Slow Holler Tarot Project
The Slow Holler Tarot project is a collaboratively imagined and illustrated deck created by 32 artists and four writers. We all either have southern ties, identify as queer, or both. The deck is a vibrant collection of illustration styles and voices. Each card is a work of art, a story rendered with care, crafted by the experiences of different hands. Together, the cards weave a larger story of the whole deck. Our collective shaping of the deck steeps it in perspective and strength from all of us.
Suits
Throughout the deck, we re-imagine names and symbols from the traditional tarot. We use visual storytelling so each card can be read in an emotional, intuitive way. Our hope is to make a deck that folks relate to easily and understand without special knowledge. We’ve formed the suits from a collection of four everyday objects: branches, knives, stones, and vessels–familiar things that we encounter in daily life.
Characters & Gender
We also wanted move away from the white, patriarchal, old European focus of traditional decks. Instead we aimed to create a deck that queer folks, people of color, and folks with varied gender identities can more readily feel at home with. Characters are re-imagined, sometimes in new human forms but also as plants, creatures, and natural elements. Many cards in the Slow Holler deck bear new titles that move beyond a gender binary and make room for different gender experiences. The deck carries the care with which it was created so it can rest in quiet hands, pass from person to person at potlucks, be tucked into altars or held by healers, shared with friends, or whatever purpose the deck is called to fulfill.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who’s supported the project. Biggest thanks to all of you who helped us realize this dream.
