I’m not sure what Blue Square Press is, and I’m not familiar with the work of Ben Spivey, but I’m going to go check out both because the cover of his new book, Flowing in the Gossamer Fold (published by Blue Square Press) looks like this:

Hand lettering wins again!

Lots of drawing these days. Lots of teaching and dadding. Trip to Denver. Spring. Rain – sun – rain – sun again. Watching the Mets win ballgames – lots of them. Lots of time far from my computer. This is a good thing. But this website need to have the weeds cleared. I’m going to start posting fragments of the drawings I’m working on – so those will start appearing soon. Until then – some good things going on:

First, we got Lily Hoang reading over at Apostrophe Cast. That’s 20 minutes well spent for anyone. (If you’re not sure, send me an email and I can convince you.)

The second annual Chapbook Festival is happening at the CUNY Grad Center. It looks like a lot of fun. Good people will be there – M.C. Hyland and Adam Robinson included (and I’m supposed to be reading, if we can work out the times) – Ana Božičević is helping to organize.

I’m drawing a new comic – with colored pencils. Using a set I think I got for my twelfth birthday. Getting back to my rooooots.

Oh, and Greg Gerke and I will be announcing the new bi-monthly series that we’re running at Soda here in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. So as not to confuse anyone, we’re calling it Soda Series. It’s going to be four writers having a conversation (rather than simply reading at you), every other month. The first on will be in May. More on that in a few days.

Tomorrow Lydia Conklin is having a party to celebrate her new comics and her love of dogs. On Friday, Lara Glenum’s coming into town to read for Amy and Ana’s Stain of Poetry Series. On Sunday, I think we’re going to eat some sausage from this place. Good time to live in NYC.

What else? The Mets are in first place. Don’t know how that happened.

Blaise Larmee’s Young Lions is a combustible tale told in sharp graceful pencil lines laid atop a parallel universe of erasure. It’s feels very new to me, and I keep looking at it again and again.

Going to be reading as part of the Double Cross (future publisher of my comic The Remains), Lame House & Slash Pine Presents reading in Denver tomorrow – early evening kickoff. Huge line up full of writers I’ve never gotten to hear read before, and can’t wait to. It’d be great to get a crowd there. I’ll be one of the last readers, so even if your plane gets in late – come on over. Here’s the information.

Date: April 7th, 2010
Time: 4-8:30 p.m.
Location: Rackhouse Pub, 208 S. Kalamath St. Denver

If Wednesday afternoon at AWP finds you looking for some fun, come join us at this low-key and off-the-convention-path poetry mini-marathon. Whether just for a happy hour of local microbrews or distilled CO whiskey, a good pub dinner, or the entire reading, we’d love to share your company.

Readers thus far include Abraham Smith, Kate Greenstreet, Anne Shaw, Malachai Black, Mike Sikemma, Jen Tynes, John Dermot Woods, Daniela Olszewska, Patti White, Gina Myers/Nate Pritts, Matt Hart, Claire Becker, Matt Rasmussen, Brian Oliu, MC Hyland, Nathan Hauke, Joseph P. Wood, Dolly Lemke, Jeremy Hawkins, francine j. harris, and more.

It is 8 minutes by cab or driving. Here’s a Google map for your assistance.

If taking light rail, walk to the Theater District/Convention Center train station. Take the D-Line toward Mineral and get off at Alameda Station. From Alameda Station, head north on S. Cherokee toward W. Alameda Rd. Take a left on W. Alameda and follow for.25 miles. Take a right on S. Kalamath and follow for .5 mile. Bank on 20-25 minutes.

For more information about the restaurant, go to www.rackhousepub.com. Listen to some diverse and terrific poetry, and enjoy the selection of locally-made adult beverages.

Had the pleasure of doing some drawings for the new online issue of Gigantic. I drew five drawings for five different American biographies. As much as I love comics and drawings in print – it’s really nice to do web work sometimes. You can use color at will and formatting/resolution is never an issue. These were a lot fun. (I have some outtake drawings from this that I’m going to use for a new project too.)

Lots of cool stuff in this issue. I was especially excited by this comic from Luca Dipierro and Leni Zumas. Apparently part of a longer work that will be serialized monthly on Gigantic online.

A video to make you want to get up in the morning from Joseph Young.