In this collection of oral histories and illustrated interviews, queer and trans organizers, artists, healers, comrades and leaders speak honestly and authentically about their experiences with power, love, pain and magic to create a portrait of queer and trans realities in America.
... an impressive amalgam of interview and cartoon. It opens with an honest and naked expression of vulnerability. Syan Rose recounts her struggles with imposter syndrome, yet she makes a fiery declaration of hope. Her intimate conversations with a wide spectrum of queer and trans people coalesce with her art as she portrays the people she spoke with. The artwork in this collection is permeated by a sense of urgency. Syan Rose has a gift of endowing her subjects’ faces with charm, the crosshatched shadows and coy smirks lovingly rendered, and zooming in on intricate details ... The raw power of working toward self-love and self-acceptance is clear and affecting ... As with any anthology, one’s enjoyment will vary depending on how closely they identify or empathize with the particular subject. But Syan Rose keeps the momentum going between each brief encounter, hurtling quickly from one subject to the next ... A great strength of this work is how it displays the broad diversity that exists within this community, and the variety of experiences on which Our Work Is Everywhere sheds light is often eye-opening. In its most potent moments, it is incredibly moving ... When Taylor laments that her feelings of weakness strip her of her identity, her pain is palpable and haunting ... With this honest exploration of the lives of some of the most marginalized people in society, Syan Rose has crafted an artwork that is profoundly moving and inspiring.
The drawings throughout are exquisite, and while the swirling, hand-lettering is occasionally difficult to read, the book accomplishes its clear goal: visibility for the marginalized ... A unique, empowering addition to LGBTQ+ literature.
... a stirring variety of queer voices ... Though her hand-lettering and tendency to twist sentences into more visually pleasing curved lines sometimes impedes the readability, Syan Rose and her collaborators’ emotionality shines through. It’s an inspirational volume for current and aspiring queer community workers to 'keep showing up' to build a better world together.
