Hello hello, friends and good folk!

Happy International Workers Day / the start of NIF 2026! 😃 It’s been a while since my last newsletter, and I hope this one finds you as well as can be!

It’s with a tinge of despondence and a large dose of reality that I write to you today. I believe the time has come for me to acknowledge that I need to prioritize some much-needed surgeries for this year before I can move forward with more work.

Since my last newsletter, the carpal tunnel pain in my hands has increased to an intolerable daily level, and I haven’t been able to make any of the art I excitedly talked about in my last missive. It’s also why you haven’t heard from me in a while, too— after all, I thought, what should I send in an artist newsletter without any art to share?

So in order to force myself to face what needs to be done, I’m putting a pause on this newsletter for a bit to focus my attention on getting the care I need. It’s reached a point where I can barely hold a toothbrush or even type on a keyboard without pain, let alone hold a pencil long enough to make art. Each time I push myself through the pain, my baseline only worsens, and if I don’t get it taken care of now, I could cause even more permanent damage. So… back to the many doctors’ offices I go! 🥲

I’ve also decided that I’d like to pursue top surgery this year if I’m able to! I’ve thought about this possibility for many years, and my anxiety about drainage tubes is finally outweighed by my desire to get rid of the source of back pain, hidradenitis suppurativa outbreaks, heat intolerance, and other frustrations.

I want to take this moment to shout out the lovely Kameron White, specifically xer wonderful comic Cut Open, where xe talk about his experience with top surgery. It was the first time I’d seen fat people included in the conversation about top surgery. This comic was what encouraged me to start testosterone years ago, too, when I thought I could settle for that alone.

But after marinating on it for years, I’m finally ready! And I honestly owe a lot of my comfort with this decision to Kameron for being so open and kind about sharing xer experience, opening up my eyes to consider the possibility for myself. Thank you, Kam!

I’m genuinely excited to begin talking with my doctors about this, and my hope is to have the surgery by the end of this year at the latest! (…that better not have just jinxed it 😂)

Given my many disabilities complicating things and based on past surgery experience, I anticipate that a full recovery will likely be 8-12 months for top surgery alone, if not longer. I didn’t want to disappear from you completely without explanation. I plan to return here as soon as I’ve gotten through recovery and have seen evidence that I can continue my work without major concerns about deterioration.

So if you don’t hear from me again til next year, know that things are likely going great, and I’m making my way back here slowly! 😃

In the meantime, I’ll still be working on projects I have going on— namely, worldbuilding, character development, and scripting for a graphic novel I’ve had in mind for years.

I’m sad I’ll be away from this space for a while, but I know it’ll be worth it in the long run to have the ability to do more of the work I’m desperate to do! I wish you all the absolute best during this time, and I hope you and your loved ones stay well 💖

NIF 2026!

It’s time for round two of the Nib + Ink Fest!! 😃😃😃

They’ve got a ton of comics, portfolio reviews, and events again this year, and it’s all online through the end of this month! The events are all free, and there are some really great ones that I’m very excited to attend. Sign Language in Comics?? Representation through Trans Joy?? Hell yeah!

I’ll also be moderating a couple of the events on May 24 if you’d like to see brief evidence that I am indeed alive and well 😂

Anywho, you can kick things off this month with the Opening Ceremony happening later today!

Be sure to check out the event pages— you can add them to your personal calendar from there and set reminders for yourself.

I can’t wait to enjoy the fest and appreciate all the hard work this year’s NIF Committee has put into organizing it! Hope to see you there! 💖

RECENT FAVORITES

Here are some of my favorite things from the past few weeks (giving you a bunch now before I go lol):

Drinking: Harney & Sons Cherry Blossom Green Tea and some Whittard Lucky Lychee tea a friend kindly gave me

Eating: Homemade tan tan ramen and smothered steak (on separate occasions lol). Highly recommend the drop biscuits from Grandbaby Cakes, too!

Watching: The Pitt, of course, but also watching a ton of Ghibli movies— finally got my partner into both! lol To my surprise, I also started watching Bridgerton as a recommendation from a writing teacher, and now I’m hooked lol Excited for the queer romance next season!

Listening: World Anvil videos and I Think I’m in Love with You by Ambition

Reading: Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen and Celtic Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook by the sister and brother duo who run Candlelit Tales podcast

Using: A new mini table for working from my couch more again instead of my desk— it’s been helping with my hip pain a lot already!

Experiencing: Our chirping neighborhood flock of house sparrows that has returned amidst the flurry of cherry blossom flowers!

Doing: Video calls with my little sister every other week 💖

How about you? What have been some of your favorite things lately?

Hope this year is kind to you, and I can’t wait to talk with you again soon 💖 Thanks for reading!