Write Club

vicemag: Please Start Banning Books Again It’s been a while...

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:42:21 -0400

Please Start Banning Books Again

It’s been a while since anything besides people and their weapons seemed dangerous in America. There’s a lot of attention—and a great deal of money—spent on determining where the next physical threat is, and how that threat is going to kill us, but when it comes to protecting our minds from dirty things our stance is about as liberal as it gets. Profanity, outside of mildly offending someone’s taste, seems nearly impossible. Compared to places where you can be killed for speaking out or using sacrilegious images, this freedom is a good thing, right?

I’m not so sure.

I kind of miss the idea of cultural lines that one can’t step over. One of my most memorable high school experiences was getting a permission slip signed by my parents so I could listen to an audiotape of Allen Ginsberg reading “America.” Our teacher warned us it included vulgar language and homosexuality and drugs. Something about having to break a permissive barrier to gain access to that material grabbed my teenage attention more than any of the other stuff we were made to read that year—much of which I’ve long forgotten even the most basic elements of.

But “America” stands out in my mind. And not even because I think it’s a particularly great poem, but because in some way I felt being allowed to hear it was a privilege. Before then, my reading had been waning. I was a voracious book-face child until somewhere during middle or high school, when I became terribly bored with what I was assigned. But even my 16-year-old brain could tell there was something much more volatile under the surface of “America.” From there I set off on my own, first to Burroughs and Henry Miller, and eventually to Joyce, McCarthy, etc. It took a sort of brain bomb to get me going, but once I’d started I couldn’t stop.

Looking over a list of the banned and challenged books in US history, it’s impossible to argue that some of our most important works weren’t at one point considered wrong:

Moby Dick - Banned from English classes in Texas in 1851 because it “conflicted with community values.” Plus, think of how many kids in school must be making dick jokes every time it’s taught.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Called “trash and suitable only for the slums.” Not to mention depicted race in a way that many people today wish they could forget.

Continue

slightly-bovverd: motherjones: nickbaumann: Awesome icons of...

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:38:28 -0400

slightly-bovverd:

motherjones:

nickbaumann:

Awesome icons of the Female Saints of Television, by Spencer Salberg. Prints are available here.

“Our Lady of Having it All”

>no Sam Carter

I’m so disappoint

kellysue: On Sale June 18thPRE-ORDER NOWfor 99 ¢ (via Dead Pig...

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:33:46 -0400

kellysue:

On Sale June 18th
PRE-ORDER NOW
for 99 ¢

(via Dead Pig Collector - Warren Ellis)

jakewyattriot: Test Number Two. Stay tuned. Next week she...

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:19:26 -0400

jakewyattriot:

Test Number Two. Stay tuned. Next week she uses the sword.

For those of you who missed it: Test Number One.

-Jake

torontocomics: TCAF 2013 Animated gif and photos by Joanna W.

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:51:15 -0400

torontocomics:

TCAF 2013 Animated gif and photos by Joanna W.

browsethestacks: browsethestacks: Vintage Photo - Comic Shop...

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:04:49 -0400

browsethestacks:

browsethestacks:

Vintage Photo - Comic Shop (c.1982-1983)

laughingsquid: R. Crumb Talks About Life, Books, and LSD in...

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:18:47 -0400

laughingsquid:

R. Crumb Talks About Life, Books, and LSD in Interview at Last Gasp Books in San Francisco

laughingsquid: Art of Science, A Princeton University Art...

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:32:47 -0400

laughingsquid:

Art of Science, A Princeton University Art Gallery Featuring Artistic Science Photos and Diagrams

laughingsquid: Art Student Freaks Out & Destroys Her...

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:46:26 -0400

laughingsquid:

Art Student Freaks Out & Destroys Her Painting After a Critique

Announcing Kindle Worlds

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:14:15 -0400

Announcing Kindle Worlds:

g33kgasm:

thescienceofobsession:

emmagrant01:

cleolinda:

Get ready for Kindle Worlds, a place for you to publish fan fiction inspired by popular books, shows, movies, comics, music, and games. With Kindle Worlds, you can write new stories based on featured Worlds, engage an audience of readers, and earn royalties. Amazon Publishing has secured licenses from Warner Bros. for Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries, with licenses for more Worlds on the way.

Content Guidelines for Kindle Worlds

Pornography: We don’t accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts.

Offensive Content: We don’t accept offensive content, including but not limited to racial slurs, excessively graphic or violent material, or excessive use of foul language.

Illegal and Infringing Content: We take violations of laws and proprietary rights very seriously. It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that their content doesn’t violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights.

Poor Customer Experience: We don’t accept books that provide a poor customer experience. Examples include poorly formatted books and books with misleading titles, cover art, or product descriptions. We reserve the right to determine whether content provides a poor customer experience.

Excessive Use of Brands: We don’t accept the excessive use of brand names or the inclusion of brand names for paid advertising or promotion.

Crossover: No crossovers from other Worlds are permitted, meaning your work may not include elements of any copyright-protected book, movie, or other property outside of the elements of this World.

lol Amazon.

No explicit sexual content? So much for that, then.

I’m no copyright expert, but this doesn’t sound nice:

Amazon Publishing will acquire all rights to your new stories, including global publication rights, for the term of copyright.
Kindle Worlds is a creative community where Worlds grow with each new story. You will own the copyright to the original, copyrightable elements (such as characters, scenes, and events) that you create and include in your work, and the World Licensor will retain the copyright to all the original elements of the World. When you submit your story in a World, you are granting Amazon Publishing an exclusive license to the story and all the original elements you include in that story. This means that your story and all the new elements must stay within the applicable World. We will allow Kindle Worlds authors to build on each other’s ideas and elements. We will also give the World Licensor a license to use your new elements and incorporate them into other works without further compensation to you.

Wow amazon, way to contradict yourself for profit you douchebags.

Everyone should just Boycott this system.

fanboycomicsnet: ‘Skyward #1:’ ADVANCE Comic Book Review By FBC...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:27:56 -0400

fanboycomicsnet:

‘Skyward #1:’ ADVANCE Comic Book Review By FBC Guest Contributor Steven W. Alloway!!!

At its core, Skyward is filled with that childlike sense of adventure that makes a good children’s fantasy story. The story itself is somewhat familiar, at least in Issue #1, mapping out what appears to be the beginning of the classic hero’s journey. But, though the story is simple, there’s a lot of potential in it for great things.

Click here for the full review!

deviantart: Join the ghoulish gang of Monster High by creating...

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:49:11 -0400

deviantart:

Join the ghoulish gang of Monster High by creating a brand new monster!

Channel your inner monster & enter now!

TinaTime: Make bad art.

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:46:28 -0400

TinaTime: Make bad art.:

austinkleon:

Neil Gaiman has released a book of his great commencement address, Make Good Art.

When things get tough, this is what you should do: Make good art. I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician — make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by a mutated boa constrictor — make good art. IRS on your trail — make good art. Cat exploded — make good art. Someone on the Internet thinks what you’re doing is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before — make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, eventually time will take the sting away, and that doesn’t even matter. Do what only you can do best: Make good art. Make it on the bad days, make it on the good days, too.

I love Gaiman’s message, but I also want to make a plug for something else: when the going gets rough, make bad art, too.

When 9/11 and Katrina hit and she lost a bunch of her close friends, Lynda Barry got really depressed, and all she could do is doodle:

I found myself compelled, like this weird, shameful compulsion to draw cute animals. That was all I could stand to draw. You know, just cry and draw cute animals…dancing dogs with crowns on, you know? And, like, really friendly ducks. But I found this monkey, this meditating monkey, and I found that once - when I drew that monkey, it’s not that it fixed the problem. But it did shift it a little bit, or provide me some kind of relief. And that’s when I started to think, maybe that’s what images do, because I believe in all my - with all my heart they have an absolute biological function…

“Good” can be a stifling word, a word that makes you hesitate and stare at a blank page and second-guess yourself and throw stuff in the trash. What’s important is to get your hands moving and let the images come. Whether it’s good or bad is beside the point. Make art.

beckycloonan: Hi guys! I’ve moved this shop over to a new...

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:41:51 -0400

beckycloonan:

Hi guys! I’ve moved this shop over to a new domain, and combined it with a few friends- enter THE WEREHOUSE!

Not to fear- all orders that were made through my old Bigcartel site will be shipped this week- and if you haven’t received an order for some reason please email me- beckyattack@gmail.com, and I’ll sort out the problem asap!

I want to thank everybody for championing my self-published work, and sticking with me even though towards the last few months it got a little crazy— especially now that con season (and allergies) have kicked in!

The main reason for the new store is because I just can’t keep up with this stuff on my own. It’s grown way bigger than I ever thought possible! I am overwhelmed by the support you’ve shown me over the last few years, and I’m pleased to say that I’ve mailed out over 4,000 books in that time!!! This whole thing has been a huge learning experience, since I basically jumped into this without any idea of what to expect, and now I feel like I might kind of know what I’m doing! (More or less.) Now with the Lounak guys behind Werehouse, it’ll free up more of my time at the studio to getting comics drawn!

So check out the Werehouse. It’s got work by Andy Belanger, Karl Kerschl and a whole bunch of other stuff too. Some products have bene taken off to make way for new ones, and DEMETER has been added up as a preorder! (Exciting!)

I want to point out one big change that comes with the new store- I’m phasing out my silk screened covers, which will be replaced with a new, completely offset edition. This new printing will still be wicked nice- I’ve even updated the cover design of both Wolves and The Mire! The interiors won’t change- really this just makes the silk screened editions a little more “collectable,” whatever that means. :) Rest assured that you will still be getting a good quality book; I took a page from John Hammond’s playbook and spared no expense.

As for DEMETER pre-orders, there are two options- $10.00 for the screen printed cover, and $5.00 for the offset. (There is also a third $50.00 sketch edition available, that is limited to 100.) The extra color on the cover raised the price point- but it looks great and I have no regrets!

Any questions you guys have please feel free to ask- I’ll try to answer them as best I can! :D

Thank you, I love you!

"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences...."

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:55:41 -0400

““Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences. (Roy Ascott’s phrase.) That solves a lot of problems: we don’t have to argue whether photographs are art, or whether performances are art, or whether Carl Andre’s bricks or Andrew Serranos’s piss or Little Richard’s ‘Long Tall Sally’ are art, because we say, ‘Art is something that happens, a process, not a quality, and all sorts of things can make it happen.’ … [W]hat makes a work of art ‘good’ for you is not something that is already ‘inside’ it, but something that happens inside you — so the value of the work lies in the degree to which it can help you have the kind of experience that you call art.””

- Brian Eno (via jessiethatcher)

I could reblog/post this every day as a constant reminder.

(via notational)

evilsupplyco: Mister Ghost’s Highly Enviable Monthly Parcel of...

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:41:47 -0400

evilsupplyco:

Mister Ghost’s Highly Enviable Monthly Parcel of Simple Yet Amazing Wonderments is now available!

Each month, Evil Supply Co. will send you a curated collection of about 3-5 pieces. Possible items include: stationery, pins, small illustration prints, stamps, postcards, magnets, rubber stamps, vinyl bottle labels, “to do” lists, memo books… you get the idea.

Each parcel also includes a copy of OBITUARY: a tiny monthly booklet (About 16 pages with covers) of stories and articles dedicated to life and death (with other non-sense mixed in for good measure. We might even tell the occasional knock-knock joke, or offer recipes, advice, et cetera).

Available Now

birdcagebottombooks: New in the Birdcage Bottom Books shop: The...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:56:09 -0400

birdcagebottombooks:

New in the Birdcage Bottom Books shop:

The Hic & Hoc Illustrated Journal of Humor by the fine folks at Hic & Hoc

Edited by ambulatory laff factories Lauren Barnett (Me Likes You Very Much) and Nathan Bulmer (Eat More Bikes), the first volume of an anticipated 196 volume series of the best of funny comics throughout the world features the likes of Phil McAndrew, Box Brown, Madéleine Flores, Zac Gorman, KC Green, Ian Andersen, Sam Henderson, Sam Spina, Julia Wertz, Dustin Harbin, Noah Van Sciver, Jane Mai, Dakota McFadzean, Matt Wiegle, and Joe Lambert, who did the stunning cover! NOT FOR KIDS!

7″ x 10.5″, 64 pages. $10
Perfect-bound. Full-color cover with b&w interior

"The ultimate irony is that my new novel (West of Babylon) is only available in electronic form. I..."

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:30:22 -0400

“

The ultimate irony is that my new novel (West of Babylon) is only available in electronic form. I didn’t merely get hoisted by my own petard—my petard fell on me and shattered my skull. There will be zero chance I’ll ever see anybody reading my book. Zero. It will never, ever happen. I will never be able to sign anyone’s copy. (There won’t be a copy!) I’ll never experience the sheer delight (it has almost reduced me to tears) of walking into a bookstore and seeing a novel I wrote prominently displayed on a table in the front (or rotting away in the H section on a shelf next to Ernest Hemingway and Herman Hesse). There will be friends of mine who, because they’ll never buy an e-reader, will never read the book at all.

But what’s crucial, what gives me some infinitesimal measure of hope, is that this book I wrote and slaved over every day and obsessed over for years will still be out there. Wafting in the either, zipping across USB cables, flickering on screens, bubbling up to the surface of the world. The book will be somewhere.

I think.

”

- Novelist and former “dead-tree loyalist” Ted Heller surrenders to the ebook era. Meanwhile, Patti Smith poignantly admonishes otherwise.

(↬ The Dish)

Get over yourself writers. Books are meant to be written, not displayed, unless you’re a pretentious ass who needs the validation of material objects versus the dissemination of your story & ideas into the public’s consciousness.

theartofanimation: Jemma Salume

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:39:41 -0400

theartofanimation:

Jemma Salume

seanhowe: Advertisement for Stan Lee interview in Oui magazine,...

Mon, 20 May 2013 03:32:30 -0400

seanhowe:

Advertisement for Stan Lee interview in Oui magazine, 1977.

Illustration by John Romita.