john williamsĪs our reviewer puts it, you’re about three panels into the book before she’s having this crippling self-doubt about her creation. And she kind of has a big ego, and then she realizes she has a big ego, and then she hates herself for it. She’s well-intentioned, she’s happy and she’s very hard on herself. So she’s really kind of a self-portrait of me, at that point. And she just decides to make something, and it’s all fun and games until she starts to feel some self-doubt and realize that she hasn’t done well enough. And at the very beginning of this book, she’s existing in a void. I based her a tiny bit on the character of Ponyo in the Miyazaki movie, this very powerful little girl who can work magic. But the God at the center of it is somewhat silly. So the silly character, I assume- there are a few silly characters, I think. So this was kind of my way of just putting on paper how I feel about the Torah and God just as this wonderful work of literature with a silly character in it. I’ve always really loved my religion, just had no desire to practice it, is my interpretation of how I felt. At the same time, I’ve never felt rebellious against religion. And so I was given a pretty friendly and lovely form of religion, but I did not accept it. I was raised Conservative, which is a kind of Jew, and I went to Hebrew day schools. I want to start, before we get to this very creative book, talking about your own history with religious texts and some of what might have led you to this idea in the first place. And her new book is “Let There Be Light,” which is an adaptation of the Book of Genesis starring a female god. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review as well. She is a cartoonist and author whose books include “Passing for Human: A Graphic Memoir” and “Excuse Me: Cartoons, Complaints, and Notes to Self.” She’s a regular contributor to The New Yorker. Jonathan Van Ness of “Queer Eye” fame will be here to talk about his new book, “Love That Story.” Plus, my colleagues and I will talk about what we’ve been reading. One of my earliest memories, which happened whilst getting bullied, I thought, ugh, if someday I could make it so that someone else didn’t have to go through this, then this right now would be worth it. The cartoonist and author Liana Finck is here to talk about her new book, “Let There Be Light,” an adaptation of the Book of Genesis starring a female God. I realized that I could reclaim my religion and culture by poking holes in it, and make it mine in that way. Transcript Liana Finck Reimagines the Story of Genesis Hosted by John Williams Finck talks about “Let There Be Light,” and Jonathan Van Ness discusses “Love That Story.” Friday, April 22nd, 2022 liana finck