All images via Elisha Lim’s Etsy page
So, I read this adorable yet heartbreaking little zine the other day: Favourite Dating Tales 2009-2013 by Toronto-based artist Elisha Lim. I have to give props to Mey, a great newish edition to the wonder that is the queer women’s website Autostraddle, for turning me on to this gem. I’d heard of Elisha Lim’s work before, in particular their two books 100 Butches, Volume One and Two, which I’ve been wanting to read forever and haven’t managed to get a hold of. So when I realized I could just order this zine from Lim’s Etsy account, I wasted no time. When it came very promptly in the mail, and I ripped open the envelope, gold sequins fell out! That was just the beginning of the awesomeness of this zine.
Favourite Dating Tales is such a little treasure! I love the variety of drawings, photos of art on people’s bodies, photos of sculptures made from various materials—including something that looks like play-doh! The visual material is accompanied by some deceptively simple and intriguing words, such as “I’m doing all the stupid things I tell my friends not to do when they’re in love” and “You fly me like a kite.” The drawings have a nice whimsical feel to them, while at the same they are really addressing some profound issues. It’s a lot of the kind of stuff that makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Take this “Stages of Text Despair,” for example:
This panel is so true for me it’s painful. Just to give you an idea of how diverse Lim’s style is, check out these lovely sparse drawings.
And then this really bright, quirky one.
This is an incredibly jam-packed, diverse piece of art. There’s a ton of diversity in one small volume (it’s about 12 by 12 centimeters). How can one person be so artistically talented in so many different mediums? I can’t wait to see more of Lim’s work in lengthier form, in their upcoming book 100 Crushes. If anyone has copies of 100 Butches or knows where to get them, can you let me know, please?
Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian 
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