Help us pay for in-depth stories like this one by becoming a Seven Days Super Reader. Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel, Mariner Books, 272 pages. $32. Credit: Courtesy The Bolton cartoonist’s ...

Alison Bechdel wanted to write a book about exercise. It would be fun, she thought, to tackle a lighter subject — to dwell on decades of American fads, from cycling to spinning, jogging to HIIT — ...

There are times when being a member of the LGBTQ+ community—and a lesbian in particular—feels like an Easter-egg hunt for representation. Queer women are used to mining everything from a cryptic ...

Three different actors portray the central character of Alison at various stages in her life, with McKenna Rose, a 6th grader from Orinda, playing "Small Alison." Despite her tender age, McKenna has ...

Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques. With the plethora of nightmares plaguing our society — tax cuts for the rich, the exuberant wealth of ...

In Spent, the graphic novelist confronts aging, politics, sex, and what it means to succeed under capitalism. Excerpted from the book Spent, provided courtesy of ...

There is no greater thrill in Vermont journalism than driving for miles to the end of a dirt road for an interview with a stranger — followed, 10 minutes into the conversation, by a thought bubble: ...