MikeyPod

Podcasting about art and activism since 2005

MikeyPod 357 | Author Ayun Halliday

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A woman with long dark brown and gray hair smiles while holding up a pink book titled “Panther City: Tales of a Gen X Grade 3 Class Project Run Amok.” The background shows a warmly lit yellow room with a wooden screen. Text and the MikeyPod logo are overlaid along the bottom to promote a podcast episode.

I loved this conversation with writer and zinester Ayun Halliday. We got into her new book Panther City, an illustrated comedy set in the pre-bicentennial Midwest, and talked about how she captured the emotional intensity of childhood without losing the humor and weirdness of that age. The book’s dual-narrator structure gave us a lot to chew on, not to mention the little mysteries she plants along the way.

We also talked about our own childhood memories, how kids learn about the world from each other, and why those early peer moments feel so high-stakes. From there, we shifted into the incredible story behind Panther City’s illustrations—drawn by Ayun’s nine-year-old pen pal, Leni Yow-Fairs. The whole process is exactly the kind of DIY magic I adore Ayun for.

Ayun and I also dug into creative habits: the pull between festivity and focus, the joy of making work for its own sake, and her long relationship with self-publishing—from traditional book deals to the handmade, decades-long world of The East Village Inky.

Based in New York City, Ayun Halliday is a writer, illustrator, performer, and the creator of the legendary zine The East Village Inky, now in its 27th year. She’s the author of books including The Big Rumpus, No Touch Monkey!, Job Hopper, and Peanut, and her newest work, Panther City, blends humor, nostalgia, and the messy emotional landscape of childhood. Her work often mixes cartooning, memoir, and social observation, grounded in a fiercely DIY spirit and an instinct for finding depth in the small, strange corners of everyday life.

This podcast is powered by my subscribers on Patreon who, in addition to the warm feeling they get from co-creating with me, get lots of sweet perks including bonus podcast episodes, free downloads, zines, and more! This week’s bonus podcast will feature an extended conversation with today’s guest, Ayun where we talk about procrastination and the creative process!  Learn more right here!

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About Michael Harren

Brooklyn-based composer and performer Michael Harren combines elements of classical composition with experimental electronics and storytelling to create hypnotic and boldly intimate work that walks the line between Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel and Dead Can Dance.

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