Queer: A Graphic History, 2016, is the first book in an ongoing collaboration with Dr. Meg-John Barker. Published by Icon Books - here is their blurb and some press:

Activist-academic Meg-John Barker and cartoonist Jules Scheele illuminate the histories of queer thought and LGBTQ+ action in this groundbreaking non-fiction graphic novel.

From identity politics and gender roles to privilege and exclusion, queer explores how we came to view sex, gender and sexuality in the ways that we do; how these ideas get tangled up with our culture and our understanding of biology, psychology and sexology; and how these views have been disputed and challenged.

Along the way we look at key landmarks which shift our perspective of what’s ‘normal’ – Alfred Kinsey’s view of sexuality as a spectrum, Judith Butler’s view of gendered behaviour as a performance, the play Wicked, or moments in Casino Royale when we’re invited to view James Bond with the kind of desiring gaze usually directed at female bodies in mainstream media.

Presented in a brilliantly engaging and witty style, this is a unique portrait of the universe of queer thinking.

***

‘Could totally change the way you think about sex and gender … an utterly un-dusty tome that questions everything from the way we categorise our sexual desire to the foundations of happiness.’ - Vice

‘Yanks the jargon of Foucault, Butler and a who’s who of philosophers down from the clouds and into simple, clear messages.’ - Sydney Morning Herald

‘A playful, graphic analysis of the paradox that is Queer Theory – opens our hearts as much as it engages our minds.’ - Kate Bornstein

‘With their inspired synthesis of words and imagery, MJ Barker and Jules Scheele take us beyond binaries to show us the richness of queer as a critique, as a verb and as an approach to life itself.’ - Jane Czyzselska, Diva

‘One of the most enjoyable aspects of this book is the charm of Jules Scheele’s understated, accessible illustrations … the book holds a great amount of respect for this pantheon of theorists, even when problematizing some of their views, and the art communicates that respect effectively.’ - Rain Taxi

Gender: A Graphic Guide is the second book in a trilogy with writer, therapist, and activist Dr. Meg-John Barker and ICON Books. You can find more details here.

“Is masculinity ‘toxic’? Why are public toilets such a political issue? How has feminism changed the available gender roles – and for whom? Why might we all benefit from challenging binary thinking about sex/gender?

In this unique illustrated guide, Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele travel through our shifting understandings of gender across time and space – from ideas about masculinity and femininity, to non-binary and trans genders, to intersecting experiences of gender, race, sexuality, class, disability and more.

Tackling current debates and tensions, which can divide communities and even cost lives, Barker and Scheele look to the past and the future to explore how we might all approach gender in more caring and celebratory ways.”

The latest book in the trilogy with Dr. Meg-John Barker and ICON Books, published in February 2021.

Here’s the book blurb from the ICON website:

“Sex can seem like a house of horrors – full of monsters and potential pitfalls. We often live with fear, shame and frustration when it comes to our own sexuality, and with judgement when it comes to others’. Sex advice manuals, debates over sex work and stories of sexual ‘dysfunction’ add to our anxiety.

With compassion, humour, erudition and a touch of the erotic, Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele shine a light through the darkness and unmask the monsters in this illustrated guide. From sexual identities to having sex, to desire, consent and relationships, we’ll explore the invention of sex as we know it and imagine sex as it could be. Along the way, we’ll move past thinking of sex as meaning just one thing, defined by the genders of those doing it, instead making space for lots of different types of attraction, desire, relationship and act.”

My fave bookshops in the UK from which to buy Sexuality: A Graphic Guide are Gay’s The Word, Category Is Books, Gosh! Comics and The Bookish Type!

In 2021 I was honoured to be asked by Penguin Books to illustrate Drag Race UK Season Two’s runner-up and fan favourite Bimini Bon Boulash’s autobiography and guide to life. The book features Bimini’s wisdom and humour and over 50 black-and-white illustrations by myself (as well as the end papers)!

You can get the book here and in all good book shops.

A creative writing workbook I illustrated and designed for the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). From their website:

Join this experiment to use creative writing to explore the margins of traditional research and professional activities. We will use different creative writing techniques to probe the under-explored dimensions of gender and sexuality in our research fields and working life. 

A queer-feminist approach to creative writing is aligned with gender and sexual liberation. We embrace ‘queer’ for its queerness — its searching questions seeking to unsettle dichotomies and insistence on time, space and attention for sex and subversion — for its playfulness, fuzziness, and unpolished politics and practices.

We will follow feminist traditions of understanding the personal as political, examining how our identities influence our analyses and shape our relationships to research and practice, writing in the first person, insisting that our lived experience is valid, and embracing the objective of using our work to challenge patriarchal domination and other forms of oppression based on race, class, sexual orientation, ability and place of origin.

You can download the PDF for free here!

I was very flattered to be asked to illustrate not only the poster, but the whole programme for Glasgow Zine Library’s 10th zine fest!

Glasgow Zine Library is a community archive and zine library based in Govanhill, Glasgow, established in 2018. They have a growing international collection of over 1000 zines (self-published magazines). GZL also hosts a blended online/offline programme of workshops, professional and artistic development opportunities, community meals, film screenings, discussion groups, reading groups, children’s arts and crafts, social clubs, heritage activities and more.

Cover design (and black-and-white interior illustrations) for How To Understand Your Relationships: A Practical Guide, written by Alex Iantaffi & Meg-John Barker and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishing.

This down-to-earth guide is the ultimate companion for anybody who wants to examine their place in the world -- how we relate to ourselves, and others. With considerations of historical, cultural, and developmental contexts; explorations of relationship diversity as it manifests in queerness, the ace and aro spectrum, non-monogamy and neurodivergence ; and a look towards deeper, compassionate, interdependent ways to relate - this book will help people of all ages, backgrounds and identities explore their relational world.

You can pre-order and find out more here!

Cover design for Meg-John Barker and Alex Iantaffi’s new book, How To Understand Your Sexuality. Out from Jessica Kingsley Publishing:

“This down-to-earth guide is the ultimate companion for understanding, accepting and celebrating your sexuality. Written by two internationally renowned authors and therapists, the book explains how sexuality works in terms of our identities, attractions, desires and practices, and explores how it intersects with our personal experiences and the world around us.”

Cover design for How To Understand Your Gender by Alex Iantaffi and Meg-John Barker. You can buy it here! And here’s a blurb:

Have you ever questioned your own gender identity? Do you know somebody who is transgender or who identifies as non-binary? Do you ever feel confused when people talk about gender diversity?

This down-to-earth guide is for anybody who wants to know more about gender, from its biology, history and sociology, to how it plays a role in our relationships and interactions with family, friends, partners and strangers. It looks at practical ways people can express their own gender, and will help you to understand people whose gender might be different from your own. With activities and points for reflection throughout, this book will help people of all genders engage with gender diversity and explore the ideas in the book in relation to their own lived experiences.

An illustration inspired by Lockdown Zoom book clubs for the cover of the Canongate July-December 2021 catalogue (which you can see here).

A series of illustrations for the glossary of Unladylike: A Grrl’s Guide To Wrestling by Heather Bandenburg, out through Unbound Books. You can find out more about it here.

“Most wrestling books are about the stars of the industry – this one isn't. Unladylike offers an honest and comedic insight in to the world of independent wrestling from the perspective of one angry, overweight woman following a dream she didn’t know she had. Unladylike is structured around the last five years of my wrestling journey, using it as a backdrop to explore both the hidden and overblown world of wrestling. It also talks about women's bodies; cabaret in Underground post-recession London; forming unlikely friendships; generational ennui; pushing boundaries and personal politics. It is written for both an existing and new wrestling audience in a way that hasn't been attempted before – sitting squarely within the narrative non-fiction genre with influences of both sport writing and feminist thought.”

Do What You Want is a zine edited by Ruby Tandoh about mental health, with all profits going to charities and not-for-profit organisations. I illustrated interviews with survivors for The Many Faces Of Eating Disorders section of the zine.

With nearly 150 pages of interview, essay and illustration, Do What You Want is a celebration of all aspects of mental wellbeing, from the provision of accessible mental health care to the power of self-belief. With a strong intersectional focus, this is a zine about mental health for all people, in all walks of life. We believe that mental health care and support should be a right for all.

Wrap-around cover design for the IPPR: Progressive Review issue on feminism from March 2018. More info here.