Operation: Yizkor!
A new podcast with Kayla E, some Yom Kippur thoughts & an old short story, my summit w/Gov. Walz, & more
The Virtual Memories Show News
A 2x/week email about a podcast about books & life
Podcastery
This week, I posted Episode 656 of my Virtual Memories Show, featuring a conversation with artist and designer Kayla E about her debut graphic novel, PRECIOUS RUBBISH (Fantagraphics), which explores and investigates the trauma of her upbringing, the fragments of her memories, and the process of reintegration. We talk about why comics were the perfect form for this project, how she found her iconography and the postwar children's comics style for it, what it was like to uncover her memories and get them on the page, how it feels to give her story to her readers, and how she's learning to respond when her readers share their trauma with her. We get into her comics-roots, what it was like to hit up her comics heroes, how she felt the moment Mark Newgarden told her she had a book on her hands, why Harvard is bad for getting a comics education, how her work as a graphic designer dovetailed with the incredible production of Precious Rubbish. We also discuss her recovery and her conversion experience, why her Bible kinda begins and ends with the Book of Job, her years of worry that she'd turn out as psychopathic as her parents and brother, why the Sopranos is her favorite work of art, what it means to not be loved by one's parents, and more. Give it a listen! And go read PRECIOUS RUBBISH!
Last week I posted Episode 655, where ICU nurse Hunter Prosper joined me to celebrate his wonderful new book, STORIES FROM A STRANGER: Every Person Has a Story (Simon Element). We talked about the ICU experiences that led him to start talking to strangers in public and asking them deep questions about their lives five years ago, how those conversations have changed him, why he started sharing them online, how he figured out the questions he wanted to ask, and how long it takes just talking to someone before they’re both comfortable with him recording the questions. Along the way, we got into how we each approach the dance of having a conversation with someone we’ve never met, what it was like to discover he had an audience, and how it felt to see a book-length version of this project. We also discussed how he wants to explore new ways of making his videos, how it felt to discover there’s a group-chat of his past strangers (that he’s not invited to), why he’ll always be a nurse first and not a ‘content creator,’ what he sees when he looks in the mirror, and more. Oh, and things got heavy once I told him it’s okay to ask me some questions, so give it a listen! And go read STORIES FROM A STRANGER!
Recent episodes: M.L. Rio • David Leopold • Dmitry Samarov • Ask Me Anything • Dan Goldman • David Levithan/Jens Lekman • Sacha Mardou
Operation: Yizkor!
Yom Kippur starts in a few hours. I haven’t gone to shul for a few years, but it’s the first since Dad died, so I’ll head out for Kol Nidre tonight, and go back in time for Yizkor tomorrow.
When I went in the past — usually with Dad when he was feeling his mortality and wanted to pray for his parents — I’d go outside with the rest of the lucky congregants who didn’t have an immediate family member to pray for. This time, I’ll stay.
Years ago, I wrote a short story about the time Dad had me take him to a Chabad congregation for Yom Kippur. It’s called Operation: Yizkor!; here’s a PDF.
Last weekend, a friend came to visit, and I talked about Dad a lot. He’d met him a few times at Thanksgivings, and understood how complicated our relationship was. It was the first time I opened up to anyone but my wife about how rough the final week in the hospital was. We talked about other stuff, and had a great time, but it turns out I really needed to share some of this stuff, because the images of that week, and some of the moments leading up to it, and what I did & didn’t do, remain overwhelming.
Anyway, I’m under the gun, and have work to do before I head out for COVID & flu vaxxes & then head out to shul — because if I’m going to afflict myself with fasting for 25 or so hours, why not add some immune-system shiftiness to it? — so for my brethren who are observing the holiday, I hope you have a meaningful experience, and that you feel atonement for what you want/need to atone for.
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Just so it’s not a TOTALLY depressing email, here’s a pic from last week in Minnesota, when I got to meet Gov. Walz:
And here’s the back of his head, when I was seated in the row behind him:
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Instaxery
Still no new Instax! I’m the worst.
Artistry
I didn’t draw anything this week, but I did finish my 2-page comic about Michael Denneny. So, whew.
You should go to the Flickr album of most of the art I’ve made & find something you like.
Postcardery
Let me know if you want to be on my postcard-a-day list. (Financial supporters of the podcast get a hand-drawn or painted postcard as a thank-you.)
Until Next Time
Thanks for reading this far. I’ll be back on Sunday with links, books, & workout-/meditation-craziness, and on Wednesday with a new episode, and maybe some more art & new Instaxes.
XXX,