Talking ‘Becoming Who We Are’ With Anthology Co-Editor Hazel Newlevant

At a time when it’s more important than ever that trans people be given space to tell their stories, co-editors Hazel Newlevant and Sammy Lisel have collected the stories of nine people from the trans community for a comic anthology called Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans. Geared towards middle grade readers, Becoming Who We Are features an all-trans and/or non-binary creative team and showcases the wide range of experiences trans people can have. For more on what it was like putting this anthology together, check out this interview with Newlevant below:

Rachel Bellwoar: Becoming Who We Are involves stories and creators from all over the world. Was that a goal from the start – to provide an international perspective – or did it just come together that way?

Hazel Newlevant: Sammy found the interviewees, and although most of them and the artists are US-based, she tried to make it a diverse group in many respects—race and ethnicity of course, different gender identities, diverse interests and careers, different generations, people with supportive families and those with trans-antagonistic families—varied stories in general!

Bellwoar: What has it been like working with A Wave Blue World on this project and how did you join forces with co-editor Sammy Lisel?

Newlevant: Sammy contacted me because she had interviewed some really interesting and inspiring trans folks and wanted help turning their stories into a graphic novel! Sammy wanted her own kids, and people everywhere, to be able to read and relate to their stories.

I thought the concept was great, and it really needed to be an anthology! That way, it could involve more of the many incredible trans cartoonists working today, who bring their own diverse perspectives to visualizing these stories. Plus, with a different artist drawing every chapter, the book could come together a lot quicker.

Working with A Wave Blue World has been awesome. They already had a great track record with queer-focused comics anthologies like Young Men in Love and The Color of Always, and very importantly, I’m also their social media and community manager. I was so glad to be in a position to help craft the Kickstarter campaign and write about the book on social media as part of my “day job.” AWBW doing the book let me stay more deeply involved than if it had been picked up by any other publisher, and I think that shows in the result!

Bellwoar: As someone who’s not only edited anthologies before but anthologies on equally important themes, like abortion rights (Comics for Choice), how has working on this one been different?

Newlevant: Editing Comics for Choice prepared me in a sense for Becoming Who We Are, because both involved pairing up storytellers who were totally outside the world of comics with cartoonists who wanted to adapt their stories. I think those collaborations are essential to really put different perspectives in comic book form and get them on bookshelves. It can’t all be the stories of cartoonists and professional writers!

The biggest difference was working on something that’s specifically for kids! Sammy’s own kids were our guides. We looked closely at comics they already love, like Roller Girl, and Sammy showed them stories in progress, to make sure they could follow what was happening and it held their interest. We wanted Becoming Who We Are to fit right alongside other middle-grade graphic novels, while being a proudly trans book.

Bellwoar: Usually author bios are reserved for the back of a book. What made you want to include them before each story in this collection?

Newlevant: Most of the stories start with their stars “pre-transition,” so we wanted to give readers a sense of who these people are, right up front. We also wanted to introduce the artists up front. Even with heaps of reference photos, the comics can’t be pure and objective windows into people’s pasts—they’re artistic collaborations, filled in by our own imaginations and experiences. This framing celebrates that aspect.

Bellwoar: Did you always know how you wanted to approach the cover art?

Newlevant: Yes! When Sammy asked for cover artist recommendations, I got inspired and banged out a sketch for how I would approach the cover art within, like, an hour. Fitting the story subjects into the vertical stripes of the trans flag, and showing both child and adult selves, to make readers wonder about the paths they took…I knew it was The Way, and fortunately Sammy and AWBW saw the vision!

Bellwoar: While the importance of younger readers being able to see themselves in media and learn about experiences that might be different or similar to their own hasn’t changed, access to these books has come under fire recently. In light of the hurdles in making sure this book is able to reach its intended audience, what kept you going strong?

Newlevant: Since we started in 2021, every year, more anti-trans bills have been introduced across the US. Last year, there were SIX HUNDRED, and 87 passed. It feels like the heat keeps getting turned up. The public hostility is scary. So far, Becoming Who We Are has gotten a lot of support from readers and within the industry, and the biggest hurdle has been making sure it gets categorized as a middle-grade book. People keep trying to move it into YA or even Adult, which would keep it away from the kids who need it most, and frankly, disappoint teens who are looking for something more mature! We haven’t hit the “book bans” stage of the publishing cycle yet, but if Becoming gets enough attention, that’ll probably happen, too.

Bellwoar: In addition to acting as co-editor, you also drew the art for Brooke Guinan’s story about becoming New York City’s first out trans firefighter. What was it about Brooke’s story that resonated with you the most and did it help, being both based in New York?

Newlevant: Brooke’s story just happened to be the one I was invited to draw, but she’s super cool and I was excited to do it! We have some commonalities, both being white trans people of a similar age (at least, I’m guessing from the Backstreet Boys t-shirts) who live or have lived in NYC. I’m also familiar with The LGBT Community Center on West 13th St. and have done many nights of karaoke!

Bellwoar: Many of the personal stories in this anthology (including Brooke’s) are presented as talks or speeches being given. Was that a helpful device in framing these stories?

Newlevant: Sammy was the one who turned the interviews into comic scripts, but yeah, I think that was a natural framing device to show people narrating the stories of their childhoods. In a lot of cases, their public speaking is how Sammy found them!

Bellwoar: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Hazel!

Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans is on sale now from A Wave Blue World.