Published by Street Noise Books in February 2026, Chicken Heart by Morgan Boecher is the story of Jackie Locklear, a stand-up comedian who, after the death of his trans aunt by suicide, decides to face his internalized transphobia. He not only learns to accept himself in the process, but he also finds love.

Prism caught up with Boecher over e-mail to discuss how the Chicken Heart narrative explores intergenerational violence, how trans people can break the cycle of violence in our communities, the real-world influences behind the Love Commune, and if Chicken Heart: The Musical is on the horizon (interview spoiler: it’s not, but it should be).

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OLLIE KAPLAN: How much of this story is personal? 

MORGAN BOECHER: Although Chicken Heart‘s plot and characters are fictional, I relate to most of the anxieties in the book. Making Chicken Heart helped me to touch the questions that I feared the most: can I have the love that I want as a trans person? Can I find community and home? Is tragedy inevitable? Coming out changed my life trajectory and self-image dramatically, and it’s taken me years to adapt. But I’ve learned how resilient and lovable I am in the process.  

Also, the Commune is based on a place in Brunswick, GA, that I would visit, called Hostel in the Forest – a woodland retreat promoting environmental sustainability and cooperative living. It reminds me of queer community-building in how we must innovate to meet our needs and have a good time. I also fell in love there once and encountered terrifying bugs, so it seemed like a good site for drama.

KAPLAN: The story deals a lot with the impact of intergenerational violence against queer people. How do we overcome that?

BOECHER: Breaking these cycles of violence is at the heart of this book. The story opens with tragedy – Jackie Locklear, a closeted trans man, receives a letter about his trans aunt’s death by suicide – but it doesn’t stay tragic. I aimed to portray the painful effects of familial rejection and internalized transphobia because it’s so real within the trans community. At the same time, I wanted to stay true to the power and possibility that our lives hold. Chicken Heart is a story about overcoming intergenerational violence and getting through tragedy by sharing love. But to share love, Jackie needs to find a place where he’s safe being honest about himself. 

“Breaking these cycles of violence is at the heart of this book.”

– Morgan Boecher on Chicken Heart

KAPLAN: How does your theater background influence how you approach graphic narratives?

BOECHER: I chose this career path in part because I knew being immersed in theater would help my comics-making. They both rely on storytelling through words and imagery, character design is like casting, and the book’s manuscript is basically a play script. I even wrote song lyrics in the book with musicals in mind! I’ve been lucky to learn so much about narrative and world-building by seeing how other theater artists create. I also love having a background in a highly collaborative art form such as theater, which helps to balance the often solitary work of making graphic novels. 

KAPLAN: I have some friends in the Brooklyn comedy scene. Since part of the book is set there, were there any real-world influences for Clive’s Comedy Club?

BOECHER: I love the comedy scene in New York City! Littlefield is my favorite Brooklyn spot, since they have so many hilarious queer performers there. To design Clive’s Comedy Clinic, I channeled venues in NYC with the cabaret-style seating, and of course, the bar. Clive’s is meant to be more of a “typical” club, where queer is not the default. The setting is a bit gritty, since this is where Jackie lives, but not where he’s entirely comfortable.

KAPLAN: Can you describe your creative process?

BOECHER: Over the course of the decade I spent making this book, 80% of that time was writing and rewriting the text. I wanted to avoid sinking so much effort into illustrating a book and not have the story hold water, so I focused on getting the manuscript in a solid place before putting pencil to sketch pad. The biggest turning point in making this book happened when I let other writers read what I had written. I kept hearing that I needed to let readers in on the characters’ inner worlds and go deeper with the scenes to find the emotional core. From there, I drew with the intent of amplifying those emotions. I believe that drawing the book by hand with pencil and ink helped me to stay emotionally connected to the story.  

KAPLAN: “Misfits are expert inventors.” Can you explain how this line fits into the modern world and current political climate? How can queer people invent joyful spaces for themselves?

BOECHER: Queer people are especially attuned to self-definition, since dominant, heteronormative scripts don’t tend to fit us. Getting to invent our own expressions is an enormous gift – but it’s also incredibly daunting. Inventing takes a lot of work and risk-taking, especially in a world that’s actively hostile to queer expression. There’s power in simply gathering with other queer people, though. Coming together lets us share resources, celebrate each other’s expressions, and rest from having to explain ourselves. This kind of community-building is what I wanted to convey through the Chicken Heart Love Commune, where Jackie first encounters queer people living on their own terms. 

There’s power in simply gathering with other queer people, though. Coming together lets us share resources, celebrate each other’s expressions, and rest from having to explain ourselves.

– Morgan Boecher on Chicken Heart

KAPLAN: What role does artistic expression play in how the queer community processes its collective grief? Do comics have anything unique to offer in this space?

BOECHER: To me, artistic expression is a pressure relief valve when it feels like there’s no place to go. I put so much of my grief into this book, which helped me to heal. Writing and drawing it offered a way to be with my feelings and to move them. Similarly, taking in other queer artists’ work helps me to process the hard stuff and remember that I’m not the first one to do so. I love how comics is an art form where readers can find their own pacing, taking in the emotional character of the line work while reading the story. I think it’s a form that uniquely lends itself to personal, deep reflection. 

KAPLAN: Is there anything else you would like to add?

BOECHER: It’s been an effortful joy to create Chicken Heart, and I hope that readers will find out something about the world and about themselves reading it. I wrote Chicken Heart because I wanted a story with happy outcomes for trans people that’s also honest about the anxiety and loss that can come with the territory. Additionally, I wanted to see a story about a “pre-transition” trans person, because I experienced the most vulnerability when I was furthest from my ideal gender expression. I believe this story can be helpful for people who might personally relate, and for those who aren’t queer or trans, because everyone has a part of themselves that’s vulnerable to show.

Chicken Heart by Morgan Boecher is available now from Street Noise Books. Learn more here.