Press Release: Free-spirited friends in 1970s Berkeley search for cosmic truths in new, coming-of-age illustrated memoir

Free-spirited friends in 1970s Berkeley search for cosmic truths in new, coming-of-age illustrated memoir:
By the Forces of Gravity by Rebecca Fish Ewan releases June 19; presales begin March 7

“By the Forces of Gravity is like nothing you’ve ever read. Rebecca Fish Ewan has invented a wildly unique new genre that will transport you to a wildly unique time and place….”  — Ariel Gore, author of We Were Witches

“This free-verse-comic takes us on an epic trip of alternative lifestyles, sex, drugs, rock-and-roll, loss, and, ultimately, redemption.” — Chip Sullivan, author of Cartooning the Landscape

Feb. 22, 2018 (LANCASTER, PA) – In what’s been called a genre-breaking debut memoir, Rebecca Fish Ewan’s illustrated coming-of-age story is told through drawings and free verse. Set in 1970s Berkeley, California, By the Forces of Gravity reflects on a childhood friendship cut short by tragedy. In an era of laissez-faire parenting, Rebecca drops out of elementary school and takes up residence in a kids’ commune, and we follow her, bestie Luna, and their hippie cohorts as they search for love, acceptance, and cosmic truths. Full of adventure and heartache, By the Forces of Gravity promises to pull you in.

The mystical and larger-than-life Luna was the daughter of Robert Anton Wilson, cult author of Cosmic Trigger, The Illuminatus! trilogy and other works. “…Over the years, Luna’s story was reduced to a sad footnote in her father’s more illustrious biography. So, I sat down to write a different story, one that celebrated her life…” said Fish Ewan. The result is an inventive memoir of love, friendship—and resiliency—one that captures the counterculture movement vividly. Inside this graphic memoir, readers will find more than 200 pencil-drawn illustrations that help “Me-Then Rebecca” bring their tragically beautiful story to life.

Full media kit, including sell sheet, high-res cover/author photos available for instant download upon request. Also available: digital and (a limited number) of print advance review copies. For information or to request an author interview/review copy of this illustrated memoir, contact Donna Talarico at books@hippocampusmagazine.com.

About the Author: Rebecca is a poet/cartoonist/writer and founder of Plankton Press. Her writing, cartoons, and hybrid-form work has appeared in Brevity, Punctuate, Under the Gum Tree, Mutha, and Hip Mama. She also creates zines and teaches in The Design School at Arizona State University (her creative writing MFA home). Rebecca grew up in Berkeley, California, but now lives in Arizona with her family. Learn more: www.rebeccefishewan.com or follow on Twitter: @rfishewan.

About Hippocampus Magazine and Books, LLC: Established in 2010, Hippocampus Magazine publishes new creative nonfiction, craft articles, writing life columns, interviews, and reviews ten times a year. Hippocampus also hosts an annual creative nonfiction conference, HippoCamp, and, in 2017, launched its imprint, Books by Hippocampus. Learn more: www.hippocampusmagazine.com or on Twitter: @hippocampusmag.

[Note: This press release was distributed to the media via email in PDF form, but we’re also posting it here, on the web, so it’s findable. You may access the full press kit, including more advance praise, here.]