How do you make people laugh, make them smile, instill optimism in a community where things seem like they are falling apart at the seams? How do you nurture hope amidst an epidemic?
You begin with comics, and you begin with kind words. It’s2014—21 years since Michael Slocum, newly dubbed editor of the publication Newsline, wrote his first "Letter from the Editor.” 21 years since he laid out a new set of goals, anew set of hopes, and a new outlook for the ever-changing publication. And it’s been 21 years since “Zander Alexander” first made its readers laugh.
When researching artists for this exhibition, Michael’s work caught my eye for that particular reason: it made me smile. To be perfectly honest, that’s not a reaction that HIV/AIDS related artwork usually conjures, right? Zander’s sarcasm and wit, serious nature contrasted with the optimism of his friends, and unconventional ways of coping with his own mortality struck me, and I wanted to know more about the man behind the comic. I searched and searched for original issues of Newsline and finally ended up at the New York Public Library. Given a huge, dusty, hard cover bound volume jampacked with 5 years of Newsline issues, I found a corner and began to read.
The essence of Michael can be captured in the first "Letter From the Editor” he ever wrote back in November of 1993. It reads like a conversation—as if he’s sitting across the table, on the other end of the couch, or standing on the corner with you while you smoke a cigarette. It’s welcoming, optimistic, and determined. He redefines what it means to administer a forum for expression. “Together, in these pages, we can express our diverse ideas, concerns, interests, and share information. Newsline is a place for learning, laughing, debating, mourning, exploring - celebrating all that we have survived, and joining together to strengthen and support one another.”