Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance by Denali Sai Nalamalapu

About the book:

An “important piece of activist art”, this beautiful graphic memoir tells the story of six hopeful activists in Appalachia who had the courage to resist against a threat to their community (Margaret Killjoy).
Drawing from original interviews with the author, Holler is an illustrated look at six inspiring changemakers. Denali Nalamalapu, a climate organizer in their own right, introduces readers to the ordinary people who became resisters of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project that spans approximately 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia—a teacher, a single mother, a nurse, an organizer, a photographer, and a seed keeper.
In West Virginia, Becky Crabtree, grandmother of five, chains herself to her 1970s Ford Pinto to stop construction from destroying her farm. Farther south, in Virginia, young organizer Michael James-Deramo organizes mutual aid to support community members showing up to protest the pipeline expansion. These (and more) are the stories of everyday resistance that show what difference we can make when we stand up for what we love, and stand together in community. When the world tells these resisters to sit down and back off, they refuse to give up.
More than anything, Holler is an invitation to readers everywhere searching for their own path to activism: sending the message that no matter how small your action is, it’s impactful. The story of the Mountain Valley Pipeline is one we can all relate to, as each and every one of our communities faces the increasing threats of the climate crisis, and the corporations that benefit from the destruction of our natural resources. Holler is a moving and deeply accessible—and beautifully visual—story about change, hope, and humanity.

“Within the simplicity of this format lie so many beautiful complexities—the motives that make someone an activist, the skills that make them good at it, the intersectionality of the issues that motivate this book's protagonists, the politics and peril of pipelines, the nature of campaigns…. Holler is an engrossing introduction to one pipeline struggle and valuable for thinking about many things beyond it.”

-Rebecca Solnit

About the author:

Denali Sai Nalamalapu is a climate organizer from Southern Maine and Southern India. Denali lives in Southwest Virginia. They have written for Truthout, Prism, and Mergoat Magazine, and their climate activism has been covered in Shondaland, Vogue India, Self, The Independent, and elsewhere. They studied English Literature at Bates College and completed a Fulbright grant in Malaysia. Denali currently leads the grassroots environmental justice coalition Protect Our Water, Heritage Rights (POWHR). You can find them at @Denali_Sai on Twitter and Instagram.

Serena Zets will moderate the conversation.

Serena Zets is an essayist and journalist in Washington, D.C. by way of Appalachia. They are an Arts Writer at Washington City Paper and write weekly for 730DC. They've received fellowships from Just Media and Zenith Cooperative to support their writing about D.C.'s social movements.

Accessibility note: This event is up two flights of stairs and Lost City Books does not have an elevator. Please contact [email protected] with questions.

Dato de accesibilidad: Este evento toma lugar en el segundo piso y Lost City Books no tiene ascensor. Favor de contactar [email protected] con cualquiera duda.

Host or Publisher Lost City Books