Favourite Books of 2022

• Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
  • To use the common refrain, “this hit close to home” would be understatement. I’m pleased that there is a intelligent, nuanced, and feminine perspective of oilfield culture in Alberta, the boom years in the early 2000s, and transient work. I grew up in another oilfield heavy area in rural Alberta and related with much of the content in her graphic memoir.
• Women I Think About at Night: Traveling the Paths of My Heroes by Mia Kankimäki, Douglas Robinson (Translator)
  • A historical and personal journey of women, art, and travel including Karen Blixen, Yayoi Kusama, and Italian Renaissance painters Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, and Artemisia Gentileschi. It also explores what path these women took that veered off the historical societal expectations of women.
• East: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian recipes from Bangalore to Beijing by Meera Sodha
  • Amazing cookbook – vegetarian and vegan – it got me excited to make a meal. I found out I love and feel empowered in the kitchen with vegetarian cooking.
• Secrets of the Spakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World by Eliza Reid
  • In my humble opinion, Canada could look to Iceland for inspiration to increase its equity goals in societal systems.
• How to be a Climate Optimist: Blueprints for a Better World by Chris Turner
  • Turns out, I’ve been holding on to some climate anxiety for at least 5 years. This book helped me out of that hole and has prompted my interest in generational time.
• Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars by Francesca Wade
  • Reading about artistic women who lived outside of society’s norms in the early 20th Century England was fascinating and refreshing. You will learn about the lives of and how their lives intersected with each other during pivotal times of their creative pursuits.
• River of the Gods: Genius, Courage and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard
  • Millard is my new favourite historian and this book was a triad of exploration, rivers and geography, and colonialism. Excellent read and it show the arrogance of colonialism in both personal and societal history without telling.
• Intuitive Eating Workbook by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch
  • Two years into my “get healthy” journey, I bought this workbook and I found it incredibly helpful. There were some really helpful exercises to tap back into awareness of my body and and personal hunger cues. There are also useful journaling exercising about body image and past habits. Worthwhile if you are interested in lifelong health.
• Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland
  • Excellent blend of anthropology, history, philosophy, and science behind why we drink and what it does for and against us as a species. I’ve been waiting a long time for a book to approach the topic in this way and it didn’t disappoint.
• Geneviève Castrée: The Complete Works
  • I waited a long time to have this in my library. Castrée’s only published book, Susceptible, is a special book to me. This book of her unpublished work is a treasure and her work is incredibly inspiring to me.
• Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes
  • I never could have predicted that I would delve into classics in my reading life. It’s been really fascinating and rewarding. I discovered Natalie Haynes on a podcast, she is a super speaker and I recommend this book to any feminist looking to learn about Greek mythology. It will elevate your intellectual life.

History and Connecting the Dots

Since studying history in university, every year I keep learning the importance of our past. I believe the common statement is true: how can you understand who you are if you don’t understand where you came from?

Each new generation will approach the stories of the past with a new lens stemming from their challenges and dreams for the future. And there is something new to learn each time. Truth and fact becomes richer and more complex. It becomes clear that our challenges are not binary and need to be approached from as many angles as we can.

History is the common thread throughout everything I read this year – both macro and micro. I’m fascinated by the books examining moments of great change – the people and politics of 1890s-1920s. Greek myth. Colonial exploration of the world. The invention and history of alcohol. Personal histories of childhood and healing.

History guides my hope and bewilderment as to where we are heading in the future – it’s complex and it’s all connected.

Diversity Report

I’m really happy with the diversity of my reading this year! It’s among the most diverse since 2016. Back then, I found reading outside of my experience was sometimes mentally tiring. But now, it’s not at all. In fact, I seek it out.

One pleasant surprise is a mystery series with Ava Lee, a Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant and debt collector, written by Ian Hamilton. I was almost convinced that Ian Hamilton was a pseudonym because of his success in writing from a female perspective that doesn’t feel contrived and stereotypical. I’ve read two books and I’m learning a lot about China as well as international accounting crime. The series is fabulous and I highly recommend it. I would love to sit down with Ian Hamilton over some Chinese food and tea and hear all about how he developed Ava Lee as she’s a very compelling character.

I also discovered Val MacDermid this year, her mysteries are EXCELLENT.

Examining authors, topics, and geographic regions I read about this year, I feel that I got to “see” many different perspectives and experiences from around the world. For that, I’m grateful for every author I read this year. I think if I added diversity in topics and characters, it would be even higher.

• Black – 2
• Indigenous – 5
• Latinx – 0
• Middle Eastern – 0
• Asian – 5
• LGTBQ2S+ – 6
• White European – 27
• Total – 20/50

Reading Diversity Percentages

• 2022 – 40%
• 2021 – 36%
• 2020 – 37%
• 2019 – 25%
• 2018 – 22%
• 2017 – 65%
• 2016 – 22%

Reading Vibes for 2023

• Histories of Medicine and Health
• Reimagining the Future – Looking for hope and new possibilities among our biggest challenges for climate, human rights, and misinformation.
• Women and Art
• Learning New Pottery Skills – my creative life is shifting a bit – over the past year, it shifted away from drawing and over to pottery. I’m not going to try to force drawing over the next year but follow my pottery practice and where it intersects with drawing and story.

Sketchnote Explainer

Angelique introduced a new change growth chart that I really liked based on the work of Dr. Andrew M. Ibrahim. It was adapted a bit and in the session we did a really short online quiz to see where we were in the change process.

They shared different listening lenses that reflected unconscious bias to be aware of when listening to someone’s story, which include vulnerability, courage, letting go, and your own narratives. Angelique also emphasized situational awareness and by practicing and developing our own, we will increase our problem-solving skills.

Then, Julian Wilson shared his experience and a moving poem about his identity formation and how that relates to being anti-racist. We reflected on his work with breakout rooms – but there was a twist – Angelique said, “We have a variety of rooms to reflect that we all have a choice and we can create dialogues that are trauma-informed.” This was fantastic.

At the end, the group created their own list of ways to encourage anti-racism in the workplace and Angelique shared her ideas under the themes of

• Unpack Together – create space for you, staff, and leadership to discuss anti-racism.
• Educate Everyone – do not settle for standardized policies. Have a budget to train all.
• Empower Staff – support staff in leading change. Have EDI paid positions in your organization.

I learned so much in this 60 minute session and would recommend Angelique and Julian’s session to any organization.

Links:

• Angelique Bulosan’s website
• Grown to Growth Zones visual based on Dr. Andrew M. Ibrahim (Twitter)
• UAlberta Event page
• My previous sketchnotes

I created a HUGE recommended reading list based on this conversation in GoodReads. It’s 30+ books and covers everything from creativity, to health, to science, to adventure.

I have a lot of gratitude for Morgan and this podcast project. She’s sought out women to have vulnerable conversations with about what what we want out of life and how each woman approaches finding and living by their own values. The interviews display a variety of personal experience and perspectives. It’s great to see chats like these out in the world, especially focused on women living in Alberta. I’m not sure if the Alberta part was intentional but I saw it and I dig it.

Check out her website and keep an eye on it! Morgan is sharing her beautiful art with the world and she often takes on new exciting projects that you’ll want to see.

Well, I hope you are curled up and cozy, with a cup of coffee, because this is the most significant reading year I’ve ever had.

All in all, I read 54 books. I bested my all-time high by 6 books. How? COVID-19 isolation. My happy place has always been with my nose in a book and I went for it this year with no guilt.

My reading life reflects my curiosities and challenges in 2020. There’s self-help, motivation, racial and indigenous justice… then March came… and I leaned heavily into graphic novels, classics, science fiction, advocacy, Buddhism, outdoor adventure, history, environmental science, and murder mysteries.

Reading Diversely

In June, I wrote a piece about the trajectory of my reading diverse project that I began in 2016. It is clear that there is still a problem with diversity in publishing. Yes, part of the problem rests with me but I also think the “micro stats” of my reading also display there is a systemic problem with who is being published and how they are marketed to the public. There was recently a big opinion piece in the New York Times, “Just How White Is the Book Industry?”, outlining the problem and the current statistics of who’s getting published and what they are being paid. Hopefully, now that this issue is getting more in the mainstream media, we will start to see some changes in the large publishing houses that dominate the market.

If there is anyone is the publishing business reading this – I sincerely long to read new stories and diverse perspectives. Please make this happen and I will spend money. Also, please hire even more diverse graphics designers for appropriate book covers.

Here’s how my diversity statistics came out this year:

• Black – 10
• Indigenous – 2
• Latinx – 1
• Middle Eastern – 1
• Asian – 3
• LGTBQ2S+ – 4
• White – 37

This number likely isn’t exact as I didn’t deep dive the author’s history, mostly just googled their name to check photos. And I only counted the LGTBQ2S+ if the author mentioned it in their work.

So, for diverse authors, I read 21 out of 54, which is 38%. Whomp, whomp :(

But, sadly, this is an OK number when put in context to what the book industry is publishing. The article in the NYT has an alarming chart that shows from their data collection that only 11% of books written in 2018 were written by people of colour. In 2018, I only managed to read 22% diversely.

The good news is that half of interns at major publishing houses this year are of diverse backgrounds and hopefully they will continue to climb and find success. Also, the books of diverse writers sell like crazy – the people are hungry for these stories. Let’s keep our foot on the gas.

New Discoveries

The big world of environmental science, non-fiction. I emotionally can not read books about climate change. I have tried in the years before and it always turns into a personal anxiety crisis.

If this sounds like a problem you have run into as well, but like myself, you wish to read more about the environment and contribute to positive change well, I have good news! There are alternatives out there. This genre will arm you with environment and natural science know-how and give you deep appreciation for our natural world. With that gained knowledge, I’m hopeful that I will be able to make personal changes and advocate for changes to address our climate crisis. I hope to share some reviews of the gems I’ve read this year and in 2021.

Murder mysteries! I’m really into Agatha Christie and enjoy how she explores both the light and the dark of human existence.

My introduction to Indigenous fiction, Indians on Vacation by Thomas King, really rocked my socks off. It was unnerving and comforting to read the experiences of the characters that reflected parts of my lived experience in rural Alberta. There was a section of the book that referenced Indigenous history that I researched this year, ranging from residential schools to the meeting place of Wetaskiwin, which is the region I grew up in (Battle River Valley). I’m still grappling with my growing understanding of the similarities of rural culture and Indigenous culture. I’m more supportive than ever of Canada’s goal of Truth and Reconciliation.

My Top Picks of Books Read in 2020

• Underland by Robert MacFarlane
  • Mysteries of the underground!
  • Historical exploration, rooted in geography, of places I’ve visited in my travels (such as Slovenia).
  • Exploration of the impact of words and our species relationship with nature.
• She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
  • Systemic issues of sexual harassment and assault.
  • The power of collective action.
  • Behind-the-scenes of journalistic rigour.
• War: How Conflict Shapes Us by Margaret MacMillan
  • Exploration of why we go to war as a species.
  • History of militaries and impact on civilizations.
  • Insights into the impact of militaries on a global scale.
• Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris
  • Nature and philosophy
  • Self-reflection on a long trek
• Tracks by Robyn Davidson
  • On being tough as nails. (link to illustrated book review)
  • Indigenous history in Australia.
  • Solo trekking.
  • Camels.
• Rivers of Power by Laurence C. Smith
  • So much science on rivers!
  • Learned about people settling near rivers and why.
  • A great accompaniment to our road trip of northern AB and BC this spring, especially regarding dams.
• The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K Jemisin
  • Amazing world building by N.K Jemisin
  • Metaphors and analogies of contemporary racial injustice
  • Introduced me to the world of geology
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  • It’s OK to be cozy. (link to illustrated book review)
  • Family life meditation.
  • Importance of creating a cozy and inclusive home.
• Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
  • Indigenous joy.
  • History of Indigenous people in Alberta.
  • Intergenerational trauma and resiliency.
• You Belong: A Call for Connection by Sebene Selassie
  • Basics of Buddhism.
  • Creating community connection within yourself and with others.
  • Resilience and coping.

So if you saw that presentation or are on the journey of learning/unlearning yourself, here’s some excellent writing and art to dig into.

Books

Here’s a list of books that taught me a lot and have stuck with me – some fiction, some non-fiction, but all have given me some new perspective and ways of thinking. Also, I’m preemptively sharing my Reading Diversely experiment results below:

• We want to read diversely, so we need to talk about publishing – my blog post with the hard numbers about my reading diversely challenge since 2016.

• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
• The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K Jemisin
• The City We Became by N.K Jemisin
• 21 Things You Didn’t Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
• The Culture Map by Erin Meyer

Self-Care

• The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
• White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
• The Way, the Enemy, and the Key trilogy by Ryan Holiday
• You’re Not Listening by Kate Murphy
• Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett
• Conflict Resolution and Healthy Relationships – a blog post I wrote after working through healthy conflict.

Podcasts

• Media Indigena
• Hurry Slowly – a longtime fave of mine for self-improvement
  • Sebene Selassie: The Delusion of Separation
• On Being
  • Robin DiAngelo and Resmaa Menakem: In Conversation
  • Eula Biss – Talking About Whiteness
• Death, Sex, and Money – a serious fave and deep on empathy.
• Unlocking Us with Brene Brown
  • Brene with Austin Channing Brown on I’m Still Here: Black Diginity in a World Made for Whiteness
• The Secret Life of Canada
• RadioLab
  • The Flag and the Fury
• 1619
• Come Through with Rebecca Carroll
  • Waubgeshig Rice Saw This Apocalypse Coming
• Chosen Family

Free Online Course

• Indigenous Canada from the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta

This should get you going! I’d love to see your recommendations in the comments :)

Also, you may have noticed this is my second collaboration with Titilope. If you are interested, here’s the link to my interview with her on my former podcast, Migration Patterns.

Have you ever wondered who lived on the land of your hometown before your ancestors? I really started to wonder in earnest this summer. Four generations ago, my family were Norwegian homesteaders that came to the Alberta prairies, some even by covered wagon, from states such as Minnesota and North Dakota .

I thought, “this land was certainly not empty prior to their arrival, so why haven’t I learned any history of my village, county, or region before the settlers?” It’s barely, or not at all, mentioned in our community cookbooks, our local museum, or even in social studies throughout elementary and high school. I recall fur traders and the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Years ago, my buddy Chester, mentioned to me about an ancient, Indigenous ceremonial ground just outside of the village I grew up in. I gathered that he was describing the Viking Ribstones. I didn’t really follow up and truthfully, I wasn’t mature enough to pursue local history at that time.

Turns out, I made incorrect assumption. Surprise, surprise… as I’m sure you have found out (as I have the hard way) that assumptions don’t serve us in the slightest. Chester was right.

Fast forward to 2020, a year that is dedicated to learning and unlearning, questioning previous assumptions, and looking for answers and actions. I asked again, “Who was on the land before my ancestors?”

I reached out to an acquaintance from my hometown who pointed me in the direction of the Iron Creek Meteorite and Battle River Valley. It’s also known as the Manitou Stone, or papamihaw asiniy in Plains Cree, and is currently housed in the Royal Alberta Museum. I was also directed to a history book on the Battle River Valley and found out that is the ecological area of my hometown region.

The Manitou Asiniy is a meteorite; 320 lbs of almost pure iron that has been dated to be about 4.5 billion years old. It is a sacred stone to the Indigenous people of what is now Alberta and Saskatchewan, including more tribes than the Plains Cree and Blackfoot listed in my illustration. From a certain angle, it is said that the face of the creator can be seen in the stone. For generations upon generations, the Manitou Asiniy was located on Straw Stack Hill near Iron Creek until 1866. A Reverend named George MacDougall, a Protestant Methodist, removed the stone to relocate it to the Mission at Fort Victoria (about 100 km NE of Fort Edmonton) in hopes drawing more Indigenous people to the Mission if the stone was there. MacDougall was warned by the Indigenous that there would be dire consequences as result of the stones removal and yet it was still flagrantly taken. What this story shows me is a lack of respect and disregard for the wishes of the Indigenous peoples of the Battle River Valley.

I have more research to do about the following 100 years to find out how they were driven off the Battle River Valley. Significant events happened soon after the removal of the Manitou Stone starting with a devastating smallpox outbreak that killed approximately half of the Indigenous population of the area. Then, the death of the buffalo and resulting starvation of the tribes living in the valley. In 1876, after ten years of devastation to the Indigenous people, Treaty 6 was signed and the Battle River Valley was now under the colonial powers and reserves would soon be established.

I go deeper into the history and the land. To try and make sense of it all, I ended up drawing a not entirely accurate map of the Battle River Valley and then plotted the important Indigenous landmarks in the area. This includes the Ribstones, Manitou Asiniy, and Treaty Hill. To layer on a modern context, I included some of the primary highways and municipalities of the region.

“Treaty Hill” was a traditional meeting place for Indigenous people who lived in the area. It is a noted location in the Palliser Expedition and as frequent place of assembly for the Surcee tribe (who are now known as the Tsuu T’ina First Nation who reside near Calgary) and are thought to have left the area before the signing of Treaty 7. To add to my surprise, Treaty Hill is Hisliwaornis Kahkohtake in Plains Cree that translates to “flag hanging hill” or “flagstaff hill”. The name of the county I grew up in (and had no idea of the etymology of its name): Flagstaff County.

Many different tribes have lived in the Battle River Valley:

• Blackfoot
• Metis
• Plains Cree
• Surcee
• Stoney

It makes me dizzy contemplating the missed opportunities, the learning, the relationships that have been missed because this history hasn’t been embraced.

The Manitou Asiniy Gallery in the Royal Alberta Museum is currently closed due to COVID-19 precautions. The diorama is supposed to recreate the feeling of the land where the stone used to lie in the Battle River Valley, near the Iron Creek.

There have been discussions about returning the stone to the First Nations. For now, it is held at the Royal Alberta Museum until the tribes decide they would like to house the Manitou Stone elsewhere. It is complicated as Indigenous leaders agree the stone belongs to all First Nations, not just one, which why there has been no resolution of who or where it would be returned to.

What the Iron Creek region lost all those years ago because of the stone’s removal and, more importantly, the Indigenous people, is incalculable. I feel sorrow that this history is not widely known.

In terms of documenting history, how do white people move forward to act on Truth and Reconciliation? In this case, I would love to see us un-centre our homesteader history and focus on other perspectives – not just in cities but in our smaller communities too. I’m not saying ignore the homesteader experience; let’s also give other perspectives the same attention and consider how it’s all connected.

I seriously wonder, is it just me who didn’t know this? It all feels obvious to me now. It was relatively easy to track down information and to learn about it. Did I have my head in the sand, scared of what I would find? The only thing I can do is lean into the discomfort and continue researching.

Are you interested in discovering the Indigenous history in your hometown? I’d love to hear about your experience.

Research Sources

1. Canada’s Iron Creek Meteorite by C.E Spratt
2. Battle River Watershed Alliance website
3. Heritage Barns of Flagstaff website
   • Straw Stack Hill/Iron Creek Hill
   • Treaty Hill/Flagstaff Hill
4. Prairie People and Places: Stories from the West website
   • A Sacred Site: The Buffalo Ribstones by Viking
5. Spirit of the Stone by Wayne Arthurson
6. First Nations college calls for return of sacred meteorite from Alberta museum by Jen Gerson
7. For a look at the Manitou Asiniy Gallery
   • Focus on the Gallery: Manitou Asinîy, Royal Alberta Museum from Kubik, Museum Exhibit and Fabrication designers who worked on the new RAM.
8. The Battle River Valley by J.G MacGregor (book borrowed from the University of Alberta)

News Articles on the Repatriation of the Manitou Asinîy

1. Manitou Asinîy will be returned home, thanks to the efforts of Elders, leaders and funding from Alberta By Crystal St.Pierre, Windspeaker, October 14th, 2022.
2. Creator’s Stone meteorite to be returned to original site in Alberta By Sarah Chew, Cole Fortner, and Alejandro Melgar, CityNews Edmonton,  September 30, 2022.
3. Returning Indigenous artifacts from RAM important but complicated, experts say By Stephanie Swensrude, Taproot Edmonton, March 22, 2024.

In this post, I’m going to outline where I was and then dig into my reading stats since 2016 to see if there has been improvement.

If you are on the start of your journey of unlearning racism and realizing white privilege – I’ve shared some books that I’ve read and learned from over the past couple of years (found at the bottom of the post). I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below too.

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read)

• The publishing industry is hella white and that prevents true visibility of diverse writers.
• When not actively aware of reading diversely, I can not seem to break my trend of only reaching 22% books read in a year by diverse writers.
• This is weirdly reflective of the diversity percentages of who is working in publishing.
• Moving forward, there are tactics we can employ to support writers and push for equity in publishing.
• Everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in books (and popular culture overall). We need to reflect on the damage of the dominance of the white perspective in publishing and encourage moving forward to honour everyone’s experience.

2016 – Reading White Ladies

So ya, I was starting from square one. When I reread my blog post from 2016, I remember how nervous I felt just breaking this into categories in a respectful way (and did an evening of research to figure it out). Now that I reflect back, I don’t think I thought, “I don’t see colour” but I definitely did not feel equipped to discuss race in a frank and open manner. I was starting to realize I didn’t know much about diversity… and I had no idea how much I needed and was about to learn over the next 4ish years.

Even so, this list is still embarrassing… why didn’t I say White Cis Female and White Cis Male? I’m pretty sure I listed this in terms of most read to least read but I’m not digging it. I’m upending this list for the rest of the post.

Here’s the stats:

• Cis Female: 30/45
• Cis Male: 12/45
• LGBTQ+: 3/45
• Brown: 3/45
• Asian: 2/45
• Indigenous: 1/45
• Black: 0/45

22% of my book reading was written by a diverse author.

2017 – Actively Trying to Read Diversely

In 2017, I was avidly trying to read diversely and it was illuminating. However, when I tallied up how I did over the course of the year, I was dismayed. I only read 65% diversely that year. My partner sent me the Lee & Low Baseline Survey (2015), which monitors the publishing industry for diversity and what’s being published. I was shocked at the numbers and I’m really appreciative of this study to show the pervasiveness of the white perspective in the industry.

According to the survey, just under 80 percent of publishing staff and review journal staff are white. The rest are comprised of Asians/Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (7.2 percent), Hispanics/Latinos/Mexicans (5.5 percent), Black/African Americans (3.5 percent), and biracial/multiracial people (2.7 percent). Native Americans (0.5 percent), and Middle Easterners (0.8 percent) of publishing staff.

Diversity Baseline Study 2015, Lee & Low

What was most curious to me was how I felt throughout the year. Sometimes, I felt tired by the challenging reading and new perspectives that I would fall back to my comfortable ‘white lady’ books for ‘a break’. Then, I clued in and thought, “holy shit, people from other backgrounds must get so tired of reading about the white perspective.”

There is something calming about reading another person’s work whose perspective is similar to your own – it helps you feel not alone and I think EVERYONE should have that chance. Other ethnicities have been denied that to this day due to barriers in publishing and society at large.

2018 – Fallen off the Wagon

In 2018, I didn’t consciously focus on reading diversely and it shows. Ugh. Here are the numbers:

• Black – 3/48
• Indigenous – 2/48
• Brown – 1/48
• Asian – 4/48
• LGTBQ2S+ – 1/48
• White – 37/48

22% of my book reading was written by a diverse author.

Yikes. This is a shame as its shows not being aware took me right back to where I started.

With access to other learning opportunities, I was waking up to the atrocities towards Indigenous peoples that Canada is guilty of. I went to work events that were informative and difficult. Reflecting back, I made mistakes while I was learning – I was on the cusp of realizing my own white privilege and fragility but not quite there yet.

2019 – Learning and Unlearning

This year, I leaned more into attending more EDI events at my workplace. I thought I was making good strides in my learning. But upon analysis of my reading again… the numbers are not better.

• Black – 1/44
• Indigenous – 0/44
• Brown – 1/44
• Asian – 7/44
• LGTBQ2S+ – 2/44
• White – 33/44

25% of my book reading was written by a diverse author. HOW DO I BREAK OUT OF THIS CYCLE?! WHY IS THIS DIFFICULT!? There are so many incredible diverse writers. Arrrrggggghhhhh!

I want to read interesting and different stories. It looks like I need to be more aggressive; do more research and keep making a concentrated effort to seek them out. Wouldn’t it be amazing if diverse writers and stories were as easy to find as the current “mainstream” ones? Is it weird that my numbers are in line with diversity of staff in publishing houses in the U.S? YES.

LET’S FIX THIS PUBLISHING WORLD!

2020 – Digging Deeper (Personally and Professionally)

In 2019, Lee & Low did another survey to see where we are after 2015’s results. Recent years have been a historic moment in history; powerful shifts like the #MeToo movment, more visibility for diverse writers, and most recently, the Anti-Racism movement that’s happening right now.

Has the publishing industry changed? I’m willing to wager not much by analyzing my simplistic reading statistics, which is both my fault as well as systemic problems in society.

Let’s find out…

“The 2015 survey reported that overall, 79 percent of people who work in publishing self-report as White. Given the sample size difference, this 3 percent change in White employees does not meet the bar for statistically significant change. There is no discernible change to any of the other racial categories. In other words, the field is just as White today as it was four years ago.“

Diversity in Publishing (2019), Lee & Low

I’m closely watching #PublishingPaidMe as authors push for more transparency and better payment for Black authors. I think there are clear connections to the dominance of White people in publishing to issues of access to diversity. Writer Michael W. Twitty laid out some of the issues (screenshot below).

It is important that if we want to see more diversity in books that we support authors by purchasing and/or reviewing their work to increase their visibility.

Moving Forward – Foot on the Gas

By writing this post, I’ve learned that I consciously have to seek out diverse writers and be mindful of the systems in place that prevent me from discovering these authors when I’m not vigilant about it. Here’s how I’m doing so far.

• Black – 8/54
• Indigenous – 3/54
• Latinx – 0/54
• Middle Eastern – 1/54
• Asian – 4/54
• LGTBS2S+ – 4/54
• White – 26/54

In 2020, 37% books read this year were written by diverse authors. Time to get researching and purchasing (especially Indigenous, Latinx and Middle Eastern writers).

Books on Equity that are a Good Place to Start

These are books that I’ve read in the past year. They cover different aspects of inequality in our world.

White Fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism by Robin DiAngelo

Read this for tools on how to identify your white fragility and learn how to approach how you come to the work of anti-racism. It’s self-reflective, educational, and important.

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph

Bob Joseph explains the effects of the Indian Act of Canada. It’s shameful. This will impart a need to stand up for First Nations people and support them how THEY want to move forward in the future.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah’s memoir about growing up in South Africa is remarkable. I had so many “ah ha!” moments while reading it and it has stayed with me since reading it in 2018.

“People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” That’s the part of the analogy that’s missing.”
― Trevor Noah, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

Good Company: The Community Issue (Issue 1) by Grace Bonney

This issue (a short-lived magazine that was AMAZING) features many stories of diversity and creating an inclusive community. I especially enjoyed the pieces sharing perspectives of those living with disability.

It’s been a bit over a week and to keep busy I’m participating in an Instagram drawing community organized by Edmonton artist, Emily Chu.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emily Chu (@heyemilychu) on Mar 16, 2020 at 7:58am PDT

So here are mine, right from my sketchbook. Hopefully, I’ll keep going and give a weekly recap on the blog as we move forward with this new, fragile ‘normal’.

You can see I’m getting better at scanning my work as I moved through the week. Hooray! If you want to see any of these larger, you can right click and view in a separate tab.

Thanks for all the encouragement on Instagram this week, friends!

I find that alcoholism and sober lifestyles are being discussed and explored more and more in mainstream culture. Or, I’m just aware now that I’m in it. In any case, here’s an excerpt from my comic Sober Summer of the articles, shows, and websites that helped me on my journey and I hope they help you too!

Find the links to everything below :)

Read

Brene Brown – “What Being Sober has Meant to Me”

Sarah Levy in Cup of Jo – “Why I Gave Up Drinking and How it Changed My Life“

David McMillan in Bon Appetit – “My Restaurant was the Greatest Show of Excess You’d Ever Seen and It Almost Killed Me“

Watch

Tuca and Bertie by Lisa Hanawalt (Netflix)

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot by Gus Van Sant (Amazon Prime)

Listen

Death, Sex, and Money podcast with Anna Sale

• Jason Isbell and Will Welch: Somebody Needs Me

• A whole series on alcohol

How Tamara Mellon Gets it Done on The Cut on Tuesdays podcast

Make

I found great non-alcoholic recipes on these websites and there are some fantastic non-alcoholic drinks on the market now too.

imbibemagazine.com

seedlipdrinks.com

bonappetit.com

No matter what. Even if I didn’t do anything bad at all – these feelings still come like a tidal wave. One morning, I woke up, had all the feelings, took myself out to brunch and reflected. By the end of brunch I had decided I was done doing this to myself and going to quit drinking.

By a happy coincidence, I started documenting the whole experience with short comic strips. The further I went, the more patterns I saw. And thus, this comic book was born!

Once I was finished, I had a tale of self-awareness, habits, mistakes, sober curiosity, and finding joy.

I’ve had so many cool conversations with people this summer about the awkwardness of social situations sober, finding a drink that is non-boozie but still fits in at an after-work function, or simply getting started. I aimed to address some of these hurdles by documenting the situations that I encountered.

Check out my Etsy shop to purchase a print copy :)

Thank you in advance for your support – I would love to hear your stories about drinking and sober curiosity in the comments below.