A is for Anarchist is one in every of many artistic responses to COVID’s grip on every part in our collective lives. This collaborative e book assesses the world by a countercultural lens. Wryly written by New York–primarily based rapper billy woods and beguilingly lettered and illustrated by painter and comics artist m. musgrove, A is for Anarchist fiddles with the traditional abecedarium with honesty, irreverence and a smidge of vitriol. Though supposed as a child’s e book, it’s for all; it takes each topical and fantastical concepts, like “E is for Power” and “G is for Ghosts,” and turns them into incisive commentary on trendy life and the state of the globe. Additionally, says Rizzoli, it needs to be the one alphabet e book with annotated footnotes and a reference to Nas.
I requested woods and musgrove to elaborate on their motivation and execution. (By the way, m. is for Myra.)
The venerable format of the alphabet e book has usually, over time, been employed by satirists and commentators for getting social and political message into the open. A is for Anarchist has a definite POV. What was the motivation for making this message on this medium?
woods: I believe my motivation was merely to create a e book I may need discovered entertaining as a toddler, and one I might learn to my daughter that wouldn’t bore me to tears. I might be remiss in not mentioning the truth that we created this e book in the course of the pandemic, and that was its personal motivation. Immediately, I used to be fully remoted, comparatively unemployed, and really a lot needing artistic shops and tasks.
How was this collaboration completed? Had been the 2 of you working hand-in-glove, or did the phrases come first and subsequent the interpretive footage?
musgrove: We labored intently for the 2 years it took from concept to remaining artwork submission. We conceptualized letters and in addition imagery collectively, working in a shared doc. An apparent problem within the creation of a youngsters’s e book is the simplification of those generally monstrously massive concepts. So by the notations and art work we had been capable of broaden the scope of those phrases, and broaden the web page themes additional.
The design may be very applicable for the topic. Was there any dialogue over the visible route? And clashing of views?
musgrove: Graphically, I needed the pages to be sturdy, however easy; I messed round for some time sketching fonts exploring what felt proper, however as you see, I ended up with this fundamental chisel-tip, chunky lettering I felt was daring sufficient to command but additionally informal, maybe barely untidy, as is my illustration type. Concerning a conflict, I believe we’d agree that I actually do know greatest. I believe we actually belief one another as collaborators, and I hope that accord is obtained as a form of concord between the language and the design right here.
woods: I attempt to do my job and let different individuals do theirs. I even have lots of religion in my collaborators, and hopefully that’s reciprocated, so we are able to let one another do the issues we do greatest, and all of us win in the long run.
Is producing change as straightforward as A, B, C?
woods: If we’re speaking about adjustments in human conduct and society, I believe the reply is a convincing no. And by resounding, I imply in the identical manner {that a} cruise missile hitting a populated city space is “resounding.”
How did your respective backgrounds enter into the voice and language of the e book?
woods: For myself, I suppose it’s a bit self-evident. African diaspora, leftist upbringing, Chilly Battle survivor, literary background and I make phrases rhyme right here and there.
musgrove: I believe the three generations of lecturers that got here earlier than me pushed an instructive goal into my work, significantly my father, who’s a prolific poet and professor of English. The visible language might be most formed by Gorey, king of alphabets; Crumb, king of thighs; and Lynda Barry, queen of artistic play in artwork.
Who do you hope for as your reader?
woods: I don’t take into consideration that an excessive amount of. Anybody who finds it and appreciates it, I suppose. It’s a e book that I believe can attraction to a lot of totally different age teams and varieties of individuals. Additionally, I hope it’s a e book {that a} baby might develop with, and discover new meanings and worth in as they become old, as a result of I really feel like that may be a very rewarding expertise.
Is a follow-up deliberate?
woods: I’m not certain. To be trustworthy, I simply go the place Myra factors.
