78 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS & RECREATION | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | tice, Cornelius distills her love of social justice, community organization, queer identity and poetic therapy into crystal- lized moments and images that reveal more profound depths with each reading. Lush, lyrical and wise, these poems don’t just reveal Cornelius’s soul; they also open a window into a bigger picture of life as it intersects the reality we desire and deserve. Best Graphic Novel Epilectra Sue Seserman and Jayme Brown epilectra.com Denver’s Sue Seserman wasn’t diagnosed with epilepsy until she was fi fty, and the dramatic revelation upended her life. Counseling other people with epilepsy helped, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and she had to find another way to share her experiences and insights with those undergoing similar journeys. En- ter Epilectra, a female superhero with epilepsy who refuses to be stigmatized or disempowered because of it. The ensuing graphic novel, drawn by former Disney il- lustrator Jayme Brown, is a fun, colorful adventure that makes for a marvelous mes- sage: Strength and heroism aren’t always packaged in shiny ideals or standards, and sometimes the greatest superpower of all is survival. Best Children’s Book A New Friend for Dragon Bianca Schulze and Samara Hardy biancashulze.com Colorado author Bianca Schulze has been writing books in her Dragon series for years, and her latest, A New Friend for Dragon, is the best so far. Gorgeously, vividly illus- trated by Schulze’s longtime collabora- tor, Samara Hardy, this new installment sees the titular character try to befriend a knight who just moved to town, despite the fact that everyone expects them to be enemies simply because of the identities they’ve been assigned. It’s a sweet, funny, heartstring-pulling tale of forging bonds and navigating stereotypes that any kid would be well-served to absorb. And prob- ably most adults, to be honest. Best New Magazine About the Arts Denverse Magazine denversemagazine.com Who said print is dead? Not Paul French, who had the crazy idea to create a new print quarterly dedicated to Denver culture. Since Denverse debuted last year, it’s served up a refreshing blend of local writers, comics and more, in a handsome publication distributed around the city…for free! (You can also sub- scribe if you want to guarantee getting one at your home or offi ce.) It also bills itself as “the fi rst magazine in history to launch with an AI-Free Guarantee,” but one look at the quality, creative content and you know there’s nothing artifi cial about Denverse. Best New Virtual Library Habitat Library habitatlibrary.co.site Jeff Lee and Ann Martin are the gift that keeps on giving. While they were working at Tattered Cover for decades, they collected tens of thousands of books on Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, which ultimately over- fl owed their Capitol Hill home and found a permanent place with the creation of the Rocky Mountain Land Library. With that project well underway in Park County, they’ve now planted the seed for the Habitat Library, which is creating fi eld trips, book clubs and other events dedicated to nature…and the people who write about it. You grow, guys! Best New Read About Reading Rocky Mountain Reader rockymountainreader.org Kathryn Eastburn, longtime editor of the Colorado Springs Independent, appreciates a good read. And she’s given one to book fans across the Rocky Mountains with the Rocky Mountain Reader, her online publi- cation devoted to “a community of Colo- rado readers, writers and book lovers.” She sends out new editions weekly, covering new and re-released books by a fascinating mix of Colorado authors, as well as volumes about Colorado or set in this state; she also includes local literary news. Finding a new edition of the Rocky Mountain Reader in your inbox is as exciting as cracking open that book you’ve been meaning to read all year. Entirely donor-supported, it’s even free! Write on! ■ Arts & Entertainment continued from page 76
