An Interview With Melissa Llarena

Have you ever heard of neurodiversity? I hadn’t. So here is one definition: it’s a range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits (used especially in the context of autistic spectrum disorders). This brings me to this week’s badass guest, Joe Biel, a neurodiverse creator. Biel is the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing and co-founder of the Portland Zine Symposium. Joe Biel is a self-made autistic publisher and filmmaker who draws origins, inspiration, and methods from punk rock. You will want to learn more about a man who fired his distributor to self-distribute in 2018 – which, for a publisher of his size, is completely unheard of in our industry. Despite that, he was able to grow the firm from around 10% per year to 60% per year.   Joe teaches in college and his books are even used in colleges, yet Joe didn’t technically earn his high school degree. Hopefully, by the end of this, you’ll be a better person for it and reach the ultimate conclusion that despite our differences in