Joinig SAW Graphic Memoir + Medicine Working Group
Yesterday, I attended the first meeting of the SAW Graphic Memoir and Medicine Working Group. The group meets bi-weekly to discuss progress and receive feedback on individual projects. I joined the group with the intention of creating a graphic memoir about how my disability affected my decision to pursue a career in public health. I’ve always been intrigued by the various career paths one could take in public and global health, but as I dug deeper, I realized I want to write about all the detours I experienced, both in a professional as well as personal life, as well as my search for a community.
It was a very welcoming and friendly, female-dominated crowd of seventeen people. Every meeting follows a set structure. We began with a drawing exercise. We were instructed to draw a sketch of ourselves holding a completed memoir in our hands and to write a quote from a review of the book. The reviews were bold and there was a lot of laughter. This is mine, as shown on the right. I don’t know what the title will be yet, but I do know that it will have a yellow cover. And I wanted the quote to be by MK Czerwiec because her graphic memoir inspired mine.
Following the exercise, two people presented their work in greater detail for an hour, sharing their drawings with the group. And the group gave a lot of feedback, which is given to the presenter at the end, and the discussion can continue in our forum. People were sharing their personal stories, accomplishments, creative blocks, and life challenges. I really enjoyed seeing others’ work, especially the raw versions, and different approaches to narrating stories. I’m less anxious about sharing my work now.
For the last thirty minutes, we did check-ins in a specific order, telling what we’re working on right now. The two hours went by in a flash. And it was wonderful to be a part of such a creative and open community. I have a feeling I'll stay there for a long time... If you're interested in having a similar experience, you can learn more about the group here.
