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Visual Art & Design

Introductions

In the first installment of Tablet Magazine’s new graphic advice column, we meet Mitzi, the author’s heroine, foil, and muse

By Liana Finck|January 10, 2011 7:00 AM|28comments
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Liana Finck is a poet and graphic novelist.
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  • http://www.tabletmag.com/arts-and-culture/54596/introducing-mitzi/4/ Jordan

    Dear Liana,

    I stopped making New Year’s resolutions a long time ago. I realized (a) my limitations and (b) I could, and do, initiate changes in my life independent of the Gregorian Calendar. Love the reverse title in frame three.

    Good luck with the strip,

    Jordan

  • paula spector

    This “strip” or maybe 1st step in our journey with Mitzi is great! Love the collage on page 1 and the chat box. Brilliant. I am inspired to think about making some resolutions. Resolutions as in goals are essential. I usually think about resolutions at Rosh Hashana. Good luck and keep your and our creative juices flowing.

  • Warren

    Resolutions? I guess the only one that I’ve made and hope to carry out is to sit on the side of my bed every morning and breathe in and then breathe out. If I can do that, I’m good to go for the day.

  • Katherine

    To put household food scraps in the compost bin (I live in San Francisco) even though they are smelly; I’ve kept this resolution all year; my kitchen smells…

  • http://jewsbychoice.org/ Christopher

    Like Paula Spector, I make my new year’s resolutions during the Yamim Noraim rather than in early January. That said, one of my more practical resolutions was to devote more time to learning Hebrew and, so far, I can report only baby steps….but baby steps are steps nonetheless! ;)

    Katherine, I also live in SF. My girlfriend and I realized that, using both compost and recycling bins, we no longer had much need for a sizable trash bin. As a result, we now have two large bins for compost and recycling, and one “baby bin” for the trash (and kitty litter). If you get a bin with a tight lid seal, the smell won’t be bad at all!

  • Barbara Rascoff

    Liana.. I will follow this blog story with great attention and appreciation to all your lovely details. Thank you for thinking so hard. I will try to resolve to resolve on both New Years. i always need a second chance.

  • Alison

    I don’t think I have ever kept a new year’s resolution :-/

    Maybe this year will be different….

  • Frank

    Many – MANY – years ago (just after university), I resolved to stay away from an ex-girlfriend who, whether she meant to or not, was slowly making me insane.

    As she was friends with most of my friends, this meant that I turned down a lot of party invitations and stayed at home nursing my psychic wounds instead of going out. Which, when you’re in your early 20s is pretty hard to do. By early February, my mind was even in worse shape than before as I was now a virtual shut-in who was still obsessing over a woman who had broken my heart on three occasions.

    I was honestly going to cave in as Valentines Day approached and then a miracle happened…

    She got a job in a small city about 500 miles away, and had to leave within a couple of weeks.

    By spring, I was dating again and I felt as if I was emerging from a dark tunnel that I’d been stuck in for a couple of years.

    So while I almost caved in, it was a resolution that I kept.

    (With some outside help of course).

  • Alana Newhouse

    Katherine: If you have the room, you can keep your composting in the freezer — where it won’t rot and won’t smell. And if you use these (http://www.biobagusa.com/Commercial.htm), you’ll make your life even easier.

  • Sandy

    Wow Liana,

    How wonderful!

    I can’t wait to read about other people’s New Year’s resolutions.

    I, myself, resolved a long time ago not to make any, since by definition they are so hard to keep. If it weren’t so hard, we wouldn’t need a resolution, we’d just do it.
    So I guess that’s one resolution I have been able to keep.

    Good luck with your strip!

  • Deena

    Love this first column Liana! Sort of wishing I either made resolutions or could remember them if I did.

  • http://www.tablet.com Liana

    i think Mitzi’s new years resolution is not to litter so much.

  • http://www.tablet.com Liana

    and to figure out how to get that big orange.

  • Amy

    A tidbit: Lore Segal, the author of Tell Me a Mitzi, was a child in the Kindertransport. She wrote about that part of her life in a book called Other People’s Houses.

    My New Year’s resolution should probably be to stick to the subject and answer the question…

  • http://www.tablet.com Liana

    Amy, I’ve been meaning to read that book. Did you know about it before Tell Me a Mitzi?

  • Amy

    Hi,Liana,
    To be honest, Lore Segal is a friend of a friend of mine. The last time Lore Segal had a piece in the New Yorker I happened to have a get-together with my friend, and she mentioned it, and then told me about Lore’s life and recommended the book Other People’s Houses. That got me interested in finding out more about her as an author. I have to admit that before that I had not been familiar with Tell Me a Mitzi (and I was a kid when she wrote it; I don’t know how it got past my radar).

  • http://harrietfinck.com Harriet Finck

    Liana, I think that orange would have been just the thing for Mitzi and her family when they were all so sick Along with the chicken soup

  • Patti Grunther

    Hey Lianna – what a great start for your strip…keep up the good work!
    Patti (e famiglia, Antonio, Julian & Nash)

  • http://www.tablet.com Liana

    ciao patti! thanks. thanks everyone. hi mom – yes. unless it was a kind of man-eating orange, which is something adult mitzi is going to have to check out on her next safari out of the laptop. mitzi dinisen!

  • http://www.tablet.com Liana

    dinesen.

  • http://harrietfinck.com Harriet

    Out of the West Side?

  • Rivka C

    Liana ! Amazing blog ! Honored to be one of your groupies xxxx

  • Diane Belok

    Liana,

    From West Orange (SSDS) to the West Side. Schechter has a beautiful, accomplished alum! And CRB and CBS- Teaneck are also very proud to call you their own. Go from strength to strength!!

  • Susan Mayo

    In addition to enjoying your column/cartoon, I enjoyed reading the comments.Best wishes for continuing inspired work.

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Introductions

In the first installment of Tablet Magazine’s new graphic advice column, we meet Mitzi, the author’s heroine, foil, and muse