MY LITTLE MEMOIR

     I've now completed three issues of MY LITTLE MEMOIR, a perzine about me, in which I spill all the embarrassing/weird/funny/sad secrets of my childhood and teen years. I'm listing them on Etsy as I complete them. They are all "chapters" culled from my writings during November 2017's National Novel Writing Month, or "NaNoWriMo." It's super fun, and also a little bittersweet sometimes, going through old photos, and reliving significant (to me) events.

     You can find these, plus other zines & comics & art prints, in the TOMMY KOVAC ETSY SHOP.

     "Fatty Fatboobs" parts one and two is about my first high school "girlfriend," and some really shitty stuff my friend "Abby" (real name withheld to protect the not-so-innocent) and I did to her, because we were ALL fucked up back then, being tormented by various factions, and taking it out on each other. And of course I was closeted, and terrified of anyone finding out I was gay. Also terrified of BEING gay. But there's humor in just about anything, in retrospect.

     "1975: Now We Are Four" is the first portion I wrote during NaNoWriMo, and reads the most straightforward as memoir. I don't embellish or fictionalize in that one. And I used lots of photos. Topics include: stuffed animals, the house I grew up in, my dog Happy, grandparents, an awesome avocado tree, Santa, and the Easter Bunny.

#TommyKovac #perzine #zine #diy #writing #indie #autobiography #memoir #humor #bildungsroman #MyLittlePony #gay #LGBTQ #LGBT #queer #nostalgia #1980s #1970s

NEW ZINES SERIES : "My Little Memoir"

     For November 2017's "NaNoWriMo" (National Novel Writing Month), I chose to pursue the advice we've all heard: "Write what you know."

     By the end of the month, I had 50,000 words fictionalizing my youth and teen years. I started out writing just the facts as I know them, but then drifted quickly into a more narrative style. That's when I started to really enjoy it. But it also means I can't claim it to be nonfiction. HOWEVER, I have a really good memory, and many people close to me are frequently surprised by all the shit I remember, even from way, way back. And I remember DETAILS.

     At any rate, I like what I've come up with, and thought I'd experiment with sharing some of it in the form of a perzine called My Little Memoir. There are 17 chronological chapters. But I wanted to release #12 first, because it was during this chapter in particular that I felt the "thing-ness" of this project. I'll make them available in my Etsy Store (www.etsy.com/shop/tommykovac) as I finish editing them one-by-one.

MY WONDERCON 2015 SCHEDULE



PRE-WONDERCON:

 Thursday, April 2nd, I'll be participating in this (FREE!) pre-WonderCon event at Chapman University, and selling & signing my books:
April 2, 6-8pm, Argyros Forum, room 119A
(Flyer artwork by Ross Loehman)
4/2/2015 UPDATE: Here's the final version of the Salon flyer:
AT WONDERCON:
Saturday, April 4th, I'll be signing from 5pm-6:30pm at booth #809 (Prism Comics).
Then at 7pm that same day I'm participating on this panel:
Fairy Dust: LGBTQ Disney Fandom - Saturday, April 4, 2015, 7:00p.m. – 8:00p.m., Anaheim Convention Center Room 211
Disney is popular around the world.  And Disney characters, films, comics, media and theme parks are especially popular among the LGBTQ community.  Young or old, LGBTQ folk identify with the stories, characters, the fantasy and the imagination. Since you are next door to the “Happiest Place on Earth” join Prism Comics and Disney fans as they explore why the queer community loves all things Disney. Panelists include Dusty Sage (Founder and CEO of MiceChat.com), Tommy Kovac (Skelebunnies, Wonderland), Momma (Anaheim Gay Days; expert on Disney Parks and Disneyana), Jimmy Sherfy (Disney Cosplayer and Animation Enthusiast), Sarah Sterling (Disney Fandom YouTuber, Feminism and Queer Studies Specialist), Joseph Titizian (Disney Historian and Featured Blog Writer) and Barry V (Disney Cosplayer and Animation Enthusiast). Moderated by Ted Abenheim (Prism Comics Board Member).   
     It's kind of a funny topic, because LOTS of people are obsessed with Disney, not just the gays. And I do NOT love "all things Disney." I hate that goddamn Little Mermaid, I hate the "Disney Princess" cult, I find "Finding Nemo" to be a big bland yawn, Cinderella is a passive twat, and I dislike musicals in general. But I think the Prism organizers know this, and have invited me anyway. So I will politely bring my rotten little contrary attitude to the table.
     Here's some Disney I DO love: The original animated "Alice In Wonderland," the Alice In Wonderland ride, the Haunted Mansion ride, Mary Poppins, the movie "Return To Oz," "Sleeping Beauty," the Peter Pan ride, and adorable animated squirrels and bunnies.

WONDERCON 2014 : Queer Directions panel

     Ed Luce (co-panelist) was kind enough to post a link to this article on Facebook, in which the journalist paraphrases our gay panel. Some of it is a little not-exactly-correct, but it's close enough and they said some very nice stuff about the panel overall. Too bad the photos weren't taken from a higher angle, and too bad they didn't use special flattering lighting on me, and maybe a wind machine. And vaseline on the lens.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/04/25/there-were-many-directions-for-new-directions-in-lgbtq-comics-at-wondercon/

WE'RE HERE, WE'RE QUEER, DON'T CUSS...

The innocuous front side of the nameplate
     Just finished 2 days at WonderCon 2014 in Anaheim. Love having it in our hometown.
     Prism Comics asked me to be on a panel discussion called "We're Here, We're Queer, Now What? New Directions in LGBTQ Comics," or something to that effect.
     I've been on numerous panels at comics conventions since I started doing comics back in 1999, but this is the first time I've seen a warning on the back of my nameplate. Well, not just mine, everybody's had this on the back:

     The moderator had mentioned the "18 Warning," or else I might not have noticed it. I think it was on the back of ALL the nameplates for the entire convention, I don't think it was just for the GAY panels. But it's stupid, right? It doesn't even specify what it's supposed to mean. It doesn't say don't cuss, or don't show dirty images, it just says "...be AWARE that many members of your audience may be under 18 years of age." Well, no shit. I'm aware. So fucking what?
     But because of that stupid warning and my "awareness" of it, I was saying something in response to the moderator's question, and instead of saying, "fucking" like I had intended, I stammered out the awkward, "effing." Which I hate. Hate it when people puss out and substitute that. It's not like anybody of any age is going to be unaware that it stands for the real F word.
     Sigh. Whatever. I think I said "shit," and maybe even blurted out an entire "fuck" during the panel. I just thought it was funny more than anything, having that impotent little warning staring at us, begging us to think of the children.
     The other 3 creators on the panel were talking about graphic lesbian sex, gay "bear" culture, bisexualism and various other things some people might find taboo. But we were all "aware." ;)
     I don't think we should shelter kids from the idea of free speech, right?
     After my brain has settled a little, I might post more details and thoughts on the convention. It was really fun, especially since we hadn't been to a comics convention in a few years.

     In case you're wondering, I was on the panel with the following creators:
Josh Trujillo
Ed Luce
Shayna Why
Roger Klorese (moderator)

MOTHER'S DAY 2013


     Just thought I'd share the little illo I did on my mom's Mother's Day card envelope. That's my mom pulling the wagon. My mom is the very best mom ever. :)
     I needed little boxes for her gifts, and I got crafty. So I'm sharing that, too.

I actually made the box on the left out of vellum card stock. The one on the right is "re-purposed."

Spray paint and doilies!

The bottoms of the boxes turned out really cool, I think.

NOTE TO SELF: There is no way for a guy to use or even mention "doilies" without seeming like a total nancy. I'm okay with that, but it seems like there should be some manlier alternative term for them. 

     Tomorrow morning my husband and I are taking our two wonderful mothers out to breakfast together, all four of us. That's our tradition. We are very lucky to have these two special ladies in our lives.
     Then after breakfast he takes his mom to the movies, and my mom and I go where the wind takes us. Maybe we'll do a craft, maybe we'll go shopping, maybe we'll play a game. We cannot be pinned down.

DAY PLANNER 2011

It's crafty!
          A few years ago our tax lady convinced me to keep a day planner with all my appointments, trips, etc.  Now I find it indispensible, and write every deadline or obligation in that one place, rather than scattered between 2 wall calendars at home, and 2 at work.
          The first couple day planners I purchased on the cheap, but then I realized it's pretty stupid simple and I could totally just make my own for even CHEAPER.  So I did.
          I found a 99 cent children's book on birds at the used book store and tore out the interior pages and decorated it all DIY gay, as you can see above.  I even used felt and Velcro for a fastener, and Martha Stewart brand wedding invitation embelishments spray-painted black.  WTF, right?  I was in a frenzy, so I even busted out the pinking shears, duct tape, and Dymo label gun.
          For the interior calendar pages I just used Word and created tables with the right amount of cells and filled in the date info.  I printed and stapled it half-size zine style, which fit inside the book perfectly, and glued the end pages to the inside book covers.
          It's a little ugly.

THE NEW MARTHA

          Check me out, I figured out how to make one of these bows by HAND.  Using strips of paper and double-sided tape.  The method came to me in a heavenly cloud and a flash of angelic light.  And a voice said, "Let it be so..."
          Here's a close-up:
          Anthony thinks I'm insane for doing this, especially since we have several boxes full of pre-fab bows ready to just peel and stick.  But shouldn't I win an award for this?