Our Work Is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance

Syan Rose makes her trade debut by bringing together a stirring variety of queer voices to challenge normative notions of “work.” In the foreword, poet Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha describes the anthology as “a seed library passed around that kin near and far... can plant from,” which asks organizers to reimagine community work (including timely missives dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic). For the members of PLUMP! collective, it’s how creating Fat: The Play provoked radical vulnerability and a queer body-positive community; for trans activist Ceyenne Doroshow, it’s discovering empowerment in sex work and challenging the rigidity of traditional nonprofit structures; for incarcerated trans woman Amber Kim, it’s simply tapping the resilience to build trust and hope amid violence. For each piece, Syan Rose reinterprets the speakers’ words into expressionistic layouts, with dreamlike illustrations and a juxtaposition of poetry and prose. Though her hand-lettering and tendency to twist sentences into more visually pleasing curved lines sometimes impedes the readability, Syan Rose and her collaborators’ emotionality shines through. It’s an inspirational volume for current and aspiring queer community workers to “keep showing up” to build a better world together. (Apr.)