The Truth In This Art: Stories That Matter

Lonnie Millsap

In this premiere of The Truth In This Art, the guest on this episode is Lonnie Millsap! Who is Lonnie Millsap: Lonnie Millsap is an award-nominated (Thurber Prize, Reuben Award nominee) Los Angeles-based cartoonist. He is known for his work in the New Yorker Magazine, where he's word has been pushlished over 90 times, his synicated cartoon 'bacön' and over publishing over 13 books including his most recent, 'My Pockets Are Juicy!', The juiciest collection of cartoons ever drawn. Millsap is known for his unique illustration style and humor. Also, Millsap has earned the praise of cartooning legends like Keith Knight, Gary Panter, Sergio Aragones, Dan Piraro and Jim Benton. In this episode, Lonnie shares his story. In it, Millsap describes turning his childhood passion of drawing everything into a carerr of publishing books as well as welling them. Millsap shares some of his inspiration from Gary Panter and Charles M. Schulz. Millsap also provides some background on 'The juiciest collection of cartoons ever drawn.', My Pockets Are Juicy!' and his syndicated comic 'bacön'. Lonnie shares his thoughts on the community within indie comics and cartooning. (Lonnie and I met during in the indie comics loop - initially at Small Press Expo and then I had the chance to interview Lonnie at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus in 2025, it was great!)This was a great way to start off the new season and I hope you enjoy. Lonnie's website is https://lonniemillsap.com/ Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production:Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos:Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

74 - How Does 'Black Arms to Hold You Up' Carry Humor, History, and Resistance at Once? | Ben Passmore

Ben Passmore closes out this season of The Truth in This Art.Ben Passmore (DAYGLOAYHOLE, Your Black Friend, Sports Is Hell, BTTM FDRS; contributor to The Nib) joins Rob Lee to discuss his new book, Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance.An award-winning cartoonist whose work ranges from the fantastical to the autobiographical, Passmore brings sharp, often humorous social commentary on politics, activism, white supremacy, sports, and the Black American experience.In this episode, Passmore shares the story behind Black Arms to Hold You Up—why he chose graphic nonfiction, how he approached making it, and the care required when drawing real people and histories. He breaks down craft decisions that make complex ideas legible without flattening them, and how he balances clarity, intention, and voice.The conversation also digs into audience and context: making art in rooms where you’re often the only Black person, how perception shifts outside community, and what cultural moments reveal about how we frame Black artists. It’s about how comics can carry culture, memory, and critique—connecting personal storytelling to broader histories while inviting readers to keep learning.Topics Covered:Exploring intent, process, and responsibility in nonfiction comics with Black Arms to Hold You UpWorking across fantastical and autobiographical modes with social commentaryNavigating audience, context, and perception in art spacesMaking complex ideas accessible without losing nuanceMake the conversation count: buy Black Arms to Hold You Up. Passmore’s new graphic nonfiction holds contradiction with care, keeps the humor respectful, and carries history without flattening it. Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production:Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos:Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

73 - How Did Precious Rubbish Take Shape? | Kayla E. (award-winning artist, Precious Rubbish, Fantagraphics)

Kayla E. joins The Truth In This Art to discuss Precious Rubbish.Kayla E. (award-winning artist, Creative Director at Fantagraphics, 2023–2024 Princeton Hotter Fellow) joins Rob Lee to discuss her debut full-length graphic memoir, Precious Rubbish.An award-winning artist whose practice spans comics and fine art—textiles, sculpture, video performance art, painting, and drawing—Kayla E. brings candid, instinct-driven storytelling about life, family, and making work on her own terms.In this episode, Kayla E. shares the story behind Precious Rubbish—why she made it for herself with no plan to publish, how every decision was guided by pure instinct, and how the book’s distinctive color palette was lifted from vintage “Komic Kards.”The conversation also digs into audience and context: setting aside what’s proper, traditional, or would sell; focusing on truth over convention; and connecting the memoir to a broader art practice across mediums. It’s about how comics and fine art can hold difficult life stories while inviting readers to look closer.Topics Covered:Making a memoir with no intent to publish—letting instinct lead form and contentLifting the color palette of Precious Rubbish from vintage comic cardsCollecting ephemera and old stuff as an aesthetic engineBalancing honesty and care when depicting a terrifying family historyFrom comics to fine art: textile, sculpture, video performance art, painting, drawingMake the conversation count: read Precious Rubbish—grab it from your library, Amazon, or thriftbooks.com. Kayla E.'s graphic memoir stays true to lived experience, trusts instinct, and turns memory into art without sanding off its edges. Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production:Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos:Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

72 - What's New With the Maryland Film Festival for 2025 | KJ Mohr

Professional film curator and educator KJ Mohr returns to The Truth In This Art to talk about the Maryland Film Festival (MdFF) and Baltimore’s indie film scene at the SNF Parkway!In the conversation we explore the 2025 Maryland Film Festival (MdFF)—what’s new, including the amazing new website and Festival Journeys—what still matters, and how a festival can truly feel like home. As director of the Festival and year-round programming, KJ shares how listening to instinct and inviting many voices into the process shape a lineup that feels authentically Baltimore and true to independent film. A large, local screening committee helps build the program from the ground up, and the Parkway’s communal vibe keeps people talking long after the credits roll. From indie film discoveries to community-centered conversations, MdFF 2025 champions Baltimore’s film scene at the SNF Parkway.Festival Journeys: Four clear entry points—MdFF Pride (like I Was Born This Way), Black Voices (like Sun Ra: Do the Impossible and Kouté vwa), She/They (like Bay to Baltimore featuring ultramarathon open‑water swimmer and painter—and Truth in This Art alum—Katie Pumphrey), and WTF (like Fuck Toys)—to help audiences navigate with ease.CineTech: Free-with-registration demos and conversations highlighting gaming and interactive, choose‑your‑own‑adventure storytelling, expanding how audiences experience moving images and connect across creative communities.Student Films: Expanded to five days to make more room for student work, with student and local films threaded through most programs—spotlighting the next wave of filmmakers.Mission and SNF Parkway’s future: A welcoming home base where films, filmmakers, and audiences connect—an inclusive, community‑rooted space that reflects Baltimore while linking to the wider film world.Join us at the SNF Parkway for a robust week of programming—screenings, shorts, conversations, and in‑the‑room moments—and, most of all, a chance to be in community with Baltimore’s arts, film, and culture, and the independent film community that calls the SNF Parkway home. Explore the new website, pick a Journey, and come be part of it. Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production:Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos:Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

FEED DROP - TALES FROM THE HOOD (1995) A Film Retrospective with Lea Anderson

Chill or Be Chilled. Let's Watch It Again is back!Rob Lee is joined by Lea Anderson to discuss the 1995 cult classic Tales from the Hood!Tales from the Hood (1995) is a Black horror anthology directed by Rusty Cundieff, framed by a late-night visit to a funeral home where a mortician guides three men through four supernatural morality tales addressing police brutality, domestic abuse, racism, and gang violence.In this retrospective, host Rob Lee and horror scholar Lea Anderson (Truth in This Art alum; FANGORIA columnist, SHUDDER contributor) examine the film’s construction, cultural context, and legacy in Black horror.Topics include:The anthology’s frame narrative and how it threads the segments togetherSegment-by-segment themes and social commentaryKey performances, including Clarence Williams III and David Alan GrierPractical effects, puppetry, and memorable set piecesProduction and release context: 1995 box office, competition (Casper, Braveheart, Johnny Mnemonic), and receptionThe film’s enduring relevance and place in the horror canonCheck out the episode on the Let's Watch It Again Feed Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production:Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos:Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★