An artist of sensitive genius, of expansive generosity and wit, and of profound clarity, JD Derbyshire burst through the doors of Goose Lane Editions in 2022 with a manuscript of auto-fiction as complex and beautiful as they were.
It was a privilege to work alongside them on material as profound and deeply personal as Mercy Gene. To describe them ââ both person and project â as delightful, thoughtful, smart, and funny only just begins to do either justice. JD was a comedian, theatre maker, writer, and activist and was as revolutionary in their kindness and curiosity as they were in their art.
Goose Lane mourns the loss of JD, but we also celebrate their kaleidoscopic life and their heartbreaking, heart-mending, hilarious, mind-expanding contributions to this world. What was said of Mercy Gene can also be said of JD: fierce and beautiful, and full of creative gusto, funhouse humour, hard-won wisdom, and ferocious empathy.
JD would sign off emails with âThanks for all you do, known and unknown,â and so we throw it back to them. Thanks to JD for the work, for the words, for all the ways, known and unknown, that their existence has rippled out and helped us all see, and feel. Thank you for the light you leave behind.
