Still one of my favourite episodes from “Monetize That,” my comic strip that unpacks success culture. This episode was first published in 2019 — before Covid. It feels like it has found its footing even more profoundly in our current moment.
Monetize That
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Comic, Toronto Illustrators
Summer in Toronto
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog
Weekends in Toronto
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog
Be An Agitator
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators
Jane Jacobs’ persistence moved mountains. She was dismissed in multiple ways: For not being an academic Of being “a troublemaker” Of being a “liberal agitator” For being a woman And finally, when nothing else worked, for being “wanton.” Yes, even Jane was accused of being an office slut by her managing editor at Iron Age magazine. […]
Storytime with Alison
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog
My latest title is a video book for kids. Even though I adore books on paper, I’m obsessed with experimenting with 21st-century publishing formats. I self-published this picture book through my imprint, Pen Jar Productions. Private imprints are another nod to our ever-expanding creative frontiers. When you are the writer, art director, and publisher you […]
Does your boss make you work weekends?
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Toronto Illustrators
It’s important that our bosses and clients don’t set Monday deadlines that pressure us into working on the weekends. (Working for yourself is another story). By speaking up en masse, we can steer our culture into recognizing that weekends are sacred time that are meant to be spent how we see fit: napping, doing laundry, […]
Your ancestors are cheering you on
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog, Surface Design, Toronto Illustrators
After your folks die, you spend years going through what remains. Sometimes what you discover makes you feel as if your relatives are wooting and cheering from the great beyond. To wit: I vaguely recall my family saying that my grandmother owned and operated a small restaurant in London in the 1950s. The Pier Restaurant […]
Blue
Originally published in July 2022 in Blog
Joan is not the first to ponder the arc of civilizations. They peak and then they fall. The Romans, the Egyptians, the Sumerians, the Americans. She came of age during a peak. Now she’s observing the fall. Every day, relentless corruption, catastrophe, and systemic failure. The centre isn’t holding. She returns to the very same […]
