PRISM COMICS ANNOUNCES 2013 QUEER PRESS GRANT RECIPIENT

Hazel Newlevant

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — At the Alternative Press Expo (APE), Prism Comics announced the recipient of the 2013 Queer Press Grant (QPG) on October 13th during the Queer Cartoonists Panel moderated by Justin Hall. This year’s recipient is Hazel Newlevant for her works “Dance the Blues” and “If this be sin”. Prism Comics, which supports LGBT comics, creators and readers, established the Queer Press Grant in 2005 to encourage the publication of LGBT-themed comics. It is now the only grant today given to independent comic book creators.

“There were so many really talented creators applying for the grant that it was very hard to not love them all,” said Jon Macy, Prism’s QPG Chairperson. “Hazel’s work really hit the magic balance between art, writing, and having something to say.”

Hazel Newlevant’s entry, Dance the Blues, and If This Be Sin, are a collection of powerful short stories that take us into “the rich heritage of queer women expressing themselves through blues music”. In Dance the Blues, contestants at a dance competition ignore gender roles and switch partners with ease. If This Be Sin, includes the history of a female jazz pianist who finds success performing in men’s clothes, but faces crushing reprisals in public life.

“Gladys Bentley was a singer and piano player who performed bawdy tunes in Harlem nightclubs throughout the 1920s and ’30s. Dressed in her signature white tuxedo, Bentley’s crossdressing act poked fun at the limitations of gender boundaries, and has been cited as a predecessor to the modern day Drag King.” -Newlevant.

Find Newlevant’s work online at https://newlevant.com

Prism Comics’ Queer Press Grant is awarded to assist comics creators in publishing comics with LGBT characters or themes. Entries are judged first and foremost by artistic merit, followed by concerns such as financial need, proposal presentation, and the project’s contribution to the LGBT community. They are reviewed by the Prism Board, past recipients of the Grant, and Prism’s Advisory Board.

The Queer Press Grant is funded entirely by donations, generally from comic book professionals and readers plus fundraising efforts from Prism members including Ted Abenheim, Charles “Zan” Christensen and Roger Klorese. Since its inception, the Queer Press Grant has been awarded to Christine Smith (2012: The Princess), Blue Delliquanti (2012: O Human Star), Robert Kirby (2011:Three), Tana Ford (2010: Duck), Jon Macy (2010: Fearful Hunter), Ed Luce (2009: Wuvable Oaf), Eric Orner (2009: Storybox), Pam Harrison (2008: House of the Muses), Justin Hall (2007: Glamazonia), Tommy Roddy (2007: Pride High), Megan Gedris (2006: YU+ME), and Steve MacIsaac (2005: Shiftlifter). To donate to the Queer Press Grant, go to prismcomics.org/donate.