2/23: Gay Rodeo and Emerald City Comic Con
TRICK PONY pre-order campaign continues!
I’m a little off my intended newsletter schedule but I’ve been delayed for very good reasons! The most important is that I just returned from about a week in Tucson and Phoenix.
I attended the AGRA (Arizona Gay Rodeo Association) annual event outside Phoenix, Arizona. This is a 38-year-old event and I was very charmed by how kind and inclusive the entire event was. It was a really impressive week-long event run by a super-lovely organization. The world we dreamed up in TRICK PONY really exists in our current reality, too!
My friend Greg Endries is an amazing photographer and has been attending a bunch of queer rodeo events across the US these past few years. I’ve been loving his photos posted here on Instagram! Over the holidays a few months back, I said “Next time you go, let me know!” not thinking the response would be, “ok, I’m going to Phoenix in February.”
Due to a lucky lull in my freelance editorial work and the buckin’ bronco of my budgeting abilities… the trip was booked and I was on my way.
I started with a side trip to Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson to disconnect in the desert and get a bit of writing done before the event. The park was stunning and I was just so blissed out driving and hiking around by myself for two days. (Safety note: I was never on long trails alone! I wouldn’t be brave and/or stupid enough for that, I promise!)
I haven’t organized my photos yet but here are some favorite cacti! None of my photos due any justice to the massive scale of the Saguaro Cactus that the National Park is named for but it’s a good appetizer for something I hope you get to witness someday yourself.
Aside from the flood of creative ideas, it was great to escape home and disappear on a short trip— saw new things, learned a bunch, and met nice people. Couldn’t ask for a better vacation even if I made it a bit about work… and hope to write more about it soon!
PEER/COLLEAGUE UPDATES:
Some very exciting events have happened for friends recently and I want to start with the news from last week about my friend and client James Tynion IV’s new company, Tiny Onion and the massive announcement reception from last Friday.
You can start with the Forbes article here if you missed it! I’ve been working with James for a few years now and his plans are massive and hugely inspiring!!! I’m so proud of both what he’s accomplished and what he has planned for the future. He’s creating a supportive community for the health of our industry. And I’m thrilled to continue to be a part of it!
I can’t say much now but we’ll be talking more soon about my role beyond editing BLUE BOOK and THE ODDLY PEDESTRIAN LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER CHAOS. In the meantime, you can continue reading those fabulous series as both have new issues in stores this month via Dark Horse!
Another exciting announcement was not in the comic book world, but my dear friend Ed Wells was in the New York Times for the launch of Second City’s expansion into Brooklyn.
Ed is not pictured here (these are members of the cast!) but you can read all of his great quotes as the CEO (!!!) of Second City in the article here!
And finally, if you want to support queer film-making, my friend Ra-ey Saleh is fundraising for his new film PILLOW TALK (sharing a title with the classic Doris Day and Rock Hudson film that I adore).
PILLOW TALK is a look into the intimate lives of five gay couples through their postcoital conversations. It all sounds amazing from what Ra-ey has told me (and what I know of his work through the massively popular DADDYHUNT serial).
They've already raised a quarter of their budget! If you want to get involved and help this film get made, please use the link here to read more about the production and the current fundraising.
https://www.filmindependent.org/sponsored-projects/pillow-talk
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Emerald City Comic Convention - Seattle, WA - March 1st - 3rd
I’m not tabling but I’m on this amazing panel Sunday at the con:
Really looking forward to the panel moderated by the amazing Matt Baume and talking about queer historical fiction!
C2E2 - Chicago, IL - April 26-28th - Artist Alley (Table number TBD)!
Featuring the launch of the Trick Pony Zine at the show!!!
TRICK PONY ZINE?! WHAT!? More soon… 😉❤️🤠
Finally, if you want to support the TRICK PONY team, I ask that you pre-order our graphic novel at your local independent bookstore or any retailer of books!
Pre-orders are massively important to all book writers (or in this case, creative teams!) and LIEBESTRASSE's success relied heavily on pre-orders and great word-of-mouth. We’re hoping for a similar or better success rate for TRICK PONY and I will continue to campaign for the next four months!
If you’ve already read and enjoyed it digitally on Comixology, please help spread the word with likes and shares. No further purchases are necessary! The algorithm and I genuinely appreciate all posts/digital support!
My affiliate link at Bookshop.org: TRICK PONY PRE-ORDER!
There’s currently a 5% discount on the book AND (full disclosure) with the affiliate program, 10% of that sale goes back to me which is greatly helpful in financing the promotion of this book! It is just going back to fueling our success!
If you have a favorite local bookshop, please give them the business and pre-order with them! And if you have a Target or Barnes & Noble gift card, you can pre-order through their websites, too! (B&N occasionally has good discounts on book pre-orders, too!)
We have very cool t-shirt designs by Myno in our threadless shop here! (10% of the shirt prices go back to us! All the creators split profits!)
Thank you for reading this far!
I’m attempting to write and share more—while giving space to peers’ and friends’ projects that might be of interest to you all. I’m experimenting with both the frequency of these newsletters and their content. Let me know how I’m doing or what you’d like to read about in the comments if you have a chance!
I’ll be back in six weeks with another update!
—Greg
I dig the format of your newsletter-- love the balance between personal and professional updates. Looking forward to Trick Pony!