Help Anna publish Apos

Apos is a graphic novel that examines the more deeply complex, traumatic side of a Latter-day Saint mission experience. Its aim is not to discredit the beautiful experiences missionaries may have had, but to create a space of healing and discussion where, culturally, people have tended to be silent about their trauma. The first chapter, which has already been written, explores the journey of a young missionary, offering vignettes into her struggles with companions, developing anxiety and navigating her faith.

 

The goal is to turn it into a full graphic novel, with each chapter addressing a different kind of mission experience. (For example: missionaries who lived in danger, were imprisoned, risked their lives, lived amidst political divide, lived in relative isolation, served during COVID, went home early, felt purposeless out on their missions, felt the weight of leadership or perfectionism, etc.)

 

Thank you so much to everyone who’s reached out, been excited about the project and wanted to turn it into a full novel!! ❤️ Donations will be used for:

 

-Costs for printing the graphic novel

-Any expenses associated with publishing

-Printing zines, stickers, prints, and other materials associated with the novel

-Potential costs for interviewing subjects + traveling, etc.

-Replacing the broken iPad

-Attempting repair on the iPad to retrieve the raw Procreate files for Apos (with the layers/saved brushes/etc.)

-Other materials + art supplies needed for the making of Apos

 

NOTE: This platform is for donating if you’re excited about the project, but it’s not for receiving finished products! If you’d like to support Apos instead by pre-ordering a book, stickers or a zine, please contact the artist through her Instagram, @frizz_biz

 

More thoughts below (taken from an interview):

 

I wrote Apos after reading through my mission journals, and the text primarily stems from those entries. I’ve experienced some pretty traumatic things in life, but for some reason my mission experience has been especially difficult to untangle in therapy. That intrigued me. I wondered how many others had gone through something similar, and how many people felt alone in that struggle. Having finally reached a point where I felt like myself again and felt more alive, I wanted to share some of the journey I had gone through. More than anything, I didn’t want people to feel like they were alone.

 

I hope there’s more understanding and discussion all around. People have complicated and dark experiences on their missions. When we place such emphasis on telling mission stories with miracles and blessings, I think there’s a lot of hesitation to “speak negatively.” RMs feel ashamed to have those feelings and bury them inside. But the disciples of Jesus went hungry, they were stoned, they were afraid, they were spat upon—and those things were recorded in the Gospels. Acknowledging pain is our first step to healing and making things better.