Malik Reed · 21
“I know how to do the work. Talking about myself is the hard part.”
Malik’s first interview →Mei Tan · 20 · A Kitewise story
Mei tries something new
Mei wants to try an art group. Wanting to go and knowing how to arrive are two different things.
Fictional characters. Real-life situations. 2 min read.
Read the text version ↓
1 / 4 The art group sounds good. “Just drop in” leaves a few questions.
Mei: Where do I go? How long does it last?
2 / 4 She messages ahead. At the door, the organiser checks in.
Organiser: We finish at four. You can leave earlier.
Mei: Thanks. Is there a quieter place to sit?
3 / 4 A seat by the window. One postcard. No need to join every conversation.
Another artist: I like your drawing.
Mei: Thanks. It’s the world’s least dramatic haunted house.
4 / 4 Rowan came along too. Mei leaves when she planned to, with something to come back for.
Rowan: Same table next time?
Mei: I’d like that.
Text version of the comic
Panel 1
Mei sits by a window at home, looking thoughtfully at an invitation on her phone.
The art group sounds good. “Just drop in” leaves a few questions.
Mei: Where do I go? How long does it last?
Panel 2
Mei talks with the art-group organiser at the entrance to the room.
She messages ahead. At the door, the organiser checks in.
Organiser: We finish at four. You can leave earlier.
Mei: Thanks. Is there a quieter place to sit?
Panel 3
Mei draws a postcard at the window end of a shared art table, with space around her.
A seat by the window. One postcard. No need to join every conversation.
Another artist: I like your drawing.
Mei: Thanks. It’s the world’s least dramatic haunted house.
Panel 4
Mei and Rowan leave the art session together carrying illustrated postcards.
Rowan came along too. Mei leaves when she planned to, with something to come back for.
Rowan: Same table next time?
Mei: I’d like that.
Behind the story
A little about Mei.
Mei is 20 and autistic. She works in a bookshop and makes zines about overlooked corners of her city. Her other interests include strange little museums, ghost stories and melodramatic films.
Diagnosed at 16, she became good at arriving prepared while keeping her preferences to herself. Leaving an illustration course in her first year did not end her creative life. She is considering a more flexible way back into study.
She lives with a friend and wants to share her first zine, meet people and try dating. Written plans, less glare and room to step away help her enjoy the things she chooses.
Has strong opinions about fictional ghosts. Enjoys a comfortable silence.
Meet the others.
