I drew this last Tuesday as Jenny Odell interviewed Tessa Hulls for the launch of Tessa’s new graphic memoir, Feeding Ghosts. I’ve admired Tessa since she was an already heavily-mythologized senior at my high school and I was a 14-year-old freshman. Near the end of my high school years, I sought her out and made contact; she has continued to inspire me for nearly two decades. Feeding Ghosts is the most inspiring thing to date. What stands out about this book is the sheer ambition of Tessa’s research into the history of China and her matrilineal family line, paired with a willingness to dive into an emotional arc that goes, as you will read, totally against her modus operandi (or… modus cowboy). The pages are also beautiful.
Congratulations on finishing this book, Tessa.
Above is a panel in the book where Tessa mentions the “Under the Bed Gallery” that she curated during her time as a cook in Antarctica, years ago. She asked me to send a comic for that show and I’m still grateful!
Tessa is touring this book across North America right now and I recommend you catch her at one of her events.
Sophie Yanow is a Lambda Literary Award-nominated and Eisner Award-winning cartoonist. She writes and draws graphic memoir, nonfiction, and autofiction, and teaches in the MFA in Comics at CCA and privately. Read more here.
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