Catch Jessica Campbell (RAVE) in conversation with Nicole Georges (FETCH). Register for the ZOOM event here.

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A queer coming-of-age story, complete with secret cigarettes, gross gym teachers, and a lot of church.

It’s the early 2000s. Lauren is fifteen, soft-spoken, and ashamed of her body. She’s a devout member of an evangelical church, but when her Bible-thumping parents forbid Lauren to bring evolution textbooks home, she opts to study at her schoolmate Mariah’s house. Mariah has dial-up internet, an absentee mom, and a Wiccan altar—the perfect setting for a study session and sleepover to remember. That evening, Mariah gives Lauren a makeover and the two melt into each other, in what becomes Lauren’s first queer encounter. Afterward, a potent blend of Christian guilt and internalized homophobia causes Lauren to question the experience.

JESSICA CAMPBELL is a Canadian artist originally from Victoria, British Columbia. Her fine art has been exhibited across Canada and the USA and in 2019, she had a solo exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. An educator of comics art and history, Campbell has taught at a variety of institutions including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the author of the graphic novels Hot or Not: 20th Century Male Artists, XTC69, and 2022’s Rave.

NICOLE J GEORGES is a cartoonist, podcaster & professor from LA & Portland. She is the author of the award-winning graphic novels Calling Dr. Laura & Fetch: How a Bad Dog Brought Me Home. She is also the host of the podcasts Relative Fiction, Sagittarian Matters and the Gaymazing Race. Find Nicole and her self-help animal drawings on instagram @nicolejgeorges or at nicolejgeorges.com.