#TarotoftheQTPOC, Forthcoming tarot decks to keep an eye out for!

The crackling sound of shrink wrap as you clumsily pick at the plastic while trying not to damage the box inside it. That dull pop as the magnetic closure of a box releases and you take the first peek inside. That weird chemical and cardstock smell of a brand new deck. The way the cards almost always stick together during the first shuffle. Taking in the images, card by card as you are surprised, pleased, troubled, or intrigued by the artist's interpretation.

Ah, the joys of getting to know a new deck.

Here's a few to for you to share that experience with, in the very near future. As far as I can see, all of these would fit in with my Tarot of the QTPOC project.

(It's hard for me to pay attention to any decks that feature people in the art and don't begin from a point of diversity. It's 2017- if you are still creating a white cis-heteronormative deck then what are you bloody doing?)


Mesquite Tarot

The Mesquite Tarot is a beautiful creation out of Austin, TX by Aleisha Fitz and Brownwyn Walls. Yes, the South is popping and it's making my heart swell.

The deck is named after a tree that grows abundantly in the area, the Honey Mesquite. Much like the simple structure of the Honey Mesquite, the art is given a light but meaningful touch, a delight of limited color palettes and imagery that make it accessible to anyone just starting out in tarot. It feels so soft and approachable that I'm absolutely sure it probably packs a knockout punch in a reading. Decks like these always do.

According to their Kickstarter updates, it should be available September 6th! Woot!


Delta Enduring Tarot

The Delta Enduring Tarot is "a tarot deck centering on the love and struggles of the Mississippi Delta, and the southern lives that thrive there despite all odds" created by Egan. It's absolutely stunning. The art is gripping, incisive, political, and unapologetically Southern. My attraction to it was visceral as a black queer femme witch living in the US South. I critiqued the Slow Holler, another Southern project, for not paying enough attention to the all the intimate layers of the South, brilliant as it was. The Delta Enduring Tarot seems to answer that call.

This is what my South looks like.

I'm so excited to dive deeper into Egan's Mississippi landscape.


Fairy Tale Tarot

A deck built on fairy tales. Okaaayyy. A deck built on fairy tales, myths, and folklore from around the world that doesn't just stop in Europe? Oh, absolutely!

The Fairy Tale Tarot by Yoshi Yoshitani is an incredible project that's working to assemble 78 individual fairy tales from all around the world and turn them into tarot cards. Seems simple enough at first thought, but with some consideration, you can start to imagine the level of research it must take to get it done. Beyond just sourcing the tales, there's getting the lore right, ensuring they fit the card, and then illustrating them in a way that is respectful and authentic to where they come from. So far so good, from the looks of it. I can't wait to see more of these come together, and Yoshi is always looking for unique suggestions over on twitter, so help them out and cheer them on their journey!


Emily Lubanko Tarot


And now the deck you may have to wait for the longest, but still so worth it.

The Lubanko Tarot by Emily Lubanko. I gasped when I stumbled upon this gorgeous deck on twitter. The art is absolutely stunning- more like arresting, really. Wispy and fanciful with a darker edge I want to know more about. You can follow the deck's progress and view the art as it happens here- the Major Arcana are completed!

Emily plans to do a Kickstarter but only when the deck is all done so please show love and support to get them over the finish line!