‘HOME: A Comics Anthology on Belonging in Ireland Today’ is a short comics print anthology of work by artists and writers who have made their home in - or who have a close connection to Ireland - through 12 stories. The anthology features twelve 4-page short comic stories that explore the themes of ‘home’ and ‘belonging’ in Ireland through sequential storytelling, curated and developed from an open call in September 2022.

The theme: through the widely interpretive focal point of ‘home,’ we see a vast potential in amplifying the stories of underrepresented voices in modern Irish society, as well as offering a site through which to examine and challenge ideas of ‘Irishness’, tradition, politics, and shifting cultural identities. 

With this in mind, we specify that contributors may include those with longstanding heritage ties to Ireland; recent and long-term settled immigrants to Ireland; LGBTQI+ identified artists; artists and writers of colour; members of the Traveller community; disabled-identified artists; members of the Irish emigrant diaspora; and people of different ages. The material may also be metaphorical or corporeal (ie., themes of gender identity or body dysmorphia as relates to 'belonging' or 'home'), and so we will welcome stories from people affected by these issues, too. The proposed stories and genres do not necessarily need to be autobiographical, but we encourage it!

Because of the power and flexibility of sequential storytelling, stories like these lend themselves well to the graphic short story format: its characteristic intimacy, the sense of place and atmosphere, visual creative flair, and accessibility speaks to a broad audience. We hope that the anthology will live on and have a long cultural impact, both in Ireland and abroad. Read more on the background of our principles in our DEI Policy.

We wanted to create more paid opportunities for diverse voices in Irish independent comics, and have gratefully been funded by the Arts Council of Ireland Literature Project Award 2022! See FAQs for more info.

HOME is curated and published by the Dublin Comic Arts Festival (DCAF), and is expected to be published in late November 2022. Contributor applications were open from 2 September - 23 September, 2022 and are now closed. HOME is launching at the DCAF Winter Market 10-11 December, 2022.