Interviews - Jennifer Hayden

What this episode covers

Jennifer Hayden comes to The Comics Alternative to talk about her new book, The Story of My Tits, released last month by Top Shelf Productions...just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She discusses with Derek the context surrounding the memoir and, along with that, the story of becoming an artist and comics creator. As Andy and Derek pointed out a couple of weeks ago in their spotlight on Top Shelf, The Story of My Tits much more than a breast cancer survivor narrative. It's a chronicle of Hayden's relationship with her breasts, from childhood and into maturity, and what they meant to her sense of self. At the same time, it's a story of binding relationships and how cancer in many forms had effected her family. These various narrative threads come together to create a deeply personal account of life under the influences of disease, adversity, and self-image. Jennifer also discusses the eight-year journey of writing this memoir, and how along the way she discovered graphic novels, met fellow artists (such as Dean Haspiel), became a contributor to Act-I-Vate, and created a series of other comics such as Underwire and Rushes. In addition, she talks with Derek about her philosophy of storytelling, her style of creating comics (pen-to-paper, only), and the reaction The Story of My Tits has been receiving. Be sure to check out Jennifer's website as well as her blog, Goddess Comix, where you can find the latest updates on what she's up to.

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