Friday, May 22, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Skylight Books, Los Angeles
 **Raw, honest, and hilarious, _Bury Me Already (It's Nice Down Here)_ chronicles the joy and horror of becoming a mother during challenging times.** In this follow-up to the acclaimed memoir _Impossible People_—a book about getting sober and becoming a professional artist in New York City—cartoonist Julia Wertz returns home to Northern California where she reunites with her family and rekindles a relationship with an ex-boyfriend. After a surprise pregnancy and a marriage proposal, Julia settles (somewhat reluctantly) into a quiet life in a small town. But as 2020 approaches, her world, and the world at large, takes a sharp turn toward unexpected chaos. Through comic vignettes, essays, and diary doodles, Julia recounts the events of her pregnancy and its attendant body horror, a miscarriage, family trauma, marriage, a life-altering accident, and the joy and surprises of parenthood as it all unfolds against the backdrop of local wildfires and a global pandemic. The result of this unconventional collection is a heart-wrenching and hilarious story of adversity, resilience, and, ultimately, love. **Julia Wertz** is a professional cartoonist, amateur historian, and part-time urban explorer. Her books include _The Fart Party, Museum of Mistakes_, _Drinking at the Movies_, _The Infinite Wait and Other Stories_, _Tenements, Towers, & Trash: An Unconventional, Illustrated History of New York City_ and _Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story_. She does monthly comics and doodles for _the New Yorker_ and _the New York Times._ After leaving New York City, she settled down in Northern California with Oliver (yes, _that_ Oliver) and their son, Felix. **Priyanka Mattoo** is the author of the memoir Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones (Knopf, June 2024).She was formerly an agent at UTA and WME, as well as Jack Black’s partner at their production company, Electric Dynamite. Priyanka co-founded EARIOS, the women-led podcast network, and co-hosted its critically-acclaimed beauty/wellness podcast, Foxy Browns.Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vulture, and The Hairpin, and her film work in festivals from Sundance to Cannes. She was raised in India, England, and Saudi Arabia before moving to the U.S. in high school, and holds degrees in Italian and Law from the University of Michigan.