The Story Behind These Designs

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In 2020, during a moment of global upheaval, I turned to design as a way to steady myself. I began creating artwork inspired by the chapter titles from On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Timothy Snyder’s 2017 book on resisting authoritarianism. What started as a private creative practice gradually became something larger.

A fellow listener of The Daily Beans podcast saw one of my designs in a Facebook group and encouraged me to reach out to Dr. Snyder for permission to share the work more broadly. Around that same time, I received a Gold Medal at the Nebraska Book Awards for my cover design of my friend J.D. James’s memoir—a moment that gave me the confidence to consider the possibility of bringing this series into the world.

With that encouragement, I contacted Dr. Snyder to ask if I might offer these designs publicly. To my great appreciation, he responded with enthusiasm and granted his permission. After connecting with his agent, I began the work of developing this project into a fully realized collection.

As a one-woman operation, I manage everything myself, and I appreciate your patience with any delays in communication.

If you haven’t read On Tyranny, I highly recommend it.