Graphic Narrative

How to Not Drive at Thirty-Seven

A new comic by Alli Katz

illustration of car driving

How to Not Drive at Thirty-Seven

  • car driving with text: Summer 2000. This is the first care I failed to learn to drive. A 1984 Honda Civic.
  • Girl grimacing while driving. Text reads: I did not enjoy the process. "Use the clutch!" "Stay on the road!" "Drive!"
  • Car hitting tree. Text reads: I experienced a number of very tiny fender-benders.
  • The inside of a car. Text reads: But it's hard to do a lot of damage if you don't step on the gas!
  • A woman at the doctor's office. Text reads: I tired in earnest again in my 30s. Woman says, "Will you fill out this health form? It's for my driver's permit."
  • A doctor saying "No one has ever asked me to do that."
  • A woman driving with a man in the passenger seat. Text reads: But I was very pregnant. Husband says, "Turn and check behind you." Woman says, "I literally cannot."
  • A deer on the road. Text reads: A deer jumped into the road that day. I successfully did not hit her. A driving win!
  • Woman in a doctor's office with doctor. Text reads: It still scared me, though. The doctor says, "A second baby! Did you ever get your license?" Woman says, "No."
  • Woman with a child on her shoulders. Text reads: I manage* mostly. *My husband drives.** **It's annoying for both of us.
  • Woman facetiming. Text reads: And I try to think through it. "What else do we ask people to do that can just KILL people?" "Not to mention the ENVIRONMENT."
  • Child holding the steering wheel. Text reads: I hope I can drive before my kids do.
    Child holding the steering wheel. Text reads: I hope I can drive before my kids do.

About the Author

Alli Katz is a cartoonist and writer living in Philadelphia. You can follower her on Twitter and Instagram @allikatz and see more comics at lookhowhappyiam.com. She is also pretty good at etch-a-sketching.

More about the author

About The Commuter

The Commuter, arriving every Wednesday morning, is our home for poetry, flash prose, and graphic narrative. Sign up for The Commuter newsletter to get every issue straight to your inbox, or join our membership program for access to year-round submissions. EL’s lit mags are supported by the Amazon Literary Partnership Literary Magazine Fund and the Community of Literary Magazines & Presses, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Commuter

Subscribe

Strange, short, and diverting writing delivered to your inbox every Monday..

Read Next
Switch On Symbol
Collage of all 32 book covers competing

Help Us Choose the Best Book Cover of 2021

Meet the competitors here, then vote on Electric Lit's social media this week

Nov 29 - Lauren Hutton Read
Switch On Symbol

More Like This

Photo of US President Barack Obama on the phone in 2010
Reading Lists

7 Novels that Defined the Obama Era

Andrew Ridker, author of "Hope," recommends books that capture the cultural moment of Obama’s America

Sep 21 - Andrew Ridker
A red neon sign advertising "drugs" attached to a pharmacy.
Interviews

The Path to Self-Actualization Is Paved With Grifters and Psychics

Ruth Madievsky talks about her drug-hazed fever dream of a novel "All-Night Pharmacy"

Jul 11 - Arturo Vidich
Lit Mags

A Taxonomy of Gay Animals

A flash fiction debut by Christopher Hyun

Apr 3 - Christopher Hyun
Thank You!