Emily Flake

New Yorker cartoonist Emily Flake relates the hilarious horrors of pregnancy, birth, and early parenting in this funny, poignant, and beautifully illustrated book.For most people, having a child doesn't go exactly as planned. Not many are willing to admit that not only did they dislike the early days of parenting, they sometimes hated it. Mama Tried is a relatable collection of cartoons and essays pertaining to the good, bad, and (very) ugly parenting experiences we all face. Subjects range from "are you ready for children?" to "baby gear class-warfare." With incredible honesty, Flake tackles everything from morning sickness to sleep training, shedding much needed light on the gnarly realities of breastfeeding, child proofing, mommy groups, and every unrealistic expectation in between. Mama Tried will be an indispensable companion for sleepless parents and a fond reminder for those already out of the woods.

From New Yorker humorist Emily Flake, a hilarious, oddly enlightening book of illustrations and observations that embrace the inescapable awkwardness of two human beings attempting to make physical contact with one anotherWe've all been there.You encounter your former colleague--the one whom you always suspected had eaten your yogurt that one time. Your ex-boyfriend's sister. The elementary school classmate whose name you don't quite remember. That aunt you're not sure your mom is cool with.Do you shake hands? Do you hug? Do you--horrors--kiss on the cheek? Or--double horrors--kiss on both cheeks? And then it happens. The awkward hug. That cultural blight we've all experienced.Emily Flake--keen observer of human behavior and life's less-than-triumphant moments--codifies the most common awkward hugs that have plagued us all (sadly, multiple times). Filled with laugh-out-loud anecdotes and illustrations, astute observations, and wise advice, That Was Awkward is a heartwarming reminder that we're all in this together, grasping hastily at each other in an attempt to say: let's embrace to remind ourselves of our essential and connecting humanity, but also, please don't touch me for more than three seconds.

A brief encounter with an older woman in a coffee shop left Emily Flake swearing she would quit smoking when she turned twenty-nine. Only twenty-one at the time, she had years ahead of her to kick the habit. And then she turned twenty-eight, took a good, hard look in the mirror, and knew something had to be done.These Things Ain't Gonna Smoke Themselves is a hilarious, illustrated account of her love/hate relationship with cigarettes, from her first glorious drag to her not-so-final last puff, and everything she goes through to try to quit. It is a funny, candid exploration of the rise and fall of cigarettes, both within Emily's own life and in society at large, tracing how smoking mutated from an encouraged form of recreation to what it is today―a nasty, unpardonable habit.

The first book from Atomic Books' new press collects comics from alt-weekly star, Emily Flake. Her strip currently runs in 6 alternative weeklies, one of which is in Iceland. Her cartoons deal with a variety of subjects, including - but not limited to - life and love and the foibles involved in both. Also, drinking, smoking, bumble bees, monkeys, arm flab and bad decision making when it comes to sex. 'Watch out, I spat half my food laughing all over this twisted brilliant deadpan book. Lulu's sneaky little revelations cause shivers of black-hearted joy and spasms of caustic hilarity. Madam Flake is diabolical.' -Kate Christensen, IN THE DRINK 'If only Emily Flake was named queen of the universe, then we could all take pride in our spiteful thoughts and revel in our faux-pas, spend all our nights drinkin' and smokin' and all our days recovering from hang overs and sitting around, squeezing our flab. And we'd be late for work a lot. It would be heaven. I guess I'll have to take Emily's awesome comic book instead, and dream of what could be.' -Laura R. Weinstein, INSIDE VINEYLAND

"A l’âge de vingt et un ans, j’ai promis à une inconnue rencontrée dans un café que j’aurai arrêté de fumer pour mes vingt-neuf ans. Et pourquoi pas ? Après tout, il me restait encore des années entières à fumer devant moi. Mais le temps passe vite quand on se ruine la santé, et avant que je ne puisse dire ouf, le jour fatidique était arrivé.Elles ne vont pas se fumer toutes seules est le témoignage illustré de ma relation avec la cigarette, de ma première taffe à la c’est-jamais-vraiment-la-dernière bouffée… et tout ce qu’implique le fait d’être amoureuse d’un vice monstrueux."Emily Flake Emily Flake brosse en 112 vignettes le portrait d’une fumeuse certes angoissée par son accoutumance à la cigarette et les implications sur sa santé, mais qui aime fumer. Elle passe en revue l’historique de l’évolution du comportement vis-à-vis des dangers avérés de la cigarettes, l’impact sur ses relations sociales, mais au final ses illustrations sont une déclaration d’amour à la cigarette.