Episode 29: John Vasquez Mejias & The Puerto Rican War
We talk a lot about the importance of knowing our history as Puerto Ricans on this show, including the ways in which our history is kept from us. Some people recommend watching documentaries and reading books, but what about seeing and reading our history in the form of a graphic novel?
Storyteller, artist and art teacher, John Vasquez Mejias, joins the show to talk about the Puerto Rican War - a graphic novel that tells the story of Puerto Rican revolutionaries fighting American colonialism in 1950. We spoke to him a couple of weeks ago to talk about his purpose behind this graphic novel, his art and his perspective on the back-to-school debate as a teacher amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Quarantine Bonus: Comic Book Writer, Vita Ayala
Afro-Puerto Rican comic book writer, Vita Ayala, joins the show to discuss their work, how they fell in love with comics, the comic industry, dealing with trolls online and more.
Keep in mind this episode was recorded just before the pandemic made us all quarantine, so some references and insights - while worth listening to - may be dated.