Femmetober, Issue #1 (2023) and Issue #2 (2024)

Femmetober compiles portraits of women, nonbinary and trans folks, my daily sketches based on photojournalistic front page photos and videos in October 2023 and October 2024.

“Femmetober” (Femme + October = Femmetober) emerged serendipitously as a daily practice. Scrolling through the New York Times front page online on October 2, 2023, I saw the portrait of the new United States Senator from California, Lafonza Butler. I sketched her and her quotation from the accompanying article. She’d said: What are you doing for freedom today? With that drawing, Femmetober was born.

Every morning in October, I search the New York Times landing page for a photo or video portrait of a woman, nonbinary and/or trans person. I set myself creative constraints, making most drawings quickly and intentionally sketching more than finishing. Femmetober presents the month’s drawings, with 31 per issue of the booklet-sized zine.

This page shows three black-and-white photos from 2023: (1) the center spread, including two portraits; (2) a stack of four printed copies, showing front and partial back covers; and (3) a two-page spread with sketches of groups of protesters.