In our morning reading: fiction by Chloe N. Clark, a new issue of On the Seawall, and more.
Morning Bites: Chloe N. Clark’s Fiction, Virginia Woolf Comics, Molly Crabapple on History, and More
Afternoon Bites: Wendy Eisenberg’s Album, 5 Under 35, Great Sentences, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Wendy Eisenberg’s new album, talking about sentences, and more.
How Art School Is A Scam (And Also Totally Necessary)
How Art School Is A Scam (And Also Totally Necessary)
by Dave Baker
When I graduated high school I was a bit lost. Shocking, I know. I didn’t know what direction to take my life other than to go to college, because that’s the thing you do. I knew I wanted to make comics and be a cartoonist. But going to college seemed like a complete waste of time.
Scenes From Portland Life: On Willy Vlautin’s “The Left and the Lucky”
Anytime I crack open a fresh Willy Vlautin novel, I brace myself to flip through a rolodex of misfortune. Most reviews of his work dutifully hit the same set of keywords to describe his worlds: downtrodden, fringe, bleak, down-and-out, hardscrabble, underbelly, endlessly sad—and my favorite, because it’s as spare and straightforward as Vlautin’s own prose: depressing. Vlautin himself once admitted in an interview with Oregon Artswatch, “That’s always been kind of a weakness of mine, making stuff too bleak.”
Morning Bites: Emma Straub’s Latest, Revisiting Isaac Fellman, Richard Hell Interviewed, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Emma Straub’s new novel, an interview with Richard Hell, and more.
Afternoon Bites: John Darnielle’s Lyrics, Francis Spufford’s Latest, Jake Rose’s Poetry, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on new books by John Darnielle and Francis Spufford, and much more.
Presenting the Cover of Mathieu Bablet’s Graphic Novel “Silent Jenny”
In a 2019 review of Mathiew Bablet’s graphic novel Shangri-La, Augie De Blieck Jr. had plenty of great things to say about the book. “It’s beautifully drawn with a very cinematic eye,” De Blieck wrote. “If Bryan Hitch was French and wanted to draw manga, this would be the result.”
That graphic novel was the first book in a trilogy; this year, the concluding volume, Silent Jenny, is set for publication via Magnetic Press and ONI Press. A fundraising campaign is set to begin soon on Kickstarter; we’re pleased to debut the cover art above.
Morning Bites: Jordy Rosenberg on Writing, Revisiting Norman Mailer, Brad Neely’s Comics, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Jordy Rosenberg, thoughts on Brad Neely’s comics, and more.