One of Seattle's most notable artists, Ellen Forney, will discuss her courageous new graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me at the Seattle Public Library central branch on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM. Her slide presentation in the Microsoft Auditorium will be followed by a book signing. Copies will available at the event. Admission is free.
Ellen Forney has a long history of achievement as a cartoonist, visual artist, and charismatic figure in the Seattle's cultural community. Forney was recently anointed a "Genius" by alternative newspaper The Stranger. She's the featured public artist on the Capitol Hill light rail station project. Seattle-based publisher Fantagraphics Books has collected her work in three popular volumes — Lust, I Love Led Zeppelin, and Monkey Food. Her collaboration with author Sherman Alexie on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was honored with a National Book Award in 2007. Beyond these accomplishments, Ellen has followed in the tradition of Lynda Barry, Tom Robbins, Kurt Cobain and other notable artists in cleverly reflecting regional sensibilities to the rest of the nation.
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me, from Penguin Books' Gotham imprint, chronicles Forney's experience with bipolar disorder in the context of her career in comix. She documents her symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment with both sensitivity and humor. Her accessible approach to this difficult subject removes the social stigma associated with mental illness. Please join us on Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM at the Seattle Public Library as this extraordinary artist unveils her remarkable new book.
Listing Information
Ellen Forney presents Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me. Saturday, November 10, 7:00 PM Microsoft Auditorium. Seattle Public Library Central Branch. 1000 4th Ave. Admission free. Reservations not required.
Presented by Seattle Public Library Foundation and Fantagraphics Bookstore.
One of many appealing aspects of David Lasky and Frank M. Young's new graphic biography of The Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song is the CD of the Carters performing live on border radio, playing songs featured in the comix. It has the ethereal effect of transporting readers back in time. A big attraction at the reception for Lasky and Noah Van Sciver this Friday, November 2 at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is a music performance by Dennis Driscoll. He contributed a sweet version of "Bury Me Beneath the Weeping Willow" to America Salutes The Carter Family cassette-only release.
Another attraction on Friday is an exhibition of cartoonists associated with Seattle's lively Intruder comix and graphix tabloid at the One Night Stand Gallery, located directly above Fantagraphics Bookstore. This action coincides with the Short Run Small Press Fest November 1 - 3.
• Seattle, WA: It's your last chance to see our exhibit The Horror: from the EC Comics Libraryat the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery! I wrote myself a note about this in my calendar that just read "The Horror Ends," which cracked up my friend who saw it out of this context. (more info)
Thursday, November 1st
• Seattle, WA: Our own Jason T. Miles is just one of many awesome local artists in the show Handbound: Exploring the Process of Short Run Small Press Fest Exhibitors at SOIL Gallery. This group show explores the creative process of exhibiting book artists through a combination of original art, sketches, ephemera and books. It's high-brow, low-brow and everything in between. Reception is from 5:00-8:00 PM, and the show runs through December 1st. (more info)
• Seattle, WA: A plethora of Fantagraphics artists and friends will be exhibiting at the 2nd Annual Short Run Small Press Fest at the Vera Project at Seattle Center. This event is FREE, open to the public, and is completely awesome. (more info)
• Athens, GA: Head back to the Georgia Museum of Art today as Patrick Dean, curator of the exhibit “Beyond the Bulldog: Jack Davis,” and a cartoonist himself who sits on the board of the Jack Davis Foundation, will give a talk from 3:00 to 4:00 PM with a reception to follow. (more info)
Daylight Savings is upon us this weekend, which means those of us in the Northwest can look forward to darker evenings and some good ol' Seasonal Affective Disorder.
What better time to burrow under the blankies with The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, a documentation of Abraham Lincoln's crushing cloud of depression by Noah Van Sciver! Reading Noah's sensitive look at Lincoln's irrepressible ambition despite his troubled times is even better than one of those sun lamps. After all, Lincoln made it through the darkness, and so will you...
It's been an honor watching this book unfold from local fellas, cartoonist David Lasky and writer Frank M. Young, and the finished product is even more beautiful than I could've imagined!
Don’t Forget This Songis more than just an "graphic novel" bio on country music legends The Carter Family; it's a really lovely, sensitive look at the bond of family. As our own Kim Deitch says on the back of the book, "Young and Lasky do a winning job presenting this absolutely charming tale of romance, compulsion, anthropology, great meteoric success, and all the ironic baggage that usually goes with that kind of success."
The dialogue is written in the Southern dialect of the time, which gives the book an added dreamy, transportive feel. And the whole dang thing even comes with a CD of rare Carter Family radio recordings, so you can listen to the music as you follow their lives!
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale Street in Seattle's Georgetown district. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone: (206) 658-0110. Um, don't forget this event!
Fantagraphics Bookstore and Georgetown Records are pleased to announce a sensational series of music, comix, and literary events for the remainder of this year. Don't miss a minute!
On Friday, November 2, David Lasky and Noah Van Sciver appear for a joint exhibition and book signing from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Musical entertainment will be provided by K recording artist Dennis Driscoll, who promises to cover some Carter Family material. The following Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM, newly christened "Stranger Genius" Ellen Forney will present her courageous new graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me in the Microsoft Auditorium of the Seattle Public Library Central Branch. On Saturday, November 24 at 6:00 PM, we host a book launch party for The Last Vispo Anthology, edited by longtime Fantagraphics staffer Nico Vassilakis. The evening features readings by many contributors and music by another "Stranger Genius" honoree Lori Goldsten (former Earth and Nirvana cellist), joined by former Black Cat Orchestra bandmate Kyle Hanson. On Saturday, December 8, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, Fantagraphics Bookstore commemorates its 6th anniversary in style with Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez celebrating 30 years of Love & Rockets. Special guest artist and musician Geneviève Castrée will perform for the occasion. The series concludes on Sunday, December 30 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM with Nathan Bulmer signing Eat More Bikes collection from Koyama Press. All events are all ages and free. Make plans to move to Seattle now.
Acclaimed alternative cartoonists David Lasky and Noah Van Sciver have mined American history to produce two remarkable graphic novels – Lasky’s The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song and Van Sciver’s The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts an exhibition of original art and book signing by these amazing artists on Friday, November 2, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
Don’t Forget This Song chronicles the colorful career of The Carter Family, country music legends of the 1920s and '30s. Written by Southern-born Seattle resident Frank M. Young in the dialect of the day, this engaging narrative parallels the turmoil of that period. It portrays the family’s perseverance in the face of rural poverty, bigotry and isolation, as well as the myriad problems brought by sudden success. Meticulously rendered in full color by veteran Seattle cartoonist David Lasky, the book includes a CD of vintage Carter Family radio recordings. Both Lasky and Young will be available to sign copies of the book at the reception.
The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln documents the troubled young adulthood of one of America’s most beloved leaders. The book follows Abe Lincoln as he arrives in Springfield, Illinois to begin his life in politics and law. A promising career is sidetracked by a series of professional and emotional setbacks that result in a crushing cloud of depression Lincoln described as "The Hypo." Van Sciver’s attention to detail and emotive drawing technique combine to create a compelling story of irrepressible ambition overcoming all obstacles — laying the foundation for a figure bound to alter the course of history. Van Sciver will appear at the reception to sign copies of his new book, as well as his popular self-published Blammo comix.
The opening at Fantagraphics Bookstore in Seattle’s historic Georgetown arts community on Friday, November 2 is associated the Short Run Small Press Fest activities. A coinciding exhibition of work from Seattle alternative comix tabloid, The Intruder, will be held next door at One Night Stand gallery from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.
Listing Information:
David Lasky and Noah Van Sciver art exhibition and book signing Friday, November 2, 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Exhibition continues through November 22. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery 1201 S. Vale Street, Seattle 206.658.0110 | www.fantagraphics.com
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is pleased to welcome two titans of alternative comix, Chris Ware and Charles Burns, as well as emerging artists Gabrielle Bell and Tom Kaczynki in a lively series of events this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. This’ll be a blast!
Burns, Bell, and Kaczynski will sign books at Fantagraphics Bookstore, 1201 S. Vale Street, on Saturday, October 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. This event coincides with Elysian Brewing's "Great Pumpkin Brew Festival" featuring dozens of pumpkin beers from regional boutique breweries, just up the street at Elysian's Georgetown bottling facility. We'll be serving complimentary samples of the Black Hole-inspired "12 Beers of the Apocalypse," including "Blight" pumpkin ale and a preview tasting of "Omen," not released to the public until the following day. (Burns will appear briefly a block away at Full Throttle Bottles at 5:30 to sign "Apocalypse" bottles to go.) Guests at the bookstore will be the first in the country to receive free copies of our Basil Wolverton Spacehawk sampler to go with other seasonal Halloween treats.
Burns will appear at Elysian Brewing Co. Capitol Hill location, 1221 E. Pike Street, on Sunday, October 21 from noon to 3:00 PM for the tapping party for "Omen" Belgian Raspberry Stout, number 10 in the "12 Beers of the Apocalypse" series. Hang out with the artist in a casual atmosphere in the heart of Seattle’s colorful Pike/Pine corridor.
On Monday, October 22 listen to Burns on Seattle’s NPR affiliate KUOW-FM at 10:00 AM. Then plan to attend "Building Comix with Chris Ware and Charles Burns" at Town Hall, 1119 8th Avenue, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are only $5 and the admission price can be applied to the purchase of any book at the signing following the talk. Ware will discuss his monumental new work Building Stories, and Burns will present The Hive, his anxiously anticipated sequel to X’ed Out. (You can catch the last presidential debate from 6:00 to 7:30 at the Pub at Town Hall for free prior to the event.)
Another entertaining evening at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery last Saturday for the launch of our EC Comics Library line. Thanks to series associate editor J. Michael Catron and the enchanting Molly Nilsson for providing a focus to the festivities. If you missed it, you have through October 31 to view the display. No better time than this Saturday, October 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, when the bookstore welcomes the incomparable Charles Burns with special guests Gabrielle Bell and Tom Kaczynski. Pick up brand new graphic novels by Burns and Bell, and preview Kaczynski's forthcoming Fantagraphics title Beta Testing the Apocalypse.
Speaking of the apocalypse, we'll be serving complimentary samples of Elysian Brewing's Black Hole-inspired "12 Beers of the Apocalypse," including "Blight" Pumpkin Ale and a preview tasting of "Omen" - not released to the general public until the following day. This event coincides with Elysian's "Great Pumpkin Brew Festival" up the street at their Georgetown bottling facility. Taste dozens of pumpkin beers from regional boutique breweries. Yummy. All this plus massive Halloween surprises make this another event not to be missed. See you then.
A convincing case can be made that Harvey Kurtzman was as influential as Andy Warhol or the Beatles in shaping youth culture in the last half of the twentieth century. His work with EC comics and MAD magazine emboldened a generation to question authority and employ art in the service of degenerate discourse. American society was never quite the same in his wake. Please join us this Saturday, October 13 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery to celebrate the legacy of Kurtzman and his EC cohorts with "The Horror: Selections from the EC Comics Library."
Visitors to the reception will receive free copies of Tales From the Crypt EC sampler by Jack Davis. A display of pages from the first two EC Comics Library collections by Kurtzman and Wallace Wood will be supplemented by a short slide presentation by series associate editor J. Michael Catron. Complimentary beverages and seasonal snacks will be served. A highlight of the evening is a free concert by Berlin-based recording artist Molly Nilsson. Her lyrical approach and haunting vocal delivery perfectly reflect the EC aesthetic. Here's Molly performing live in Prague earlier this year. Sheesh! Talk about seducing the innocent...
