Torie Anderson-Lloyd
Project GYNS
Project GYNS, a graphic novel, is a future story set in the year 2075. After decades of systemic change, the city of Detroit is now at the center of education, innovation, and community. The city has transformed into a learning ecosystem where GYNS Hubs are everywhere. Schools are no longer just in buildings, the GYNS Hubs are embedded within the streets, neighborhoods, and parks. The city’s youth are the stewards of the future, and they must use real-world problem-solving skills to address the needs of their community in order to graduate.
The story begins when students start to notice gaps in the city’s Memory Archives, a collective of the wisdom of past and present Detroiters. The students then realize these gaps are intentional and a result of cyber attacks by a group who have infiltrated the city with the goal to erase the city’s history and progress, forcing Detroit to place the power of its education into the hands of corporations.
In this story, students must fight for their right to an education, each using their unique genius to do so. It illustrates a future youth, educators, and education activists are working toward, not only for Detroit but for the future of schools everywhere.
Illustrations by 25-year artist and educator Victor Green.
About The Storyteller
Torie Anderson-Lloyd
Torie J. Anderson-Lloyd, M.A.Ed, M.Ed, is a Detroit-based educator, curriculum designer, and cultural organizer committed to transforming education through joy, justice, and culturally responsive teaching. As the founder of Teaching It Trill and Executive Director of BLK GRL Conglomerate, Torie blends storytelling, strategic design, and social justice into powerful learning experiences. Her leadership includes curriculum authorship for Detroit Public Schools, literacy workshops, antiracist training, and pioneering initiatives like Black Readers Matter and the Freedom Dreaming Curriculum for The Institute for Anti-Racist Education. With over a decade of classroom experience and a visionary approach to community engagement, Torie builds spaces where Black folx can bloom. Whether facilitating at national conferences or writing from the heart of Detroit, she turns lived experience into legacy work—centered on healing, equity, and creative liberation.