Where and When I'm Haunting this October!
October is here! And that’s the boom time in the old ghost story business. And we’ve got some big booms this months. Right out the gate on this Saturday, October 3, you can find me at the Fayetteville Public Library for another program with Brandon Weston! Previously we covered some of the monsters and mythical critters crawling around the woods. This year we’ll be covering our more ethereal denizens, such as witches and boogers! Brandon’s got some classics you know and some tales you’ve probably never heard before, and I’ll be ready to draw them live throughout the program. You can find us at 2-3:30 pm in the Walker Community room this Saturday. Details here!
On a similar note! I’ll be doing another presentation down in Central Arkansas at the Saline County Library (Benton branch) for a program on Arkansas monsters! I’ll be drawing our hidden animals again and talking about them as I do it. I’ll also be going a little more into my process and how regional folklore inspires my own comic work. This will be Wednesday, October 28, from 5:30-6:30pm at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library – Benton branch of the Saline County Library. More details here!
This month, I also have an illustration in the second issue of Crossroads: Folk Horror in the United States.
I greatly enjoyed the first issue of the zine and am stoked to be a part of the second. I put together a drawing attached to a wonderful piece by Augustina Boateng on the tradition of Black Folktales carrying history and how they inform contemporary music. The whole issue really swirls around music and its relationship to folktales and folk horror in a way I find deeply appealing. I really can’t wait to dig into what the rest of the publication has to offer. It’s available now as well as their first issue! Perfect reading for the season.
If you’re in Northwest Arkansas there’s a chance you’ve seen a flyer for NWA Film Club‘s annual Over the Garden Wall Showing. It’ll be at Crisis Brewing once again with a menu from the fine folks at Handshake. Also with music with Christopher Felton!Regrettably I’ll be missing out this year with some out of state travel, but I am happy to report I did do the poster art for this year. And buddy it was a lot of fun. Probably unsuruprising that Over the Garden Wall is a yearly tradition in my wife and I’s home. If you’re in NWA on October 12 I really recommend this one.
This is more put a pin in it for a later post, but I can also confirm Backwood Folk #3: BARK OF THE WOOD APE is complete and its release is now in the hands of the gods of print and shipping. I think we can say this will be out in November. I’m *very* proud of this one. And there will be more to say very soon.
OTHER BITS AND BOBS
- I’d be remiss not to mention that Shire Fest is happening once again down in West Fork, Arkansas. This is an annual event run by the fine folks at Shire Post Mint, one I’ve tabled for years. Unfortunately I double booked myself this year, dangers of planning too far in advance, so I won’t be there as a vendor/artist. But you might see my hanging around the hobbits after the library talk!
- I was recently included in a cool publication called the NWA CREATOR CATALOG. It was put together by Kendra Sparkman who also puts together gorgeous zines. This one is a catalog of local artists and connections for the creative scene in Northwest Arkansas. I think that’s very cool and the kind of plant that I want to see grow. Which as always plants often require a little watering. So there’s a kickstarter for the second installment! It’s already surpassed its goal, but I still think its worthy of support!
- Jude Brothers also released a new album I have to recommend. I had the privilege of going on a small tour across the Ozarks reading original ghost stories before three musicians got on stage and really wowed the crowd. Jude was among those musicians, and it’s always incredible to watch an act that transfixes an audience as deeply as Jude’s performances. It’s often as close to magic as you’ll ever find. Check out that new album, Dogwood Maiden Voyages! And you know, I hear tomorrow is Bandcamp Friday.
- And finally, I am currently reading Nate Powell‘s newest graphic novel, Diana! I’m barely into it and already astounded. I’ve always enjoyed his work in its keen sense of place, and Diana is doing it again. The heights of the fantastical get grounded in the very real spaces of temporary punk venues across Arkansas. I existed in a different generation of the Arkansas DIY scene, but time moves slower here, and I can see the same people and places with different names and faces.
- Is that all for now? Certainly not, I’m sure I’m forgetting something.