Sarah Shay Mirk (she/they) is an author, zinester, and journalist based in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, in the United States.

Education

Mirk attended

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

, graduating in 2008.

Career

She worked for the ''

Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. History A prior version of ''The Mercury'' was ...

'' from 2008 to 2013. She has also written for Bitch Media. Since 2017 Mirk has been a contributing editor at

The Nib ''The Nib'' was an American online daily comics publication focused on political cartoons, Comics journalism, graphic journalism, essays and memoir about current affairs. Founded by cartoonist Matt Bors in September 2013, ''The Nib'' was an ind ...

. In 2019, they also undertook the enterprise of making one

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

a day, and she then compiled a hundred of them in a self-published book, ''Year of Zines'' (2020)''.'' They make their zines freely available to "anyone, especially teachers and educators". ''Guantanamo Voices'' was a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' pick for the Best Graphic Novels of 2020. Mirk also teaches a writing class for graduate students at Portland State University's Art + Design program. Their comics have been featured in ''

'', ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''Bitch'', and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

. In 2024, Sarah Mirk faced online criticism after publishing a satirical, "sanitized" version of the

handkerchief code The handkerchief code (also known as the hanky/hankie code, the bandana/bandanna code, and flagging) is a system of color-coded cloth handkerchief or bandanas for non-verbally communicating one's interests in sexual activities and fetishes. ...

Works

Articles

Books

* ''Oregon History Comics'' (Know Your City, 2012. Small comic books about Oregon history. Available for free for non-commercial purposes on Mirk's official website.) *''Sex from Scratch: Making Your Own Relationship Rules'' (Microcosm, 2014) *''Open Earth'' (Limerence Press, 2018. A queer sci-fi comic about

polyamory Polyamory () is the practice of, or the desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. Some people who identify as polyamorous believe in consensual non-mon ...

, with art by Eva Cabrera and Claudia Aguirre) *''Guantanamo Voices: True Accounts from the World’s Most Infamous Prison'' ( Abrams, 2020. Anthology of nonfiction comics) *''Year of Zines'' (self-published, 2020)

Interviews

*''Nieman Reports'' - How comics can enhance reader engagement, bring new audiences to narrative nonfiction.

References

External links

*
Recent Articles by Sarah Mirk
at ''The Stranger''
Articles by Sarah Mirk
at ''Portland Mercury.''
Own website
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women journalists Journalists from Portland, Oregon Place of birth missing (living people) Gerald Loeb Award winners for Audio and Video 21st-century American women Grinnell College alumni {{US-journalist-20thC-stub