Madison Clell author of Cuckoo

Published on April 28, 2006 0 Comments
Apr ’06
28
12:00 am

Madison Clell author of CuckooFriday April 28th8:00PM Free
 
Former multiple personality disordered Madison Clell will be answering questions and reading from her acclaimed graphic novel CUCKOO. A compilation of 13 comics issues under the same name, its readers include author/lawyer Andrew Vachss, who called CUCKOO
 
” ..a gleaming scalpel, expertly wielded against the tumor of evil. This is a stunning achievement, both artistically and personally, graphically illustrating the cosmic distance between ‘survivor’ and ‘transcender.’ ”
 
Dr. Patch Adams, who subscribed to the entire comics series said, ” ..I would make CUCKOO required reading. “, and then he penned the novel’s intro.
 
Madison is one of the featured artists for Chicago’s Cultural Center show, HUMANS BEING, and a participant in Bodies of Work; The Chicago Festival of Disability Arts & Culture this April 20-30.

McSweeney’s presents YannickMurphy reading from Here They Come

Published on April 24, 2006 0 Comments
Apr ’06
24
12:00 am

McSweeney’s presentsYannick Murphy reading fromHere They ComeMonday, April 10th, 7:00 PMFREE
 
Splitting time between a garbage-strewn apartment and an overly affectionate hot dog vendor, the observant thirteen-year-old who stands steadily at the center of Here They Come gives lyrical voice to an unforgettable instant?1970s New York, stifling, violent, and full of life. Balanced between her enigmatic siblings, borderline parents, and a quiet sense of the surreal, she recounts a year of vivid, mundane moments with dark humor and deadpan resilience. By Yannick Murphy, author of the New York Times Notable Book Sea of Trees .
 
?This is a hell of a book. You might not be able to finish Here They Come in one sitting, but it will haunt you till you do. What detail! What characters! I can imagine both Jane Austen and Raymond Carver pouring over this masterly novel.?
 
?Frank McCourt, author of Angela?s Ashes
 
?Yannick Murphy is a uniquely talented writer who manages to turn everything on its head and make dark, funny, shocking and beautiful prose out of the detritus of growing up poor, fatherless, and cockeyed. She is fearless.?
 
?Lily Tuck, winner of the 2004 National Book Award
 
?Yannick Murphy?s long-awaited Here They Come is a unique combination of rare linguistic lyricism with brutal and brilliant prose. It is an unrelenting portrait of family, terrifying for its honesty, its willingness to be ugly and elegant. Haunting.?
 
?A.M. Homes, author of The Safety of Objects and The End of Alice

Ken Foster, Elizabeth Crane and Furry Friends

Published on April 17, 2006 0 Comments
Apr ’06
17
12:00 am

Ken Foster, Elizabeth Crane and Furry FriendsMonday April 24th7:00PMFree
 
This is a reading and benefit for Furry Friends Foundation, a Chicago area no-kill shelter. Featuring: Ken Foster is the author of The Dogs Who Found Me and The Kind I’m Likely to Get; he is also editor of Dog Culture and the KGB Bar Reader. Elizabeth Crane is the author of Oh The Glory of it All and When the Messenger is Hot. Plus other friends, including Furry Friends Foundation.
 
Praise for The Dogs Who Found Me:
“Generosity and gratitude power this compelling account of the reciprocal nature of rescue. Ken Foster illuminates a profound lesson about saving a life: Doing it makes you able to do it.”
?Amy Hempel, author of The Dog of the Marriage and Reasons to Live
 
“I read this at once, and could hardly bear to put it down. This is a wonderful, strange book, beautiful and funny and moving. It’s about the necessity of dogs, and about the necessity of the heart. It’s for people who love dogs, and for people who don’t yet know how to. It delivers something crucial about bravery, the human spirit, and the place that dogs occupy in our landscapes. It’s about confronting need, vulnerability and love, and responding.”–Roxana Robinson
 
“Ken Foster writes about the human/canine bond with wisdom, insight, and great heart. This is a fascinating and useful book, full of great stories and practical knowledge every dog lover needs. Ken’s dogs are lucky to have found him, and so are his readers.”
–Sean Wilsey, author of Oh The Glory of it All
 
Websites:
www.ken-foster.com
www.furryfriendsfoundation.com
 

Jessica Abel in store event!

Published on April 10, 2006 0 Comments
Apr ’06
10
12:00 am

Jessica Abel signs booksSaturday, April 8th, 7:00 PMFREE
 
La Perdida is the story of Carla, an American estranged from her Mexican father, who heads to Mexico City to ?find herself.? Her intense desire to make a connection with Mexico and her unwillingness to see the impact of her own history on her understanding combine to turn an innocent journey down a dark path. A story about the youthful desire to live an authentic life and the consequences of trusting easy answers, La Perdida?at once grounded in the particulars of life in Mexico and resonantly universal?is a story about finding yourself by getting lost.
La Perdida originally appeared in serialized form from 2001-2005, published by Fantagraphics Books.
 
Jessica Abel is a cartoonist and writer. Born and raised in Chicagoland, she moved in 2000 to Brooklyn, New York, after a two-year pit stop in Mexico City. In her ?free? time, she likes to build things, garden, and cook, and hopes that doesn?t make her sound like the biggest dork ever. Along with La Perdida she is also responsible for the popular comic Artbabe.

Radio Plays Release Event

Published on April 8, 2006 0 Comments
Apr ’06
8
12:00 am

Radio Plays Release EventSaturday, April 1st7:00 PMFREE
 
C T Ballentine proudly presents the first issue of RADIO PLAYS!
 
RADIO PLAYS is not a traditional zine; it is actually an audio periodical in CD format containing exclusive performances of two radio dramas. One play is an excerpt from a forthcoming novel by Todd Dills entitled, Sons of the Rapture, which tells the tale of a desperately indebted young man\’s Ryder truck journey to freedom. The other play is a surrealistic little jaunt written by CT Ballentine called, The Cowboy and His Blazing Trumpets. The audio tale of the mysterious and dangerous Sam, who is out for the doctor\’s blood with nothing standing between them but a robotic secretary of indeterminate gender.
 
For this event both radio plays will be presented and there will also be readings from:
Todd Dills (the2ndhand)
A.B. Drea (Banana King)
Jeb Gleason-Allured