Taiwan and back again
Issue 07 | January 2025
We made it to 2025! Here’s to this year being better than the last one.
You've likely seen the "Art vs Artist" trend that goes around social media at the end of every calendar year: a 3x3 grid, a photo or drawing of the artist in the center, surrounded by eight pieces they made over the past year. I’m not the best at keeping up with trends, but in the final few hours of 2024 I managed to slap a Geozoology-themed one together.
One of my goals for 2025 is to be less shy about telling people about my work. To that effect: I’ve posted a collection all my Art vs Artists going back to 2019 (including one I put together ex post facto for 2023) and reflections on what they reveal about my progress on Patreon. I post updates over there weekly, whether it’s early previews of my illustrations, sketches, or looks into my process. With Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology’s publication on the horizon, I’ll have a lot to say about making books this year. Anecdotal will continue as usual; Patreon is a bonus, not a replacement.
Since Geozoology’s release date is less than five months away, pre-orders are officially open! You can pre-order it from Bookshop.org or directly from your local bookstore. You can also request it from your library. To use the DC Public Library system as an example, you do so by filling out this “Suggest a Title” form on their website. Just remember to hang on to that proof of purchase or request for pre-order campaign goodies.
I’m doing an art trade with fellow graphic novelist Jessica Ricole on a mini print that doubles as a large bookmark. My illustration for Jessica's book, Magie and the Soules, will be printed on one side, while Jessica's illustration for Lu and Ren's Guide to Geozoology will be printed on the other. We'll both be using these bookmark-prints as perks for people who support our books. A win-win for everyone.
I’m super excited to show you Jessica’s illustration. It’s gorgeous and magical in a way that only she can make it. More info on that coming your way next issue!
WHAT’S NEW SINCE LAST ISSUE?
I took a long-overdue trip to Taiwan in November to see my grandma, who is 93 years old and only getting older. My own struggle with and desire to communicate with her and my late grandpa informed the way I wrote Lu’s struggles with the language barrier between her and her ah-ma.
My Mandarin is… passable, let’s call it. It’s good enough to get by in Taiwan, and good enough to chatter with my relatives, but it’s inadequate for the things I really want to ask and say. Still, I try, with the help of my mother to translate words I don’t know. One of the greatest gifts from this trip was my grandmother telling me the story of how she escaped from China to Taiwan in the late 1940s.
My grandma never was a traveling adventurer and geozoologist, but I still think she’s pretty cool. :)
While most of my time in Taiwan was focused on spending time with family, I found some time to get out and sketch. Taipei is a city with a lot of personality, where people find ways to make the best use of what space is available.
WHAT’RE YOU READING?
I am, as always, years behind in my reading. A full decade after it began, I’ve finally picked up Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) by Ryoko Kui. Friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and random people on the internet have told me to read it. Which of course meant that I kept putting it off until they gave up, and only then did I give it a peek.
Turns out it’s exactly the kind of thing I like. A sense of humor that never misses. Expressions to die for. Characters who’re the biggest weirdos (affectionate) you’ll ever meet. Honestly, the “cooking and eating fantasy monsters” bit is the least of the reasons I love it.
Don’t be like me and wait ten years from now to pick up Dungeon Meshi. Or do. I’m sure it’ll be just as good then as it is now.
YOU PROMISED CATS.
We interrupt the Babadook and Audrey show to bring you this dutiful boy from Taipei, guarding his sacks of garlic.
Thank you, as always, for your support. Until next time!
Thank you for reading Anecdotal! If you have a friend who would also like to get updates about graphic novels, cats, and/or tiny trees, please consider sharing with them.
You can also see more of my work at angela-hsieh.com or on Instagram, or you can support me on Patreon!