Amy Fox, and Wren Handman are two of the creators featured in our latest anthology, Welcome to Mina’s. Amy has been a screenwriter, producer, metalworker, and nonprofit organizer. She co-founded and works at Trembling Void Studios, making the kind of film and TV that you’d expect from a better future. Her team achievements include winning organization of the year as the treasurer of BC’s Trans Alliance Society, and successes in fighting corruption. She’s won a Leo Award for Best Comedic Performance, and has run for city council as a supervillain. Wren is a novelist and screenwriter who injects all of her stories with magic, probably because she secretly wishes it was real. She’s published 5 novels and written many more. Her work with Amy Fox includes the TV shows The Switch and Thin Walls, and the feature films Hot Shots and Home(less), among others. I sat down with them [virtually] to get some insight into comics, diners, and the creative process. Wren answered on behalf of the creatives.
Kathleen: What was the inspiration behind your story for this anthology?
Wren: As an actor, Amy has seen people slide through the second economy of the job you do when you’re not doing the job you want. And when the job you want is fickle, homophobic, racist, and heavily gate-kept, your “other” job usually becomes your main job. You can hate that, or you can work to find the joy in your connection to your craft, whatever that may look like in the end.
K: How did the three of you come to collaborate?
W: Wren was pretending to be a candy-eating squirrel; Amy a sadistic cyborg, when they met at a LARP in 2012 and formed a writing team the following February. From that came the sitcom “The Switch.” Sabrina was Amy’s trans vocal coach and stage partner. Together they formed Voltron. But most Voltrons only work a few hours a month, so as their side gig, they also make comics.
K: What is your favourite part of the creative process?
W: Amy and Wren have been writing partners since before “Selfie” was a word, so it’s safe to say that they love the energy that comes from creating with others. Fusing perspectives makes something greater than the sum of its parts, especially in comics, where the visual brings the script to life but also elevates it beyond its origins.
K: What’s your go-to diner order?
W: Veggie burger and fries with a milkshake for Wren. Short and sweet and so delicious. For Amy, an avocado torta on brown for her and a stack of pupusas for her collective house.
K: This anthology is set in Vancouver. What’s your connection to the city? How would you describe Vancouver?
W: Vancouverites joke that no one is actually from here, and that’s true for us! Collectively Amy and Wren have been living in Vancouver since 2009, but Amy on her own beats that by almost a decade. Vancouver has the best of both worlds for Canadians: it’s a big city that still feels like a small town, where you’re likely to bump into someone you know on every street corner despite the population being in the millions. This city is full of life, with hidden gems around every corner and nature sneaking in all around us.
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If you haven’t already, check out the Welcome to Mina’s KICKSTARTER!