Introducing Comics to MidEast Youth
Some of you may have been wondering about these little comics that have been showing up on the sidebar this week, so I will take this opportunity to introduce myself: Hi! I’m Sarah, I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I make comics. I’m currently in the midst of writing an autobiographical graphic novel about a birthright-Israel tour I went on, and my mixed feelings when it comes to the political situation there. Working on a book takes a lot of time, and I was really itching to start doing some shorter comics in my free time, and thats when I found mideastyouth.com. I knew it was the perfect place to try an idea I’ve had for a while now which is to start illustrating the stories of other people.
Comics is a form of storytelling that has been gaining a lot of ground recently. Books like “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s 2 part graphic novel about growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution, have become best sellers here in the U.S., and for good reason. By combining pictures and words, stories can become very immediate to the reader, and one can imagine themselves as the character easily. I know that after I read Satrapi’s book, I felt very differently about Iran. What had before been a country whose name is splashed across American news headlines as “the Axis of Evil” became more personal to me, and I felt as though Satrapi was a friend of mine who I had known for years. Because of this book, it has been a lot easier for me to separate the choices Iran’s government makes from the people who live there, who are really a lot like me.
This idea stuck with me. So often, no matter what country we are from, we read the news and see conflict, corruption, or oppression as something happening to an “other.” The group of people out there somewhere are too abstract to relate to, and often we ignore them because we can’t imagine what it must be like. They are too different. But of course, people everywhere are pretty much the same. Though we are brought up in different cultures, with different religions and customs, we are more similar than we even know. But how could I show this?
When I first started drawing comics, I would practice by making short little stories about something that happened to me during the day, or a daydream or conversation I had. (they’re a little embarrassing but you can see some of them here). I found that people really enjoyed reading these “journal comics” but its not because my daily life is very interesting, its because in those little stories people could often see themselves. People would comment “I feel the same way about that!” or “wow, I do that all the time too!” These comics were fun to make, but frankly I got bored with drawing about myself all the time.
So I thought about it, and decided that if I could draw the stories of other people from all over the world, I could learn more about how our lives are similar, as well as the interesting ways we are different, and then share these stories with other people from all over as well. This is where you MEY readers come in…I’d love it if you helped me share your lives with others.
Now, dont worry, I’m not asking you for your life story or your secrets. You dont have to reveal anything to personal or talk about anything painful or embarrassing. You could if you wanted to of course, and you can always choose a different name or remain anonymous. Just share anything you want! What may be boring to you may be very interesting to someone living in Egypt, Israel, the US or Iceland. Did your aunt like to sing out of key while she cooked your favorite meal? Did you witness an interesting conversation on the street the other day? Maybe you have a dream you want to talk about or even a fear. Many things can make a good story, and I assure you people would love to hear about it.
So if youre into the idea, go over to the comics section (www.mideastyouth.com/comics) and click “submit,” then fill out the form. I only ask that you give me lots of visual detail because I’m a New Yorker and have not been able to travel to the Middle East except for a two week trip to Israel (although I hope to change that soon!) Tell me if you wear a headscarf, if your brother is tall and skinny, or if the city street in your story is crowded. These little details help me make a richer and more interesting story.
I’ll post the comics here as I complete them and you can leave any comments here. And don’t be afraid to let me know if I was completely ignorant and drew something wrong.
Below I am posting the first two comics I’ve made from this project. The first was written by Esra’a and the second was written by Tala. I hope you enjoy them.
-Sarah G.
www.smallnoises.com
Esra’a's Story:
Tala’s Story
Join the Conversation
I’m ecstatic about this… Best of luck and looking forward to seeing awesome work!
This is the best thing to happen to Mideast Youth in a long time. Sarah’s talents was the answer to much of our problems! This is a great way to liven up the site and making it more dynamic.
Please get involved, folks. Send in your personal stories and experiences if you would like to see comics made about them!
AWESOME! Sarah those comics are just really wonderful. I love that you’re interested enough about the region and its people to do this. I’m definitely going to share a couple of stories with you, if I think of any good ones.
I am so excited to see more of your work! You’re doing great.
Ditto. This site has been officially pimped.
Your comics are beautiful.
I really became hooked on comics after reading Persepolis, Joan Sfars “le chat du rabbin”, and Art Spiegelmans “Maus”. Comics are a great way to tell stories – please keep up the good work!!! I’m looking forward to seeing more!
I’d also like to compliment everyone else at mideastyouth.com. I’ve been reading articles here regularly for almost a year now and I’ve really learned a lot. Thank you!!
The comics are great – you have a real talent for expressing feelings! I like that small Esra’a surrounded by the monstrous legs of the adults. It’s really like kids see world (we should take them on our shoulders more often
). The comics are certainly a fine addition to MEY, as they tell stories in another way, more personal.
And Esra’a – you worry about mispronouncing strange names? Reading so many Arabic blogs, I’m lucky to know if the authors are male or female! (still remember calling you a guy – can’t imagine how that could happen!). And I’m sure, talking to you no one will care about a “c”…
And, by the way: Is it possible to make a feed for the comics, so that I can subscribe to them? I want them always as fast as I can get them
I really think this is a great idea. In the few frames that I saw, I learned a little about different cultures and a LOT about the people who told the stories. I agree with how you say “stories become very immediate to the reader” through comics. I am a very visual person, and when reading, I always have to stop to think about the format of the scene. With a comic, the visual is right there, supplementing the story.
One idea that I think would build upon your own is to have anyone provide you with stories. In your post, you (perhaps unintentionally) implied that only MEY readers from the Middle East share their experiences to be made into comics. But I think it would be beneficial to have anyone share a story. That way, instead of you and other Americans being able to learn about specific regions and people of the middle east, those people can learn about us and our daily lives too.
I also appreciate your efforts in promoting world unity, and think that it’s awesome that you’ve found a way to do it through art and involving the personal aspects of people.
Thank you all for your awesome comments! I’m so glad you like the comics.
Thanks for catching that..you’re right, I would love to take anyone’s story as long as its somewhat relevant to the ideas and attitudes of MEY. You don’t have to be a regular MEY reader, or even middle eastern.
Also, you can really submit anything. It doesn’t have to be about politics at all; it can be about someone you admire or a funny story you heard. I would love to hear anything that any of you would like to send so please don’t hesitate and don’t be shy about being “boring.” There are no such things as boring stories if they are from your life. I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you!
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