The first story in Will Betke-Brunswick’s debut graphic novel is actually the first comic they drew for the book.
In middle school a classmate did not want to carpool with them because Betke-Brunswick did not listen to the radio, so their mom put a radio in their room.
“We listened to a song together that became our song, so that I had a song with a person just like all the other people in middle school had their songs,” they said.
“A Pros and Cons List for Strong Feelings” is Betke-Brunswick’s first graphic novel, a memoir structured around their mom’s illness and the last 10 months of her life.
From 6:30-7:30 p.m. June 14 at the Longmont Library, Betke-Brunswick will discuss their book with local artist and assistant professor Steven Frost as part of the library’s events for Pride Month.
The library talk will be their first Pride-specific event for their book.
“The other events that I’ve done haven’t been explicitly queer. I think anything I do is pretty queer — but getting to be highlighted for Pride Month is really exciting,” they said, adding that they are especially excited to share the event with Frost, another queer artist.
Betke-Brunswick, who now lives in Boulder, was a sophomore in college when their mom fell ill with an aggressive form of cancer.
“I wanted to make it as a way to spend time with her and get to connect with her in another way, because even though it's been 13 years since she died, making comics about her is a real way to spend time together,” they said.
Since the book came out in November, Betke-Brunswick has been sharing the book both with others in the indie comic world and with people who might have not otherwise connected with it. The book is also a finalist for the Colorado Book Awards and the Lambda Awards, which Betke-Brunswick will find out the results of this weekend.
“It’s been a lot of fun getting to share it with people because the process of writing and creating is very individual,” they said. “Then to have it be out in the world is pretty exciting.”
Longmont Library requires registration for the event on Eventbrite. Copies of Betke-Brunswick’s book will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow the talk.
“A Pros and Cons List for Strong Feelings” will also be the featured book next month at Book Queeries, a book club exploring LGBTQIA+ representation that meets at Out Boulder County on the second Wednesday of the month.
