We had the good fortune of connecting with Lelia Woods and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lelia, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
For me the big turning point. The point where events became a lot larger and more successful and I had a more solid idea of what I wanted to do with this little circus I’ve built; was when I started accepting on a deep level that I needed help. There’s a lot of pressure in the world to act like Atlas, to take on everything and be willing to do anything to accomplish your goals, to be and in a way you always have to be prepared to do that in some form. Being in any sort of leadership position means wearing a lot of heavy hats while still having to stand up straight.

But I’ve seen way too many amazing organizers horribly burn themselves out to endorse that as a sustainable way of living. The hard secret of any great space or community is that they are usually run by someone who has experienced some form of unresolved personal loneliness that won’t be fixed by trying to make other people less lonely. You aren’t the main character, you are an organism in an ecosystem of people who are doing their best to make the world a better and kinder place that sometimes have to be reminded that they need to be kind to themselves as part of that. That means understanding the work will continue if you take a break and even if it doesn’t it’s okay.

Its a humbling and sometimes rattling process that usually involves failures, exhaustion, and forced rest/reflection but on the other side of it is people who truly want to support what you are building and letting them in.

The other main thing is you have to keep the promises to yourself and focus on the core of what you are trying to accomplish. The reason why I wanted to do any of this was because I wanted to make cool art with cool people and open doors for marginalized creatives. But artists are famously fickle and there’s a real capital for saying you mean business, even if it’s silly business.When I say “ I want to host a gay animation festival where there’s free pie and I dress up as a TV cowboy” or “I want 200 lesbians to write love letters with me in a 3 story leftist book publishing house” those things will happen, I find a way. If you believe and stand by yourself and your mission and your values people will pay attention. The way projects fall apart is not in disagreements, often in those are where the spark of something better comes from, it’s saying you could do something you couldn’t or being something you weren’t. But more than it’s remembering why you are doing this and allowing the space to enjoy it. The moments I feel most proud and successful are when I look into a crowd of people and see strangers becoming friends with each other. It makes me happy to see them happy everything else is extra.
That and listening to a lot of anime soundtracks. They’re good for getting the blood pumping.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work and pay the bills as a designer and art director and then I dress up as a clown for community. By which I mean I run and founded The Artistic Alphabet Mafia, a Chicago based queer-focused mutual aid and events group that also collaborates with Los Angeles based artists that goes by the motto “be gay do craft”.

The origin of Alphabet Mafia is long and winding, but it officially started in 2023 after living in Chicago for a couple years
and wanting to create more expansive and inclusive art spaces for queer people that was inspired by the different co-living/creative communities I’ve been a part of. The core founding principles of silliness, accessibility, and the importance of art as a tool for building community. Event accessibility features include things like wheelchair accessibility, decompression craft areas, providing or requiring masks, sliding scale tickets, and ensuring that events have a sober focus. While our events started out smaller scale (the first official event was a puppet themed tea party in my living room) they expanded out to have over 200 attendees and in total the organization has collaborated with over 100 local businesses, organization, and individual artists, the majority of whom being queer, BIPOC, or disabled.

Our events are a combinations of vendor markets, performances, with each one centering on a specific medium for example “Big Gay Animation Festival” was a celebration of animation with flip book themed crafts, a screening featuring over 20 animation artists from across from the country, flip book/zoetrope themed crafts, and collaborating with 6 other small/ queer owned businesses (Lotsa, Color Club, Building Press, Rookery Interactive, Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits, and Cold Boy Press). Other recent events include “Rainbow Runway” a celebration of Fashion at Chicago Athletic Association and “Lesbian Love Letters” at Haymarket House.

Going into 2026, we’re cutting down the amount of events we’re doing to one which will be a science art fair next year called “Earthcraft 2: A celebration of Artistic Sustainability” that will integrate aspects of previous event with an overall theme of how science and sustainability can intersect with different artistic mediums with the aim of hosting that a major museum. the first iteration of that event was only possible due the support and collaboration of Jane Addams Hull-House Museum at UIC.

Alphabet Mafia’s ongoing non event projects include, Care Cubby (care cubby.net) an ABC themed supply distribution system with locations around the city. We currently have 4 locations launched with 6 more on their way that’s giving away free art supplies, books, Narcan, covid tests, masks, and other first aid supplies through free little library style shelfs. Cubbies are catagorized by letters and provide different supplies based on the type of letter they are i.e A-Art supplies, B-Books, and C-care(over the counter medical supplies). Future letters will include D-decompression toys, E-entertainment(physical media such as board games or dvds) , F-food, and G-garments.
Finally we are working on a digital zine that’s an archive of 16 different local LGBT organizers that include party planners, crafter meet up groups and advocacy organizations. The goal of this project is to document their perspectives on what it takes to build and maintain inclusive spaces while avoiding burnout.

Basically we are transitioning to handful of core projects to make sure everything we are working on can be of the highest quality it can be and ensure we can maintain the values we established with previous work we’ve done. Alongside that give fellow organizers the tools they need to thrive and succeed in their goals because we want more spaces like ours to exist.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For LA itself, definetly Bob Baker Marionettes, when I think of creative pockets of magic that inspire me, that theater is always on the top of the list. The fact that organization has lasted and supported so many artists for so long is a miracle the size of Montana and so much what I do is aspire to be at their caliber.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Some collaborators I want to shout out are Rachel Steele, who is the true genius behind a lot of mafia projects and is a fearless creative in her own right. Bridget Bilbo, Lex Stein, and Marion Pajares who are some of my favorite illustrators and friends . Andrew Vo and Sukie Culver who endlessly support and show up to events both as attendees and as behind the scenes help., Breezy Fasamo and Roman Meshkov who made the care cubby website possible with their web design wizardry.
As well as Alex Perez, Mila Kaut, and Atta Zatta who haven’t been officially part of the org for that long but already feel like an integral part of it. Beyond being amazing contributors they are incredible people that I have no idea how I got the luck to know them.

As well as regular partner orgs like Parallel Play, Trash Goblins, Chicago Mushroom Club, Hot Potato Hearts, Chicago Craft club, Dyke Night, Japanese Cultural Center and so many others who have been invaluable as collaborators and examples of orgs that focus on authentic artistic community building.

Finally want to shout out my community back in Oakland that inspired a lot of my organizing work and specifically Bri Jenson who is what I want to be when I grow up.

Website: https://carecubby.net

Instagram: @theartisticalphabetmafia

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelia-woods-0484a711b/

Other: https://linktr.ee/artisticalphabetmafia?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeFyMC_0oI7w_Kgz2n9lR_P_JgEuoILAL1IWp81LtSxIDOJJX7Evf3Wj83hsA_aem_XZmVB5XFr9Ja1NrMeeZLiw

Image Credits
Rachel steele
Alesksa Kirkus
Aloi Glenette

All files should include photo/illustration names but please contact me if you need clarification

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