist group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), an art collective that called itself Gran Fury formed to campaign against corporate greed, government inaction, stigma, and public indifference to the epidemic. Writer Jack Lowery examines Gran Furyās art and activism from iconic images like the āKissing Doesnāt Killā poster to the act of dropping piles of fake bills onto the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Lowery offers a complex, moving portrait of a collective and its members, who built essential solidarities with each other and whose lives evidenced the profound trauma of enduring the AIDS crisis. Gran Fury and ACT UPās strategies are still used frequently by the activists leading contemporary movements. In an era when structural violence and the devastation of COVID-19 continue to target the most vulnerable, this belief in the power of public art and action persists.
yourartistfriend finished a book
3w
It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic
Jack Lowery
Shortlisted for theĀ J. Anthony Lukas Prize The story of art collective Gran Furyāwhich fought back during the AIDS crisisĀ through direct action and community-made propagandaāoffers lessons in love andĀ grief. In the late 1980s, the AIDS pandemic was annihilating queer people, intravenous drug users, and communities of color in America, and disinformation about the disease ran rampant. Out of the activist group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), an art collective that called itself Gran Fury formed to campaign against corporate greed, government inaction, stigma, and public indifference to the epidemic. Writer Jack Lowery examines Gran Furyās art and activism from iconic images like the āKissing Doesnāt Killā poster to the act of dropping piles of fake bills onto the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Lowery offers a complex, moving portrait of a collective and its members, who built essential solidarities with each other and whose lives evidenced the profound trauma of enduring the AIDS crisis. Gran Fury and ACT UPās strategies are still used frequently by the activists leading contemporary movements. In an era when structural violence and the devastation of COVID-19 continue to target the most vulnerable, this belief in the power of public art and action persists.
Mad Sisters of Esi
Tashan Mehta
Stunning cover design by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya. _
There isnāt too much online about Upamanyu aside from the fact that he is an illustrator and animation director based in Kolkata, India. He co-directed the award-winning animated short film āWade' and heās a writer-director on his first animated feature, āHeirloom'. He worked with Penguin Random House and Harper Collins and illustrated numerous book covers, picture books, and graphic novels. He founded Otter Studios with his wife Swati in 2021 and is a part of Ghost Animation, a collective of animators, artists and filmmakers from all across India.
Some other books Upamanyu worked on as an illustrated are: ~ āDhanapatir Char: Whatever Happened to Pedru's Island?ā by Amar Mitra ~ āScare Walkā by Andaleeb Wajid ~ "The Case of the Missing Water" by Shalini Srinivasan ~ āSometimes Mama, Sometimes Papaā by Nandini Nayar
You can support Upamanyu Bhattacharyya through: Instagram: @upamanyubhattacharyya
Some examples of Upamanyu's other work: (For a better experience, I recommend viewing the pictures below on the Pagebound website!)
*(if any of the links are broken, please let me know and I will update the post. Thank you!)
