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Join us for the combined launch of Cheryl by Jillian Fleck and Just Happy To See You by Shea Proulx, which are both being released by Conundrum Press this May! Cheryl is about “a late-blooming lesbian hell bent on reaching enlightenment, even if it kills her”, while Just Happy To See You is a conceptual exploration of observation and acceptance through the comic form. WITH THEIR POWERS COMBINED MAYBE THEY JUST MIGHT FIND THE ZEN OF COMIC CREATION. Q & A to follow.Reserve your copy of Cheryl here: https://store.shelflifebooks.ca/?q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qsb=keyword&qse=76Uj7be7f5gj0onpYZ-oTA
Reserve your copy of Just Happy To See You here: https://store.shelflifebooks.ca/?q=h.tviewer&using_sb=status&qsb=keyword&qse=76Uj7be7f5gXDEfMYi_88w
Jillian Fleck is a comic creator from Calgary, Alberta. They received a Bachelors of Fine Art from the Alberta University of the Arts and later a Masters of Letters in Comic Studies from the University of Dundee. Their work has been published in a variety of zines, anthologies, academic journals, and stand alone publications.
Aside from making comics, Jillian has also taught classes and workshops, and given public lectures regarding the comics medium and zine making. Through comics they have been given the opportunity to share their work internationally and connect with people worldwide and within their own community. In their spare time they are known to grow orchids, chat about pro wrestling, and make ink.
ABOUT CHERYL
A story about a newly realized lesbian woman in her 40s, hellbent on reaching spiritual enlightenment. Even if it kills her.
Cheryl just came out and she's been doing just fine, thanks for asking!!!! She just broke up with her dog, quit gluten, cut contact with her father, and is just really trying to focus on getting enough water daily! It's all going great!! Except it isn't and everything is terrible, because no matter what Cheryl does she really can't shake that there's something wrong deep down in the core of her being.
What would really fix things would be to address her lingering internalized homophobia and childhood trauma. Or reach total spiritual enlightenment, reaching total enlightenment sounds easier, let's go with that one. As Cheryl falls further down the New Age wellness industrial complex however, the world turns out to be a lot weirder and sicker than she could have ever imagined. Now Cheryl is forced to confront that not only is it not all about her, but that she might have some part to play in making it better.
From the (self-proclaimed) cackling gremlin that created Lake Jehovah, Cheryl is a vision board of a coming out gone sideways.
Shea Proulx has a BFA from Emily Carr University and an MFA from the University of British Columbia. Through tracing and repetition, Shea constructs autobiographical visual narratives that transcend the boundaries of individual lived experience. Her books ABC Monstrosity and Alice at Naptime were both nominated for the Best Illustrated category by the Alberta Book Publishers Association, and Alberta Comics: Home, which she co-edited and did the cover art for, won the award in 2023. Shea has been the recipient of grants from Canada Council (2022), The Alberta Foundation For the Arts (2019) and Calgary Arts Development (2023).
Among the Fine Arts galleries that Shea’s paintings and installations have been exhibited are The Morris and Helen Belkin, The Alberta Art Gallery, TRUCK, and Contemporary Calgary. As Vice-President on the board of directors for Panel One, a Calgary/Mohkinstsis based comics festival, Shea helps put the spotlight on local, original sequential artwork. Her two daughters and husband, artist Ryan Proulx, routinely make her laugh so hard she spits.
ABOUT JUST HAPPY TO SEE YOU
Just Happy To See You is a mix of bizarre comedy and a captivating autobiographical sequential art in which a breadcrumb trail of punchlines connects the dots between singing bougainvillea, poorly thought-out pandemic guidelines, and murderous clones.
Psychedelic visual-narratives coupled with side-splitting punchlines will eventually leave you wondering: why did Shea Proulx's youngest spent so much time huffing laughing gas in 2021? The answer is simple: it was just that kind of year.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Shelf Life Books, 1302 4 St SW #100,Calgary, Alberta, Canada
