How Did This Happen??? Zine Series

How Did This Happen??? is a zine series I started making in the summer of 2019. I was working at a dead end job and living in Saint Louis, MO. I was in graduate school for creative writing and didn't feel fulfilled by my coursework or like I was actually doing anything creative in the program I was attending. In order to try and fix that, I decided to drop out of grad school and start making art again, after an eight year hiatus from drawing caused by severe physical and mental health issues. This decision ultimately ended up causing me to move back to Reno to pursue my art full time.

How Did This Happen??? is a variety zine, which means the contents include a mix of poetry, short story, comics, essays, photography, illustration, and more. They don't tell a linear story, so each issue can be read as a stand alone piece, but all issues do follow the story of my avatar, Coyote Ugly. Each issue in the series features a question as a subtitle and the contents are answers to that question, in direct and indirect ways. There are currently ten issues in the series, as well as a standalone silent comic book, Roam Forever.

The first ten issues of there series were co-authored with my ex-wife Shay Daylami and feature some of her writing and photography.