Gumberg Library’s Social Justice Reading Club (SJRC) has made Drawn to Home their Fall 2022 selection. Drawn to Home is a collaborative community comic featuring the stories of nine people who currently or recently experienced homelessness. Each story represents a period of time where the individual story teller experienced homelessness. Some storytellers have found stable housing, some may be still homeless, some may have returned to homelessness and others have passed away.
Drawn to Home is focused on the national shortage of affordable housing and the crisis of homelessness facing many of our major cities. Art has a unique power to open up dialogue that can energize people to take action and to make their voices heard to support others who struggle with housing instability.
The Drawn to Home exhibit will be on display in Gumberg’s fourth floor Popular Reading Room beginning November 3 through December 2. It features thoughtful works created by local Pittsburgh comic artists Dan Ekis, Nils Hanczar, Yang Zhen Lee, Forrest Storrs, Eileen Lee, Nate McDonough, Joe Mruk, Higu Rose, Nate Taylor, and Camden Yandel. To learn more about the artists, visit Drawntohomecomic.com.
Drawn to Home is presented in memory of the project’s founder, Jay Poliziani, who described his vision to open the dialogue about homelessness on a wider level, saying: “We have seen that people are open to conversations about tough topics like homelessness when presented in a non-confrontational or judgmental way. When people can start the conversation organically around a work of art, they feel at ease. Change can only come if conversations feel comfortable.”
On November 8 from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. the Reading Club will host a discussion of the book. The program will feature guests, including Rev. Jennifer McCurry, Associate Pastor of First Lutheran Church, as well as the artists Yang Zhen Lee, Joe Mruk & Nils Hanczar.
Location: 5th Floor Flex Space 1
The SJRC discussion is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required.
Register for the Discussion Here
Individuals planning to attend the upcoming SJRC program are invited to pick up a free copy of Drawn to Home in the library’s Popular Reading Room through the duration of the exhibit. Copies of the book are available on a first come first served basis. You can also find the e-book on the Drawn to Home website.
During the event on November 8, we are accepting donations for Brother Keating's Food Pantry and the Center for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion 17th Annual Turkey Drive.
Fleming, M. (2021, September 10). Pittsburgh Comic Book Series Tells the Stories of People Experiencing Homelessness. 90.5 WESA. https://www.wesa.fm/arts-sports-culture/2021-09-10/pittsburgh-comic-book-series-tells-the-story-of-people-experiencing-homelessness
Crompton, J. (2022, July 14). Advocate for Homeless and Hungry, Among Many Causes Aug. 13, 1961 - July 2, 2022. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2688875665/5D98D049DCCC43CEPQ/1?accountid=10610
