Whores · of · Mensa

This weekend presents an excellent opportunity to meet two of your favourite Whores of Mensa, in an intimate and convenient urban setting:
THE THING
Yes, the legendary THING is back in the East End, this very Saturday, 28th March!
Feast your eyes upon Jeremy Dennis and her mini-comics!
Enjoy Ellen Lindner's brand-new Graphic Novel, Undertow, debut'ing at the fair!
Purchase two of the four issues of Whores of Mensa - we'll have copies of issues 3 (Harem/courtesan theme) + 4 (Les Dames de Paris), and Mardou's Manhole no. 3!
Can't wait to see you there!

Comicker Tanya Meditzky and super-talented pals Girls Who Draw are hosting an excellent-sounding private view this Thursday in London - if you're in the Capitol, do stop by and check it out! Their stuff is so rad, and at least one of the Whores of Mensa will be in attendance.


Another 'do we'll be gracing wiv our presence? Check out table 14 at the upcoming UK Web and Minicomics Thing - we'll be there! March 28th, baby! Pick up Whores 4 - Les Dames de Paris - and an advance copy of Ellen's graphic novel, Undertow!


So much to look forward to - see you there!

Come one, come all, Whores of Mensa will be exhibiting this Saturday as part of The Women's Library Zine Fest!





Contributors include current and former Whores of Mensa Ellen Lindner, Jeremy Dennis, and Lucy Sweet, as well as Lizz Lunney, Karrie Fransman, Erica Akerlund, Lady Lucy, Flo Brooks, Kate Evans, Liz Greenfield, Leonie O'Moore, Carol Swain, Tanya Meditzky, Francesca Cassavetti, Isy Morgenmuffel, Sally-Anne Hickman, Laura Stimpson, Karoline Rerrie, Sarah Lynch, Siobhan Bowers, Rachael House, Lee Kennedy, Jackie Batey, Iro Tsavala, Mireille Fauchon, Emma Welch and Susie Rumsby.


You can find the Women's Library at London Metropolitan University on Old Castle Street. This event is FREE but booking is required - go to the booking page for all kinds of useful info.


Enjoy! And many, many thanks to Melanie Maddison for getting us humble Whores o' Mensa involved!

It's true! It's here! And it's yours for the taking.


Our new issue is all about the ladies of Paris, and it melds biography, autobiography, lit-inspired fantasy and more into a confection worthy of the city of lights itself.


Specifics, you say - you want specifics. Well, Mardou's epic tale of the life of Anaïs Nin is required reading if you've ever pored through a published diary - Nin's is the definitive daily journal of the 20th century. Jeremy brings fashion, goldfish and H.P. Lovecraft together in a tale of dance and the void between worlds. And Ellen creates a collage out of the life, art and writings of Lee Miller, photographer, muse and war correspondent extraordinaire. Not to mention a few extra features: an interview with San Fran comix diarist Vanessa Davis, and a letter from a real, live Mensan! He wants to recruit Mardou for a hand of bridge - and maybe more?


Check out our web-page for previews, details on how to order, and a big ol' zoom view of our Sergeant Pepper-style cover.


EDIT: You can now buy WoM 4 from Gosh! and Forbidden Planet - just check out our order page for details.


PS Missed issue 3? Ellen's Etsy has some more copies - but they're going fast, and will soon number only in the single digits.

Hello readers,
After many a delay, the 4th issue of Whores of Mensa debuts tomorrow, November 22nd (or 22 November, as you prefer), in London!





Catch up with Ellen and Jeremy tomorrow at the ICA for Paul Gravett's Comica Comiket.


The rough schedule - Jeremy from 2-7, Ellen from 4-7. Get a signed copy of the new issue (sneakiest of peeks above).


Can't make it to London? Nowhere near the UK? You can still get a copy!


UK comix freaks, check out Ellen's Etsy shop for the new issue as of Sunday.
US resident? Ted May's It Lives shop will have some soon, along with other retailers in coming weeks.


For this and all other news concerning Whores of Mensa, check out our site: http://www.whoresofmensa.com We'll be putting the new issue up with previews, extra info, etc, all in the coming days.


We're totally confident this our best issue yet - can't wait to hear what you think!

Until October 31st, you've still got time to see Jeremy Dennis as part of the amazing, the incredible "Comic Timing" show at London's poshest, swankest, most-comix attuned department store, Harrods!





That's the lady herself, as she appears on the back cover of the new Whores of Mensa (currently in the layout stage - wwheeee!)


Organized by Rufus Dayglo, Tank Girl artiste extraordinaire, "Comic Timing" puts Jeremy in the company of British comics greats like Alan Moore and Raymond Briggs. Well deserved, we say!


Here's a link: http://www.harrodsthatsentertainment.com/circle.php


And here's a review: http://londonist.com/2008/10/review_comic_timing_at_harrods.php


Our advice: run, don't walk! And in case you can't make it to London, here's the lovely strip Jeremy has loaned to the show.


PS If anyone's in London, and would like to go to Harrods over the weekend, do comment!

Nadia Boulanger, composer, teacher and pioneering conductor!

Go under the cut for Ninon de Lenclos and Francois Sagan.
( two more beautiful ladies )

Thanks to David O'Connell, otherwise known as tozocomic, for an excellent suggestion for our Dames de Paris cover - Carole Bouquet!

Star of Bunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire, face of Chanel Number 5, Carrie's love rival in, well, one episode of Sex and the City (though she did play an important role in helping ol' Car figure out...oh never mind), and, of course, erstwhile spouse of Gerard Depardieu...quelle carriere!


Our APE launch approaches speedily...rest assured, the Whore of Mensa blog will keep you up to date! Never fear!


And in the meantime, thanks, Dave! Les dames de Paris te saluent!

Check out the first of our Dames de Paris cover drawings! A selection of Parisiennes of all times, nations of origin, and, occasionally, degrees of fictionality.

Here we present Brigitte Fontaine as drawn by Sacha, Simone de Beauvoir and Madame de Maintenon by Ellen, and Adele Blanc-sec by Sacha.


Is there a Parisian lady you'd like to see on the cover of Whores of Mensa 4? Comment and let us know!

Whores news aplenty!


First and foremost, we have a new and improved release date for Whores of Mensa issue 4: it will now debut at APE, Nov. 1st and 2nd in San Francisco! If you're attending the con, look for Mardou and Ted May! More details to follow!


We now have some pics from Ellen and Jeremy's recent Oxford outing, the Caption Comix Collective show at the wonderful Jam Factory!





We had a lovely time meeting up, drinking lovely beers (the Jam Factory has Anchor Steam!) and talking politics, music, and Whores 4. Here are Jeremy and Ellen in front of some selections from Jeremy's weekly strip.


( A few more pics behind the cut! )
Can't wait for Whores 4? Mardou has been working like the Eliot (our feminist version of 'working like the Dickens') on her drawings for the cover! The concept is still hush-hush...but take a look at these beauties!
And that's just one entry's worth! We'll be posting a selection of cover drawings here soon, but in the meantime, go to mardouville and scroll, baby, scroll!


One last little news slug...many of our Whores retailers are sold out, but Ellen has just started selling her last few copies in her Etsy shop! Take a look!

All 3 of the current generation of Whores of Mensa contributors have new stuff for you to look at, love, and possibly buy!


First up, la bella Mardou (center). Her long-awaited new entry to her Manhole series is here. Number 3 is big (40 pages!) and beautiful. Everything you need to know about ordering it, including some sweet preview pages, is here.


Second, we’ve got Jeremy, with Owl is Angry (right). It’s got hand-sewn ornamentation and it’s shivering with carnivorousness. Love! Ordering info here

Ellen’s first-ever educational graphic novel, Little Rock Nine, just hit stores! (Crazy image left - preview here).
Get a glimpse of our Gosh! photoshoot here courtesy of Miss jabberworks, a stalwart ally of the WoM crew. Thanks ever so much for the write-up, Sarah!


More news very shortly concerning a very exciting art show....

Greetings, readers...


So, some updates on the eagerly awaited Whores of Mensa 4 - the Paris issue. Except, in true WoM fashion, it seems to be morphing into “Les Dames de Paris” - the Ladies of Paris issue! (Working title, of course.)


Ellen and Sacha will be duking it out in a biographical duel, pitting Lee Miller against Anaïs Nin.
Here’s a scan from Ellen’s pencils:





And Jeremy? She’ll be taking us deep into the night....with the Cthulhuettes!





En garde! We’re still thinking a SPX or Caption release date - stay posted!


PS Whores of Mensa is now available at legendary comix emporium Quimby's, of Chicago! Thanks, Quimby's!


Incidentally, issue 3 is almost sold out - if you'd like a copy, act fast! You can find out more on our ordering page.


Thanks for reading!

As a worthy finale to our Lady Chef Drawing Challenge, itself a warmup for the upcoming fourth issue of Whores of Mensa, we offer you three drawings by New York artist Joan Reilly.


Joan has a redoubtable history in the comics trade, having been part of the Hi-Horse collective - comprising Joan, Howard John Arey, Bishakh Som, and Mome star Andrice Arp - since its founding in 2000. She is also a regular at studiodeep6 in Brooklyn.




Here’s what Joan has to say about the many drawings of Julia Child she’s done over the last few years:

“The very first Julia image I made was done in the style of a Russian icon, and I was inspired to do it as a birthday present for my husband, who has been a huge fan of Julia Child since he was a kid.
Early in our relationship, we started watching DVD's of her old shows, and marveling at what a fantastic and funny person she was. Then I became fascinated enough to read her biography, "Appetite for Life," by Noel Riley Fitch, which is excellent.


When I was invited to create an installation for the Opolis show, curated by Jason Little, in which cartoonists were challenged to tell a visual story using a 3D model of a city block, I chose to tell the story of Julia's life by re-creating pivotal scenes and housing them in models of the buildings were they occurred. So the black-and-white line drawings of her at different ages were character studies for that exhibit, and then the color scene of Julia having dinner in China with a bunch of servicemen is one of the scenes I created for the installation.”


( For two images from Joan’s Opolis installation, look behind the cut! )


Thanks, Joan!

PS If you want to read more about Julia Child, Random House has a fantastic group of primary source documents - scouting and editors' reports - on Mastering the Art of French Cooking here.

Ellen L.'s contribution to the chef challenge has finally arrived at Whores HQ!


Ellen writes:
"I am currently reading Elizabeth David's amazing 'Harvest of the Cold Months', a series of essays detailing the history of ice creams and ices. ED is often credited as the person most responsible for popularizing rustic French and Italian food amongst post-war British cooks, but she was also a devoted food scholar. Like Michael Pollan's 'The Botany of Desire', 'Harvest' offers both an overview of a particular idea - in this case, the notion that extreme cold has been a more longstanding and more influential part of the cook's repertory than we imagine possible - and loads of interesting foodie trivia. Anyhow, I highly recommend this very interesting livre de glace, and offer this drawing as a tribute to ED's elegant and incisive writing."





Thanks, Ellen!


This formally wraps up the challenge - but we have one last treat for you! On Friday, a guest artist will show off some of her drawings of one of the most famous lady chefs ever! Hint: the chef in question was a spy before she became a cook, and attended the alma mater of one of the WoM's. Still guessing? Come back Friday for the answer and some fabulous drawings!

Sarah McIntyre, Madame jabberworks - has stepped up to the chef challenge.

Read more about the somewhat coercive - and intensely francophilic - circumstances that brought this image to life on Sarah's blog.


But really - can you believe she drew this on a library floor? Quel genie!


And now, Sally. Who says there are no great British female restaurant chefs? Sally Clarke is a bright light on the London foodie scene with her restaurant Clarke's and - to the eternal gratitude of residents of urban Britain and elsewhere - patisserie advisor to Pret a Manger.





Thank you, Sarah!


Now someone needs to get tough with Ellen.


Lindner? Service?

Entry number two comes from Mardou!


Isa Chandra Moskowitz is the Brooklynite proprietor of the Post-Punk Kitchen, a source for fantastic vegan recipes (the spicy sweet potato soup is pretty darn good, if you're looking for a starting point on the road to Vegan). Go to the PPK for a great and informative blog, and loads of cooking videos!


Isa C. is also the author of the very impressively titled Veganomicon, an all-encompassing treatise on meat and dairy free cooking which several of us Whores of Mensa are itching to try.





Yay, Mardou!


So now we're just waiting for Ellen to shout "Yes, chef!" to the current challenge. To remind you all why we're running this challenge, it's a warmup for Whores 4, the Paris issue! We're getting our drawing muscles in shape and focusing on the future - more on Whores 4 very soon!

Remember, there's still time to join in on this challenge - we're accepting entries until April 30th.

Jeremy Dennis has provided us with our first challenge entry. She wowed us all with her Agatha Christie during the last challenge - has she outdone herself?





I think maybe!


Sophie Grigson, for our US readers, is part of a lady chef dynasty, being the daughter of esteemed food writer Jane Grigson. A food writer and TV presenter, Sophie's been all over town, culinarily speaking, but a personal fave has to be her Sainsbury's Student Cookbook. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, try the Eve's pudding (apples cooked under a light, fluffy cake-like layer for ultimate gooey-ness) or her peanut butter cookies. Yum!


More info on Sophie? Try here for a full-ish bibliography: http://uktv.co.uk/food/item/aid/530497


Rumors are afoot that Mardou's entry is on the cooker, so to speak....any more takers? ;)

Consider this an announcement for the next Whores of Mensa drawing challenge!





Forget Heston Blumenthal, Mario Batali or even Brother Rick Curry, author of The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking (don't ask). This seasonal drawing challenge is in honor of female chefs everywhere!


Draw your favorite lady chef - you know you've got one - and send it in before April 30th, and we'll post your drawing on our blog. By 'chef', we don't necessarily mean a shouty person wielding a cleaver - whether you choose a TV chef, a cookery writer, or the owner of your local bakery, we want to see your interpretation.


Need inspiration? Check out Thomas McNamee's History of Chez Panisse, a brilliant recounting of Alice Waters' founding of the pioneering restaurant, a book now being read in at least one Whores household.
Or Cooking Like Mummyji, a combination cookbook/introduction to Punjabi culture by the fantastic Vicki Bhogal - great if you like healthy Indian food!
Or if you're a Cordon Bleu kinda gal (or man), try Elles Sont Chefs, Flammarion's giganto profiling of the best European female chefs, complete with luscious recipes.


Enjoy! We can't wait to see what you'll come up with.


PS We're thinking about archiving the wonderful drawings we received as entries for the last challenge on the WoM website - stay tuned!


PPS For this challenge we're not making it a mystery challenge (ie, you can choose your own chef!) but we're more than happy to supply a chef if you're looking for a surprise. Just comment and ask, and ye shall receive!

Sally, Girl Reporter says:
"Bored with Private Eye? The New York Times? That three volume biography of Picasso that's been trying the structural integrity of your nightstand? Well, you're in the right place!


Read all about Whores of Mensa contributor Ellen over at Matthew Badham's fab new blog, Overspill! (Here's a permalink, if that isn't working for ya.)


Don't miss this article on Mardou and her honey Ted May (along with some other luminaries of the fantastic St. Louie comix scene) on the St. Louis Riverfront Times site!


Check out this classic, in-depth (and quite richly illustrated) interview with Jeremy!" Or take a comix tour with Jeremy to the former Yuogslavia.


Still not enough Whores press for you?


( Read behind the cut for an interview with Lucy Sweet! )

This weekend Whores of Mensa will be part of a crafty South London extravaganza!





Come by for vegan treats, fingerless gloves, and comics, comics, comics! Whores of Mensa ahoy, in historic Telegraph Hill!


We'll be selling mini's by Ellen Lindner and Sarah McIntyre, as well as a minicomics jumble box!


More news soon on our long-discussed holiday drawing challenge....ho ho ho!