Interview with Eve Greenwood and Alex Assan
editors of When I Was Me: Moments of Gender Euphoria
Spell for Nature by Octo Octa
I had the pleasure of interviewing the editors of When I Was Me: Moments of Gender Euphoria, Eve Greenwood and Alex Assan. I sent them my questions via email and they were kind enough to send me their replies. They discuss their start in comics, how the idea for the anthology came to be, the challenges, their favorites, and everything in between.
Interview with Eve Greenwood and Alex Assan
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became involved in comics ?
EG: My name’s Eve Greenwood and I’ve been involved in comics for about 8 years! I started out reading webcomics all throughout high school and university, and at the beginning of 2015 I launched my own webcomic Inhibit. I soon began selling zines and stickers at conventions, and that eventually snowballed into a master’s degree in comics and graphic novels. By 2020 I was fully entrenched in the Scottish convention scene and saw the huge range of talent we have here that wasn’t getting any international attention, so I decided to start Quindrie Press to spotlight that talent and help people bring their passion project comics to life.
AA: I’m Alex and I’m a comic artist from Tel Aviv. I’ve been making art and reading comics pretty much since I was a kid, but only started actually drawing comics after getting into webcomics in my teenage years. Since this was early days in the webcomics community, most of the works out there were created by other people around my age, and that sort of broke the barrier of entry in my mind and made me realise I could probably draw comics, too. And then I did!
What inspired the creation of this comics anthology, and what message or theme are you hoping to convey through it?
EG: My co-editor Alex Assan was my flatmate at the time that we started discussing the idea of this anthology. We were both going through our own journeys of understanding our relationships to gender and were tired of how stories focusing on being trans would only discuss the negative aspects: the transphobia, the isolation, the fear and misery. By the time we were working on When I Was Me properly, the public discussion surrounding being transgender in the UK was particularly negative and I felt like this project was particularly needed to help bring the joy of being trans to the front of the discussion.
I personally didn’t consider the idea that I might not be cis until university, when I discovered concepts like “nonbinary” for the first time. It was really only through exposure to other queer people that I was able to understand myself better, so for me one of the most important elements of this book was to bring as many voices and experiences as possible in the hope that at least one questioning or struggling person could see themself reflected and maybe understand themself a little bit better. I was also hoping that the book could act as a guide for family members or loved ones of a trans person who was struggling to understand what that person was going through, and to show them that being trans didn’t only involve confusion or anger. It could involve relief and excitement too.
AA: I actually remember the story a little differently from Eve. I think we started talking about doing an anthology when we still lived together, but then Covid happened, I moved back home, and it halted the process somewhat. Then, I actually realised I was trans when I was stuck at home, and over a lot of phone conversations about gender with Eve, we sort of found ourselves developing the anthology idea organically.
I think in addition to what Eve said, one thing I wanted to showcase with this book is how trans people’s experiences don’t always follow the familiar social script people have come to expect from us. Sometimes the things that make us feel the most like ourselves (or vice versa for that matter) can actually be extremely random or unexpected. I think that’s a pretty wonderful thing, and I think acknowledging it really helps to humanise our community.
Can you share some insights into the selection process for the comics included in the anthology? What criteria did you use to choose the pieces?
EG: We wanted as wide a range of stories as possible, with people from all sorts of backgrounds and all sorts of experiences. There are plenty of experiences that a lot of trans people tend to share, like getting a gender-affirming haircut or trying on a binder or bra for the first time and looking in the mirror. We tried to stay away from those stories as much as possible and focus on stories that were unique to the artist and gave yet another insight into the rich lives that trans people can and do live.
AA: We really wanted the stories to be as specific as possible - there were a few times where we got more than one of the same kind of story, and in some cases we actually asked one of the artists to submit a new idea, to give them a better chance of being in the book. We also wanted to have a variety of styles and visuals on display, so that was a factor too.
Why did you choose this particular layout for the interior design of the collection?
EG: We have Spire Eaton to thank for the interior design, as he led the charge in deciding the overall look of the book. We were firm in staying away from the colours of the trans flag for the design, not only because it’s overdone in books about transness but also because the trans umbrella covers all sorts of identities with their own flags and definitions. Some people may not even feel that they align under any one identity so we didn’t want to force everyone into a book that was distinctly marked by the blue, pink, and white of the trans flag. Instead, we picked yellow as the main colour and encouraged our artists to use any colours they wanted for their comics. I think this non-specific approach when it came to colours is best seen in the little artist bios below each comic; we wanted to include our creator’s pronouns, but each set of pronouns has a backdrop of different coloured pastels to show the variety of ways to experience gender that can be held in a single set of pronouns.
AA: I think I got it in my head that a square book would set up apart from other comics and anthologies specifically. I think at university I was told that books with an uncommon shape tend to grab people’s attention, and while I can’t confirm the validity of that claim, I get a little kick out of printing weird-shaped books, still.
Can you discuss any challenges or considerations you faced in curating a collection that reflects the diverse experiences within the transgender community?
EG: We did struggle to find stories from transfeminine people and older trans people. The book definitely leans more transmasculine, which is something I would have liked to work harder to correct, but we were on a very tight turnaround with this book. This was also only Quindrie Press’ second project so we didn’t yet have the name to back us up as having the ability to make this project something great, so I imagine that was a turn-off for some artists who might have otherwise applied. We ended up with just over 60 comics in the book which isn’t nearly enough to cover every aspect of being trans, so in an ideal world we would have been able to include many, many more stories.
AA: Beyond what Eve already mentioned, I think another inherent struggle with this book is that it’s almost all stories by artists, and so are obviously limited in how diverse they can be to begin with. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but to me it’s very evident when you read the comics that they reflect a certain demographic - mostly introverted, often nerdy, almost always pretty introspective people. Again - not bad things! But it really is a very specific part of our community.
How do you believe this anthology contributes to better representation and visibility for transgender voices and experiences in the comics industry?
EG: My hope is that this book encourages trans people to reflect on the positive experiences and the joy or pleasure that being trans has brought them, and I hope we’ve succeeded in giving our contributors a good experience working with us in such a positive environment. That being said, I do think there is a lot of value in examining the negative aspects of being trans and creating art around that. I would love to see more positive stories being told but I don’t think creators should shy away from telling stories that draw on the pain of their experiences; there is a lot of fantastic work out there that examines the darker themes of being queer. We got a lot of great feedback from readers about how relieved they were to finally be reading a positive and happy book about being trans, but I wouldn’t want that energy to turn into the idea that books with representations of “bad” trans experiences are lesser.
AA: I actually think the comics industry is pretty rich with trans voices, at least compared to other industries, which is fantastic. My hope is that beyond the representation aspect of it, the book was an opportunity for young and/or inexperienced artists to share their story and crucially, get the publishing credit and confidence to pursue more comic work in the future.
Were there any comics in the anthology that particularly resonated with you as editors, and if so, what made them stand out?
EG: It’s incredibly hard to pick out just a couple, but some that stood out to me are the illustration for the Exploration chapter (drawn by TOR WAR) and Fanfi’s comic about his first transmasc meetup.
TOR’s illustration feels so raw to me and perfectly captures that feeling of trying to understand yourself when you don’t have a map or the words to describe what you’re going through. The splash of white to represent the relief of making it out of the jungle is perfect. I love how the way that the righthand figure is posed makes it look like they were looking just as hard for the lefthand figure as the lefthand was for the righthand - it’s great!! I adore this piece.
Fanfi’s comic, alongside being gorgeous and tender, is a perfect representation of a memory: all these fragmented little moments that inevitably lead up to the most important image. No matter where you look on the page, your eye is drawn to the smile, it’s so good, it’s great layout, it’s pure comics.
AA: I love all of our stories, but I have a special connection to Guist’s comic - I never met her in real life, but a mutual (cis) friend put her in touch with me when she was first thinking about coming out. She told me about this dream she had, where she was initiated into a group of people of all shapes and genders by being given a white brassiere, and I thought it was so beautiful and moving that when Eve and I started to work on the anthology, I reached out to her and asked if she would consider sharing it. I’m really, really glad that she did.
Are there any plans for future projects or follow-up anthologies that continue to explore transgender themes in comics?
EG: I don’t currently have any plans for direct follow-ups to When I Was Me, but a lot of the creators that I work with through Quindrie Press are trans or gender-nonconforming so those themes filter into their work even if it’s unintentional; one might find themes of monstrousness and otherness in Letty Wilson’s work, for example, or nonbinary love and romance in Jem Milton’s work. We do also have an upcoming book that deals more directly with transgender themes, so stay tuned for that!
AA: I think it’s safe to say my anthology days are probably over, though I’m really excited for everything Eve has got coming up with Quindrie. My personal work does tend to be pretty heavy on the transgenderism, though, and I have a graphic novel called Sunhead coming up next year that deals with gender themes.
What do you want readers to take away from the stories included in this anthology?
EG: That being queer fucking rules! And that there’s no one way to be trans, just like there’s no one human experience. One person’s lived experience isn’t erased or denied just because another person experiences the same thing differently.
AA: I hope it’s not a cop-out answer to say that I hope trans people get what they need from it, and that is something that will be different for every person and so impossible for me to predict. For non-trans readers, I guess I would love it if this book got them to shift how they think of the trans experience; from something that doesn’t have to be born out of pain, but can also be based in joy.
What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked? (Include the answer to that question!)
EG: Your questions have been very thorough, I don’t think there’s anything else I could add!
AA: Your questions are honestly super interesting and in-depth, and between mine and Eve’s answers I feel like the last thing you need is more talk from us, haha.
Do you have any advice for aspiring queer and trans creators?
EG: Drop the “aspiring” and just create. Be free, go wild, create from the heart and don’t worry about whether or not people like it. If you are making something, make it for yourself first and foremost; trying to create art or stories with the sole intention of appealing to people, or editing your work down to appease an imaginary bad-faith actor, or will only hurt your creativity.
AA: So I actually think the media landscape has been changing pretty significantly since we started working on this book in 2020. In terms of trans representation, we have been seeing more positive depiction of our experiences and more focus on trans happiness, which is wonderful. So while I think there is always room for more queer positivity, what I would really want to encourage creators to do is to just make whatever it is they want, regardless of what they feel is expected of them or what would benefit society. What we need, at the end of the day, is everything.
💛
Eve Greenwood, a queer Scot who is passionate about languages, real and fake. They write, draw, edit, letter, promote, and publish comics of all kinds through various projects such as Inhibit, Thunderstorm Studios, Quindrie Press, Knife Beetle and the TAGS Festival.
Alex Assan is a comic artist and illustrator from Tel Aviv. He has a BA (Hons) degree in Illustration, Graphic Novels & Children’s Publishing from Glyndŵr University in the UK. Since graduating, he have worked in comics full-time. His other interests include historical fiction, romance, musical theatre and puppetry.
I want to take a moment here to once again thank Alex and Eve for being so thoughtful and thorough in their responses to my questions. I have discovered such great works through them, including their own projects, and I can’t wait to see what else they come up with in the future.
Thank you Eve and Alex! I loved this anthology and learning more about your work and process was the cherry on top! As a cis person, this book has really broadened my understanding of queer joy. It can be so many things! You both made great points about how it is very important that the struggles and hardships are known, but that queer joy also needs to be visible and celebrated. Looking forward to chatting with everyone this Friday! xo, Amanda
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