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Transcript: Boot: zzz... Boot: zzz... Boot: zzz... Bunson: zoomies...zoomies...quiet zoomies... Boot: zzz...
 

Quiet Zoomies (comic #807)
Posted on December 19, 2025 by liz

Every month I try to make it to Jessica Abel’s Simplify to Amplify Round Table. It’s a great free coaching call she does to help creative folks achieve their goals AND have happy, balanced lives. I’ve done free and paid courses with her and have always gotten something useful and unexpected out of it. The December call helped me remember stuff from my Creative Focus Toolkit, but more importantly it reminded me that art is a thing I turn up to do. It’s part of who I am as a person. 

I’ve been working pretty hard on Ngombor, because I am my father’s daughter and I don’t do things by halves. Ngombor Community Development Alliance was formed to create an empowered and prosperous community in Nebbi, in Northwest Uganda, and is a fantastic permaculture model farm, IT skills hub, and social community. It builds on a 20 year friendship between Vincent Ulargiw and my dad and is a testament to how friendship, empowerment, and sticking around are powerful things. 

Friendship really is magic and can create a continuity of support that doesn’t depend on what job or posting I have. It is a lovely thing to be able to help a community, to be a bit of extended family to amazing community builders in Uganda. It’s nice to be able to draw on my experience in the non-profit sector, draw on all the stories I’ve heard from my various aunties and uncles who create change, but sometimes it does mean I forget myself creatively. As you can see, even now I get distracted talking about Ngombor. Where was I?

Right. After the coaching call, I thought yes, drawing is part of who I am, even if my agent never buys my book, even if I’m doing my career all the wrong way and upside down. So I sat down to draw something social and joyful and this emerged. I scribbled the first draft in ballpoint pen in dim lighting and I just love the expression that comes with that.

Thanks to all my patrons and a special big extra thanks to Kate Webb, Erik Owomoyela, Stuart Barrow, Jesse the K, Brian Fies, Jay Hedtke and Xander Odell. 

Ngombor has a fundraiser that ends on the 15th if you want to chip in and help awesome people do awesome things.

Good things,

Liz

 

Transcript:

Boot: zzz...

Boot: zzz...

Boot: zzz...

Bunson: zoomies...zoomies...quiet zoomies...

Boot: zzz...

The Things will be at GeekGirlCon!

Posted on September 19, 2017 by liz
We’ll be part of the Horrific Miscue booth at G127. It will be great to see you there and anyone who is a Patron who comes up and says hello gets a Greetings from Seattle poster or a Bunson Hoppydew Sticker!
https://geekgirlcon.com/
SEPTEMBER 30 & OCTOBER 1
GeekGirlCon takes place at The Conference Center, located at 8th and Pike in downtown Seattle, WA, right across the street from the Washington State Convention Center.

Creating in service

Posted on August 22, 2017 by liz
There is an alchemy that happens when you create in service. For me, it gives me a freedom as well as a responsibility. I may be stretched and asked for things that are a little beyond my comfort zone. I must hit a deadline, create the best experience, use my doubts to fuel energy, research, doing and completion, rather than letting those same doubts spiral down into self-defeating anxiety. You can tell the difference, the alchemy when you look at this reflective blog post (nice, sure, but I’m burying the lead, I’m guiding you into something rather than bravely just going for it) and the blog post I wrote for Uncanny Magazine that went live today! In that post I get straight to the heart of it. I am Liz, creator of the Things. Thank you so much to everyone who nominated me for a Hugo, simply making it to the long list was one of the best feelings I’ve had this year. I am launching a Patreon. Patronage does so much! I would love your support. Thank you for supporting me, and thank you for supporting Uncanny Magazine. ^ Only more eloquent, because I was writing it for them, not me. Here is what I wrote for them THIS IS A VERY LONG WAY OF SAYING my Patreon is live. Through that website, you can nourish creators like me for as little as $1 a month. I can already feel how it’s motivating me as a creator, I want to book more shows and reach out to my neighbors more. I would love your support. Thank you for reading this and go check it out!

August 22 – Patreon Launch day

Posted on August 16, 2017 by liz
On August 22 I will launch my Patreon. I’m so excited about it. Patreon is a nifty place where folks like us can support creators we like I’m excited about how it can be a central platform, bringing together stuff I do at Thingswithout.com, lizargall.com and in other places. I’ll do logistical updates here, but Patreon will be a fun place to share cool stuff, creative stuff and create a great space for you to give feedback.

Upcoming dates:

Things greeting cards debut at Locus Awards 

Posted on June 21, 2017 by liz
At long last “a sad” greeting cards are for sale. They will debut this Saturday at the Locus Awards signing this weekend at the Best Western Executive Inn at 200 Taylor Avenue North, Seattle WA 98109. The signing is a short window, but check out who will be there! Saturday 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Autographing session with books available for purchase thanks to University Book Store. Signers include Liz Argall, Greg Bear, Annie Bellet, Robert Jackson Bennett, Neil Clarke, Daryl Gregory, Eileen Gunn, Randy Henderson, Scott James Magner, Julie McGalliard, Seanan McGuire, Raven Oak, Marco Palmieri, Adam Rakunas, Cat Rambo, Matt Ruff, Nisi Shawl, Patrick Swenson, Jack Skillingstead, Patrick Swenson, Bruce Taylor, Michael Damian Thomas, Carrie Vaughn, Connie Willis, Caroline M. Yoachim, and others TBA. http://locusmag.com/Magazine/2017LocusAwardsAd.html Prices at the signing! Greeting cards $3 each or two for $5 Postcards $1 Calendars free with purchase $10 and above or $5 by itself. Folks at the Locus Awards will get first bite, but I will post these to folks at this cost plus postage. You would be my first online sales that aren’t POD through a third party so it will be via emailing me what you want and PayPal 

More sketches of kind faces and a drawing give away!

Posted on June 5, 2017 by liz
I drew a lot at Wiscon. On the last day, I photographed J, for she was so fabulous and definitely had a leader of the rebellion vibe. If you sign up to my mailing list in June I will put you in the draw to win a free sketch like this one or the other ones I did at Wiscon (their readings were so lovely). If you are already on my mailing list, tell me the name of someone who you got to join the mailing list in June and you will get two virtual tickets in the draw! So yes if you sign up this month AND get someone else to sign up you could get three virtual tickets or more!  
Posted in Uncategorized

Mayara responds to “Monster Girls Don’t Cry” over at Uncanny Magazine

Posted on February 12, 2017 by liz
Mayara, the tamarin the size of a tamarind seed, brings you her response to “Monster Girls Don’t Cry” by Merc Rustad over at Uncanny Magazine. Go check it out! “Monster Girls Don’t Cry” contained a lot of what I was soul food to me when I was teen, speculative fiction with enough teeth, hope and strength. It reminded me of what Merc has said about her mission and vision when she writes stories (you can read more about that from my interview with her over at Lightspeed for her story “Finding Home”). Don’t forget to sign up for our e-postcards if you would like to get interesting doodles, sketches and links that only subscribers receive!

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