Interview with Allison O'Toole of Wayward Sisters: Anthology of Monstrous Women



My latest obsession has been Kickstarter. My days would be work, school, and then scroll through the onslaught of projects posted to Kickstarter. Something about these independent projects gaining their voice really just gives me a thrill- and if my $25 can help get these projects off the ground, then by all means, TAKE MY MONEY. My favorite projects to see are those that promote feminism. Wayward Sisters does a great job in representing women and non-binary individuals in a beautifully drawn comic book. It takes monsters- a genre mainly driven by men- and turns it around into a wonderfully written comic book celebrating femininity and those who identify as non-binary. The Kickstarter has already been fully funded, but if you would like to continue to support this project (and I really think you should!), you can find it here. The comic is set to release on February 1, 2018 and I am more than excited to see what this anthology has in store. I set out to find the Lead Editor for Wayward Sisters and find out some more about this interesting anthology. That interview can be seen below. I hope in the future to bring you guys more independent projects- especially those that have to deal with feminism.

What was your inspiration for writing Wayward Sisters: An Anthology of Monstrous Women?

I always loved monsters when I was growing up, and I was unsatisfied that I saw so few women monsters in the stories I was reading (and no non-binary ones). I wanted to tell stories about monsters who weren’t men, and who weren’t sexualized for the male gaze, so I decided to create this anthology.

What impact do you hope that Wayward Sisters will have on readers?

I hope that readers who love monsters as much as I do will love the anthology! We tried to incorporate a wide range of tones and styles, so I hope that there’s a story in here for everyone, whether you like your monsters scary or silly.

How do you feel about the current representation of non-binary individuals in pop culture?

What representation? I joke, but I feel like non-binary or gender non-conforming people are almost never represented in pop culture, and I think that’s damaging. Including non-binary characters in fiction, I think, will help that identity be more widely understood and accepted; trans representation in general still has so far to go. Seeing positive depictions trans and gender non-conforming characters in media does so much to destigmatize real people with those identities, I think there’s so much more we can and should be doing.

How important do you believe it is to incorporate more women and non-binary individuals into the comic industry? 

People want to see themselves represented in media, and it’s important to include women, trans people, people of colour, and everyone else, when we’re having conversations about those identities. People who don’t identify a certain way can write stories about characters with those identities, but they can’t write a story examining the experiences of a person with that identity. Including marginalized people in media, allowing them to tell their own stories, means that representation will be done properly, and also leads to a more varied media landscape. The more kinds of stories we’re telling, the more vital our media can remain. If only one kind of person (straight, white cis-dudes) is allowed to tell stories about himself, then media will stagnate.

Do you have a personal favorite comic from the anthology? If so, what is it?

Oh, I couldn’t pick a favourite! I’m excited about the story I wrote though, it’s a Noir Hollywood tale about a screenwriter who pursues a femme fatale who’s more fatale than most. It’s being drawn by Emmanuelle Chateauneuf, who’s amazing, I can’t wait for everyone to see her work on this story.

Dear President Elect Trump,

Hello President Elect Trump,

    I am a part of the "minority" that your hate speech has worked to erase. Now, I know you are sick and tired of hearing people call you and your friend Mike Pence out, but surely you understand I'm just a little bit concerned with what you have going on here. Allow me to explain, I am a teenage girl, and if it wasn't scary enough being a young woman this day and age, add in the fact that our future president has told his followers that it's okay to just go and grab women by the-

    Yeah, rape was already a common problem among girls in the US, and now we have even more reason to be scared. But if a young woman worried about rape isn't bad enough for you, let me tell you another thing. My family is from the wonderful island of Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory that you want to abandon. Not only is your hateful rhetoric affecting latino(a)s all around the country, your threat to no longer count Puerto Rico as a territory could greatly impact the economy and wellbeing of the individuals there. Not to mention, your nasty words towards our Mexican brothers and sisters are hurtful to their reputation and livelihood. You have your followers believing that they are drug dealers, rapists, and murders when white males are truly the ones you should be scared of. Plus, I do not see how you'll be able to enjoy things such as this (see picture below) when you have the blood of many innocent hispanics on your hands due to hate crime and are so far in debt from your infamous wall that America is barely getting by.

    Oh yeah, and another thing: I am also a part of the LGBTQIA+ community that your buddy Mike Pence wants to hurt. Did you know suicide rates are the highest among LGBTQIA+ youth, a majority of them also being POC? When Mike Pence says he wants to legalize conversion therapy, it has many of us scared for our fellow LGBTQIA+ Americans who do not have accepting family members. Would they be forced into this torture? Will they become another nasty number in a rising statistic of suicide? Tell us, Trump: how are you protecting us and keeping us alive? How will you save the lives of those like Leelah Alcorn whose own homes are a battleground? Do our lives matter enough to you to keep us alive?

    

    These are the categories that I classify as but what about every other minority you have insulted and threatened? When will our African American brothers and sisters finally get fair treatment? When will they stop getting shot down for just existing? When will this nasty and toxic stereotype surrounding the African American community get erased. When will racism become a thing of the past? When will we finally be able to realize that #blacklivesmatter? What are you doing to stop this? If you are going to be leader of this country, you need to fix this harmful trend instead of feed into it. I want justice for our beautiful Muslim neighbors. I want them to be able to wear a hijab peacefully and not be criminalized or put down for their decision. I want them to be able to meet together in peace and practice their religion, just like every other religion can. I want you to stop associating Muslims with terrorists, because that could not be farther from the truth. 

    So, President Elect Trump, were you listening good? I do not wish for you to fail nor do I wish death upon you. I want you to succeed at your job and surprise everybody. However, the fear that you will live up to your campaign's promises lingers over my head as I grow up in this nation you've adopted. Please, don't screw it up. We are all counting on you to make a change in your heart and demonstrate what America should be, the already great nation. (PS: Hamilton was awesome and if you can't take a bit of shade being thrown your way maybe being a president (or going to a theater) isn't for you?)