{"id":4669,"date":"2018-03-11T00:55:08","date_gmt":"2018-03-11T00:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/secretacres.com\/?page_id=4669"},"modified":"2023-02-23T16:16:31","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T16:16:31","slug":"l-nichols","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/secretacres.com\/?page_id=4669","title":{"rendered":"L. Nichols"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nBIO
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L. Nichols<\/span> was born and raised in rural southwest Louisiana and went on to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master\u2019s degree in Media Arts and Sciences, both from MIT. L. has a unique voice that utilizes the language of science and engineering to add an additional layer of meaning and complexity to his work. Nichols also incorporates elements of comics to turn his paintings into broader narrative forms. L. lives and works as an illustrator, comic artist, graphic designer, educator and sometime blacksmith with their two children in New York\u2019s Hudson Valley. He has been published in over a dozen comics and art books.<\/p>\n

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\nIN PRAISE OF L. NICHOLS<\/span><\/p>\n

Part<\/span> of a growing body of trans comics, L. Nichols\u2019s autobiographical Flocks<\/i> upbringing in southwest Louisiana \u2014 where he was raised as a girl \u2014 and present his improbable, fraught journey to M.I.T. and later into his transition and marriage\u2026 \u2026Nichols\u2019s narrative uses cartoon figuration \u2014 in this case, a shifting, button-eyed rag doll \u2014 to represent nonbinary gender identity, revealing how comics can help offer a language of expression outside of societal norms.<\/p>\n

– The New York Times<\/span><\/p>\n

This moving, skillfully wrought coming-of-age graphic memoir shares Nichols\u2019s struggle to integrate his queer identity with a devout Southern Baptist upbringing: \u201cNo matter how hard I tried, I never heard \u2018me\u2019 when they said \u2018we.\u2019\u2009\u201d Nichols, who is targeted as a lesbian while growing up (\u201cI heard she\u2019s a dyke\u201d) and now identifies as a transgender man, first presented these stories in a series of pamphlet comics. Throughout the narrative, Nichols depicts himself as a button-eyed rag doll, perpetually set apart from \u201cnormal\u201d family and peers, developing same-sex crushes while still attempting to reconcile his religious faith with the virulently anti-LGBTQ messages baked into the culture: \u201cInstead of questioning the church\u2019s teachings, I threw myself even further in.\u201d Nichols is a talented artist, often utilizing symbology (such as the arrows that point at him whenever he feels his secrets have been exposed) in almost incantatory fashion. Over time, Nichols establishes his own flock of family and community as a fully integrated person. Written and drawn with equal parts raw honesty and a wide-open heart, this lovely full-color book should have crossover appeal for younger readers, middle school and up, opening up the experience of any reader challenged by their gender identity, sexuality, and\/or conflicting religious beliefs.<\/p>\n

– Publishers Weekly<\/span><\/p>\n

In the revealing and honest Flocks<\/i>, L. Nichols offers a unique, intelligent perspective on finding one\u2019s niche, overcoming confusion over sexual identity, and reconciling oneself to a well-meaning but rigidly traditional religious family\u2026 \u2026Nichols charts a course of self-discovery\u2014a winding path strewn with hazards but always lit by fierce intelligence. Nichols finally identifies as a trans man; as monumental as that self-realization is, Flocks is much more than just one person\u2019s story. Nichols handles both his parents and the church with depth and unblinking analysis, recognizing that each, though flawed, contributed positively to the creation of the happy, successful father that he is today\u2026 \u2026Flocks<\/i> is a generous glimpse into the most personal of issues, shared by an author who knows how to look at a situation from every angle.<\/p>\n

-Foreword<\/span><\/p>\n

MORE PRAISE FOR L. NICHOLS<\/span><\/a>\n