"I was fourteen and didn't want to be involved in any of this, but I was part of it as always, and as always, everyone kept asking me, What's wrong? Are you okay? Is something bothering you? At night I flung my pillow against my mattress and prayed to my fake jade statue of the Guanyin goddess to give me a different face so that people would stop looking at my current one and asking me what was the matter."
--> “You Fell Into The River and I Saved You!,” Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang
I read Sour Heart for a (forthcoming) review, and because of word count and sanity, I didn't get to cover all the things that the book brought up for me. On top of the often fucked-up circumstances of their lives, many of Zhang's characters are sad, feel like nothing, and are constantly battling big, bad emotions. In the background of several of the stories is childhood depression and the way the world treats sad and/or angry girls. I appreciated that Zhang explicitly included the pressure to be happy, which often degrades to the pressure to look happy,  in her stories about identity and family. Also included is the reaction to wish to be simply left alone, make the slide through life as easy as possible, already knowing that no one, even those that love you, are likely to help. That deceptively mild feeling of wanting to change because the world isn't going to and you are tired, even though you are a kid.

Sour Heart comes out on August 1.
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ETA:  Here's the review!

Please go check out my review of Passage by Tessa Brunton @ inkstuds.

I've got a review of Talamaroo 1-3 by Alabaster over at inkstuds.

At The Rumpus, I have a very short piece on the subject of Near and Far. Mine is on the second page, sitting right above some lovely art.

In terms of writing in general, these last few months have been different, better. I may not have the greatest ideas but the work has been coming easier and the results are more satisfying than they have been in a long time. In terms of grief writing, I have been experimenting with different forms and been surprised at what is coming out. This makes me hopeful for my upcoming zine project, which will be done, I think, by August. You seem a bit dubious; so do I.

In other writing news, it feels like the only place I can be compassionate is on the page. I hope this passes.

Check out my review of Tessa Brunton's In the tall grass, issues 2-4 over at inkstuds.

I have a little something over at The Rumpus, third item down.

I don't know what the selection process was like, but I'd like to imagine that there was one. I'm glad it was chosen, as I am trying to work out some things for my zine. I was so excited that I told some people at work, who, of course, wanted to read it. Then the shame of having written something sad and true, a shame I am trying to get over, reared its ugly head and I wished I hadn't said anything at all.

Exactly.

I review J.T. Yosts's Losers Weepers 1 & 2 over at inkstuds. Comment there!

Check out my review of Chuck Forsman's Wolf over at inkstuds.

Check out my review of J.T. Yost's Old Man Winter and Other Sordid Tales over at inkstuds.

Check out my review of Grant Reynolds' Comic Diorama over at the 'studs.

Check out my review of Susie Cagle's Nine Gallons over at inkstuds.

Check out my review of I Still Live by Annie Murphy over at inkstuds.

Check out my review of Corinne Mucha's My Every Single Thought over at inkstuds.

I have a new review over at inkstuds. This time I took a look at Prologue by Kenan.

Check out my review of Jin & Jam #1 by Hellen Jo over at inkstuds.

Check out my review of Jen Vaughn's Menstruation Station: Menarche Aboard! at inkstuds.

I have a new review of Runx Tales #1 over at inkstuds.

I have a review of Papercutter 9 featuring Aron Nels Steinke, Hellen Jo and Elijah Brubaker over at inkstuds. Enjoy.

I have a review of Sarah Oleksyk's comic series IVY over at inkstuds. Go leave comments!

My review of Trivial by the I Know Joe Kimpel folks is over at inkstuds. Check it out.