A Project by M.S. Harkness

Time Under Tension

M.S. Harkness is nominated in the category Translating Sensations, mentored by Ulli Lust. Her project for Forecast is a 260-page graphic memoir which examines the author’s life in her twenties as she uses movement and weightlifting to find balance while living with past sexual trauma. The narrative takes place over one year of her life as she becomes a certified personal trainer.

Titled Time Under Tension, the work is M.S. Harkness's third autobiographical graphic novel. By expanding on the themes of trauma memoir from her previous comics, Harkness hopes to visualize a narrative centered around her journey to recovery.

Since her nomination for a Forecast mentorship in May, Harkness has been editing her work for tone and clarity, as well as re-building parts of her narrative to reflect more ethical choices in storytelling from personal experiences.  At the Forecast Forum, she will read passages from her book developed during this period.

msharkness.com