We had the good fortune of connecting with Briana Loewinsohn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Briana, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For me the biggest risk i take in my work is not worrying if people will like my books. I create art that is meaningful to me and hope that others find connection in it as well. I find inspiration from all types of graphic novels, prose, movies, and art. I let that inform how i construct my books. I also draw primarily from my own life. For me, writing memoir can feel risky because i am interested in nuance, ambiguity, and sometimes magical realism.

Writing graphic novels for adults in america is a risk in and of itself. It is not a totally acceptable type of books for adults to read in our country, let alone write. They are often seen as childrens books. My hope is that graphic novels will one day be as prevalent as any prose book.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a local artist. I was raised by a couple of revolutionary hippies in west berkeley. Growing up in the Bay really has informed who I am as an artist. I was raised reading old comics instead of children’s books and watching old movies along with saturday morning cartoons. Exposure to all types of media has really led me to a place where I can create art that comes from my heart, work that I really love and tells my story.

My graphic memoir EPHEMERA was published in March of 2023. It is a dreamy story about the fog of childhood. It is about those memories we have from way back that never quite come into focus. Those ones that we can’t totally remember how it happened or if it even happened at all. Or did things happen all the time and we combine those memories into one. It is about my relationship with my mum who suffered from mental illnesses. In the book, I look back at my time with her from my child perspective as well as my adult perspective. It is told through the lens of plants as a unifying force in the book.

Finding a community of other cartoonists along the way has been a huge influence to me. I began drawing and selling comics with a group of other artists in the mid 2000s. We sold at local bookstores and independent comic-cons, anyone who would let us. Having other people who were also making non superhero comics was a huge boost to my commitment to keep with my work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my very best friends went to highschool with me at El Cerrito High, but he lives in Manhattan now. If he came to visit we would have breakfast at Starter Bakery on College Avenue in Oakland or Mi Casa Grill on San Pablo in Richmond. Then we would go to the Oakland Museum, or maybe the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. We would get lunch at Southie on College Avenue in Oakland or Al’s Big Burger on San Pablo in Albany or Pho Vy on East 14th in Oakland. Then we would draw at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland or at Hudson Bay Cafe on College Avenue in Oakland. We would quickly stop at East Bay Plant Nursery on San Pablo in Berkeley or Ace Hardware Garden Center on Grand Avenue in Oakland to look at plants. For dinner we would go to Duende on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland or Belotti on College Avenue in Oakland, or Cafe Eritrea on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. For a drink after we would go to the Lodge on Piedmont Avenue. The next morning we would go book hunting at Mrs. Dalloways in Berkeley and Spectator Books in Oakland. Then we would go bowling all day at Castro Valley Bowl and then get ice cream at Fentons Creamery on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to thank Fantagraphics, my publisher. They are the foremost publisher of independent comics in america. They are so kind and smart and great to work with.

I would love to give a shout out to Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Ca. I have taught art here for 18 years. It is a family and community and always a huge supporter of the arts. It was the focus of the graphic novel by Gene Yang, Dragon Hoops.

Website: https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/bestsellers/products/ephemera

Instagram: @brianabreaks

Image Credits
the headshot was taken by Stephen Loewinsohn

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