The Infinitely Sacred
I interview author and cartoonist Madeleine Jubilee Saito about her debut comic collection and the role art plays in securing climate justice.
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LISTENING: to the silence!
FEELING: oh so very anxious
SEEING: my very messy desk
Feels like every week, a new fire is burning. The weekend saw a terrifying display of tornadoes, wildfires, and dust storms out of the Midwest. More than 40 people died. A week ago, the wealthy Westhampton enclave of Long Island, New York, saw its own wildfires. Slowly, we are all beginning to grow familiar with the threats dizzying flames and smoke bring.
Madeleine Jubilee Saito's debut comic collection, "You Are a Sacred Place: Visual Poems for Living in Climate Crisis," opens up with the heaviness of living through another hot summer and smokey fall. The cartoonist and author doesn't waste a second in this book to dig deep and unpack the visceral emotions of living through climate crisis.
I've been a fan of Jubilee Saito's for many years now. I first saw her work in 2020 when she was published in the best-selling eco-feminist climate anthology "All We Can Save." I was immediately drawn to the storytelling style of her comics. There was always wonder and nature and togetherness. She says so much with so few words. She lets the art speak for itself sometimes. But she's also direct and vulnerable.
Her new book, out March 25, is a lovely addition to any coffee table or bookshelf, but it's more than eye candy. It's a spiritual delight that reminds us to reach out, reach in, and rise up.
"I believe in the power of art to remind us of our sacredness and to bring us back to the sacred in ourselves, in each other, in the natural world." -MJS
You are a sacred place. So am I. As are the lands we stand and build upon. The spirit inside us and the spirit that drives this world forward are sacred. Her book reminds us not to take that for granted — her artwork reminds us to fight, but also to dream and imagine the possibilities that lie ahead.
I interviewed her for this week's newsletter. The news is nonstop, but we could all use a break from the awfulness to stop and appreciate art and artists, especially in moments like these.
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This interview has been lightly edited and condensed. We're opening with what Madeleine Jubilee Saito is listening to, feeling, and seeing, per the Possibilities tradition.
LISTENING: to the gentle hum of an air filter
FEELING: 20 percent dumber than usual because of a bad night's sleep
SEEING: a beautiful, cloudy Seattle day
YESSENIA FUNES: For those who don't know your work, can you introduce yourself, please?
MADELEINE JUBILEE SAITO: I am a cartoonist and artist. I work in the medium of comics and, specifically, poetic comics. I've also been around climate movement spaces for about a decade. A lot of the work I do is visual poetry about climate justice.
YF: Why visual poems? How did you get into this specific medium? It's so niche.