Putting a new Curious Calgary zine into my neighbourhood zine box! This one is about the @ucalgary.bsky.social arch, which did not start life as an arch! Take a look at the comic at @sprawlcalgary.bsky.social to learn the arch's origin story.

Here's a fun way to learn more about the realities of Alberta separation. nextstepsalberta.ca

When I hear "no to the nine," I think of these guys from LOTR.

Here's a random picture from an old sketchbook to celebrate Bob Dylan's 85th birthday! "There was an old man," indeed. You can listen to that 2002 Toronto performance of "Under the Red Sky" here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLQG...

This week in The Drawing Book: an old comic strip about my friend's wedding! Every week I post comics from my old sketchbooks about life in Calgary. You can subscribe for free! samhester.substack.com/p/wedding-co...

This week in The Drawing Book: some literary sketchnotes and a request to my readers! samhester.substack.com/p/literary-s...

Paging @paulisci.bsky.social, I think you need to see this one

Just a couple of comics pages for those multitasking mamas out there! Happy Mother's Day! samhester.substack.com/p/happy-moth...

It's Mother's Day, so here are some notes from a 2019 Edmonton Public Library conference about how librarians help incarcerated mothers. It's on my mind today, because the federal government plans to cut library workers at federal penitentiaries. Seems like a bad idea💔 www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Hey, #yyc's Refinery Park is in the news! www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO3w... I learned about Refinery Park when I wrote a comic strip about it for @sprawlcalgary.bsky.social in 2024. You can read the comic here: www.sprawlcalgary.com/calgary-zine...

"What next?!?" indeed. You may well ask, is this a comic strip about the state of Alberta in 2026? Nope, it's just my weekly comic about being a nocturnal artist in Calgary, 25 yrs ago... back when my biggest problem was finding an all-night photocopy shop! samhester.substack.com/p/comics-at-...

It was very nice to work on this picture of Calgary's widening circle of care!

This week in the drawing book, a few pages from my comic journal about a trip to Spain in 2002! samhester.substack.com/p/how-i-spen...

This week: a drawing book comic about a remembered conversation. samhester.substack.com/p/coping-mec...

The electoral boundaries commission website has been taken down but the commission’s interim report, final report, and public submissions are available on the Elections Alberta website: www.elections.ab.ca/resources/re...

drop some KITCHENS

In 1991, on a grey, misty morning, I took these photos after attending Easter Sunday mass at the Matthias Church in Budapest. It felt like such a hopeful time for a country that had been through a lot. Feeling hopeful for Hungary today, too!

This week in The Drawing Book, some reminiscences about Calgary in 2002... along with a few digressions. samhester.substack.com/p/flashback-...

Hi Drawing Book readers! I had some new comics ALMOST ready for you, but I ran out of time, so it'll have to wait for next week. Instead, here's last year's story about a remarkable old children's book, "The County Bunny & the Little Gold Shoes." Happy Easter! samhester.substack.com/p/worklife-a...

Noisy woodpeckers hammering the roof of my house all day, reminded me of this old #comic from the Ramsay newsletter back in March of 2014! I kind of enjoy the woodpeckers at this time of year. But I am glad all the snow is melting!

This week in the Drawing Book, an old comic about how I moved to the #yyc neighbourhood of Bridgeland, back in 2002 samhester.substack.com/p/live-from-...

This week in the Drawing Book: an old #comic about my life as a 20-something wannabe artist. That was twenty-five years ago... funny how some of those things never seem to change! samhester.substack.com/p/the-classi...

It's the end of #LongCovidAwarenessDay, so here's a picture I drew last year. It's my 22nd month with long covid. I'm doing much better, but still really wish that I, & so many others, did not have this! Stay safe out there, friends! There's so much going on out there, we need you to stay healthy!♥️

This week in The Drawing Book, a little tale of a long-ago midnight adventure in Calgary. samhester.substack.com/p/what-i-lik...

In this blog post for the Association of Science Communicators, I make my argument for why science communication needs visuals, and why I think it's not something we should delegate to machines (even if we could) 🤖 www.associationofsciencecommunicators.org/2026/visuals/ #scicomm #SciArt #SciViz

With cool pics, I should add

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has ordered The City of Calgary to issue a Boil Water Advisory for approximately 500 homes and businesses located in the community of Spruce Cliff, and limited areas of Wildwood and Rosscarrock, effective immediately. Read More newsroom.calgary.ca/boil-water-a...

This week in the drawing book: An old comic comparing my real-life adventures to "The Lord of the Rings." samhester.substack.com/p/journeys-o...

I know it's an uphill battle for @calgary.ca to get information out to people these days. But it feels like there was a missed opportunity letting people know that a month of PLANNED water restrictions starts TOMORROW, witnessed by this text exchange I just had with a well-informed #yyc resident

Help spread the word! On Monday, March 9, the Bearspaw South Feeder Main (BSFM) will be shut down to allow for planned reinforcement repairs to support the stability of the current pipe. 1/5

If I've got this right, #yyc has got some water restrictions coming up on March 9. Planned restrictions, which means we have time to prepare! So pretty soon we're going to start seeing some messaging from @calgary.ca to help citizens get ready, right? @jeromyyyc.bsky.social @daorcey.bsky.social

In 2002, I tried to make a web comic, and this was how it started. Read along (and subscribe for free!) in my weekly Substack newsletter, The Drawing Book! samhester.substack.com/p/what-to-ex...

Reading up on some Canadian history, and just came across this mention of an uninvited dog joining in a ski event in 1912. I guess history just keeps repeating, as @paulisci.bsky.social can attest!

Hooray for superheroes AND adequately funded municipal infrastructure!

Leaving some @sprawlcalgary.bsky.social Olympic zines in Parkdale today!

In today's episode of "The Drawing Book," old sketchbook comics about my Calgary life in 2002... samhester.substack.com/p/a-woman-wi...

The small-town paper in Tumbler Ridge is going to need support. This is its front page right now. Their subscription page is here: www.patreon.com/tumblerridge...

New comic in The Sprawl by @calgaryhester.bsky.social, about her long-forgotten artistic contribution to Calgary's 1988 Olympics!

In the lead-up to the 1988 Olympics, Calgary's Olympic Plaza was paved with bricks bearing donors' names. Today in my Substack newsletter, I'm revisiting last year's post about how those bricks were removed & returned to their donors, thanks to @calgary.ca. samhester.substack.com/p/the-olympi...

In hard times, comics can help! This week in The Drawing Book: some old sketchbook comics, and a special shout-out to a new project, #iceoutcomics, that's inspiring artists and storytellers around the world. samhester.substack.com/p/can-comics...

Signs of a dramatic night time encounter in my Ramsay backyard. Any theories on what happened here? #yyc

Friends, I’d like to show @ucalgary.bsky.social that @bsky.app is where the cool kids hang out and that they should start posting here more and less/none at TheBadPlace™️. Show them some love by reskeeting this 100000000x. 🧪

This week in my free comics newsletter, "The Drawing Book," I'm looking back to 2001 and an early attempt at a web comic: samhester.substack.com/p/ex-libris

@paulisci.bsky.social Is it too soon to start compiling this year's list of headlines?

Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere! But this post marks the end of a chapter in my Substack sketchbook series, "The Drawing Book." Subscribe to read along with the next chapters in 2026! samhester.substack.com/p/the-end-of...

Good news! The Boil Water Advisory has been lifted! Folks are advised to flush their systems prior to initial use: To flush your system turn the bathtub tap on cold for ten minutes. Then turn all other faucets on cold for five minutes. #yyccc #yyc

This is very cool and so is the discovery that Calgary's Dr. Karl Tomm is also on this list. I think he has mentored a generation of family therapists!

Just saw this and had to re-post! Come on #abpoli folks, sign up and help Jeremy reach this goal. He is doing some of the best work out there!

If you're here because you're looking for posts about the lesser-known novels of Frances Hodgson Burnett, that's called Coombescrolling

I have a plant called a Christmas cactus. It has not bloomed in a few years. But today, two blossoms! Let's hope that is a good omen for the year ahead. Merry Christmas!