Titled “A personal case against eliminating the penny”, this story was written by Emily Menez, drawn by me, and published in print and online on March 28, 2025. Many thanks to editor Philip Gray!

Comic panel: "Grandma Dollee died within a month of the doctor finding two masses in her lungs"
Comic panel: "She prayed God would take her quickly. God fast-tracked her request"
Comic panel "Before she died, one of her favorite pastimes was sitting at the table with mom and me, laughing."
Comic panel: "Grandma was physically diminished but wanted to sit with us, even if she could have only one sip of coffee"
Comic panel with bibles crammed with pennies in the bindings: "After she died, I wasn't prepared to find her penny collection. She loved pennies and believed stuffing them in the Bible brought good luck. As a result, she had ruined many bibles"
Comic panel: "The Bibles were stuffed with prayer requests, which read like a polite but emotionally repressed diary. Topics included adoration for grandchildren and anxious monologues. Much of the writing revealed a constant sense of fear."
Comic panel: "Grandma was unusually honest with me in her final days. She told me about the messy and fascinating parts of her life: girlhood pranks, eight bad marriages, a lifetime of difficulties and laughter."
Comic panel: "It was the closest I ever felt to her"
Comic panel: "There were $20 worth of pennies in Grandma's Bibles. I cashed them in to buy mom and me coffee."

Emily and I met at a reunion for the St. Nell’s residency. When she sent me an invitation to collaborate on this story, I was struck by it’s sweetness and emotional range. I wish I could have met Grandma Dollee!

Read the story on the LA Times website.

photo of Theora holding the LA Times paper with her published comic

Quick, where can I buy an actual newspaper?!