Why I keep drawing

Why I keep drawing...

It's not for the pay, that's for sure. It's more for letters like this one, from an anonymous young woman in Utah:

Hello, I'm a 15 year-old lesbian girl in a (utah) mormon family. I'm scared to come out, but I liked reading your comics a lot. This isn't even my e-mail address I use for family because I'm so damn scared of what might happen.

But anyway, I really liked your comics. Can you put me on the mailing list? Thanks.

And this one, from The National Advocates for Pregnant Women:

Dear Mikhaela:

Many people have sent us your fabulous cartoon What to Expect When You are Pre-Expecting. You and our organization, National Advocates for Pregnant Women are definitely thinking along the same lines! For example, in a booklet we prepared about pregnancy and employment discrimination we point out that one of the things too many pregnant women can expect is this kind of discrimination. Among the many things we do at NAPW is challenge the arrests of pregnant women and new mothers and other punitive actions that you touch upon in your cartoon. I hope you will have a chance to look at our website -- www.advocatesforpregnantwomen.org and a sample commentary below the signature line.

Thank you again for expressing the horror of what is happening in such a wonderful way

Yours Truly,
Lynn M. Paltrow

Here's another, from a gentleman named Kevin C.:

Dear Mikhaela,

I just wanted to let you know I love your cartoons. I am a 40-year old caucasian male, middle-class, midwesterner, budget analyst for an industrial coatings company and yes, I actually have brown paneling in my office (are you still awake?). I know many people who are, like me, middle-class accounting nerds who share your views on the environment, social policy, war, and everything else that appears in your cartoons. Thanks for all of the good work that you do. Also, congratulations on your wedding!

Aw, I'm blushing. Keep the letters coming, folks!