Miles to Go Before I Sleep: November 2012

Happy November! I can't believe that I didn't share anything here last month: it was a full-to-the-brim-with-work period, but mostly preparatory and planning kinds of tasks. Now that it's November, I get to do things out in the world again, such as:

NOVEMBER 12 - 19: I am going on COMICS ASSIGNMENT! Saveur Magazine, the foodie's friend & comrade to the common cartoonist, is sending me to Marrakech and Madrid for a week of classy hotels, fancy food and beautiful scenery. I did a recipe comic for them over the summer, and can't wait to do a big old travel-and-food adventure comic when I return. For a similar project, check out the really beautifully told travel comic about Lucy Knisley's trip to Tanzania. (And holy cow, if you're hungry check out these 9 completely different Thanksgiving menus + recipes!)

NOVEMBER 16: BRAIN FRAME 9! I am so totally thrilled about participating in this event. Yes, I will technically be in Africa the night of the performance, but with enough forethought and planning (and kind accommodation on the part of the Event Master), I've figured out a way to do both! You'll have to show up to the event to see what happens, but suffice it to say I've spent the last week sewing and hammering and painting and drawing in an apartment-consuming frenzy to bring something really huge to the stage.  RSVP HERE, and BE THERE:  FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH, 9:00PM :: 1542 N MILWAUKEE, 2ND FLOOR :: $7

NOVEMBER TBA: IN THE SOUNDS AND SEAS VOL I goes to press! I got word in mid-October that Diamond Distribution is going to pick up Volume I of 'In the Sounds and Seas.' We are still working through the details, but HUZZAH! Once we iron out the nitty gritties, I'll make a more detailed post about the whole process of becoming a new small-press vendor to a big national distributor, and when (and where) you can expect to see the new book. 

NOW: back to work!

Brain Frame 9

​Big things are afoot, friends!

​In spite of a bone-deep terror that I will fail and utterly humiliate myself in front of a room of people I admire, I'm doing a performative reading of "In the Sounds and Seas" at Brain Frame 9 on Friday, November 16 at 9pm. Mark your calendars!

I'll post teaser pictures as I work on building puppets & animations (and lots of other things I've never tried before) all through next month. Til then, wish me luck!

Shop at the Chicago Cultural Center

​Monkey-Rope Press is excited to announce that our prints and books will be for sale at the SMALL shop at the Chicago  Cultural Center this holiday season. The shop opens Friday, October 12 and will run through January 1.  If you find yourself in the neighborhood, swing by and check it out!

Small Press Expo bound!

​Tomorrow I'm headed to Bethesda Maryland for my first SPX. I thought it'd be best to attend as a visitor rather than an exhibitor this year, so I'm looking forward to a weekend attending panels, buying exciting new work and talking with super talented artists. 

If you see a mostly-hairless lady with glasses, a big skirt and a nose with a lot of character, wave me down and say hi!

​(I'll also be wearing & handing out pins for an up-and-coming project, yet to be announced. Ask me about it if you see me there; otherwise, check back here after the show for more details!)

Two-Color Linoleum Cut Class: July 28

I'm excited to announce that I will be teaching the 2-color linoleum cut workshop at Evanston Print & Paper Shop again in late July. 

I'm excited to announce that I will be teaching the 2-color linoleum cut workshop at Evanston Print & Paper Shop again in late July. 

"Linocut is a relief printmaking technique similar to woodcut or a wood engraving, where a flat surface of linoleum is carved with a knife or gouge tool and inked as a printing surface. In this Two-Color Linocut Workshop, participants will be guided through design strategies for relief printmaking, develop an understanding of the printmaking medium as well as the materials and equipment used in the process, and will get to take home a small two-color linocut print that they have designed, carved and printed themselves on a Vandercook proofing press. No previous printmaking experience is required!"

To sign up please contact eileen@evanstonprint.net or call the studio at 847-475-7674. It's going to be a great time, I look forward to seeing you there!

Chicago Alternative Comics Expo

I'm still reeling from the highs of the past two days: CAKE, the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo 2012, my last small press comic show of the season, is done. And what a way to end the season!

I'm still reeling from the highs of the past two days: CAKE, the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo 2012, my last small press comic show of the season, is done. And what a way to end the season!

One thing that never fails to surprise me is how overwhelmingly friendly and open and generous everyone is at these shows. I met artists whose work I have admired for years, which is always a stomach-churning delight, but almost more exciting is seeing new work that makes me spark and light up while meeting the folks who put that in to the world. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if I could do a show like this every weekend, I would in a heart beat.

Also exciting: I almost sold out of In the Sounds and Seas: Volume I! I have only 2 copies left in the world. The Xeric grant will allow me to reprint Vol I & II in the next month or two, but it feels like a momentous occasion to have 173 copies of my first little book out in the world. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, to my talented neighbors at the show and to all the organizers. CAKE was huge. 

See y'all again at SPX!