CricketToes

SPOILERS! Troy Freund & The Amazing Comic Book Exhibition

Folks in and around Milwaukee who pay attention to the shutterbug shenanigans of local independent photogs--and there are plenty--know Troy Freund well. A good percentage of his work is for arts organizations and other non-profits, and he often donates his fine skills to worthy projects and causes, spreading the word on his blog, in eBlasts and on the young kids' fav communication tool known as social media.

But all positively satisfying work and no harmlessly self-indulgent play can make a person long for the days when ya had the time to bellyflop onto your bed, prop yourself up on your elbows, crisscross your ankles, and engross yourself in the latest issue of Green Arrow or X-Men or Casper the Friendly Ghost--you read it, you know it, just admit it already so we can move on, 'kay? 'Kay.

And so, in the interest of sharing his love of the comic book with the world--or at least with those within a reasonable traveling distance--Troy Freund presents SPOILERS, a comic book art exhibition running from May 4-24 at Z Chiropractic in Bay View.

During the kickoff event this Saturday, the very same day as the annual North American Free Comic Book Day--really, what are the odds?--illustrative artwork will be on display and several actors will read scenes from a variety of titles, including Daredevil, Swamp Thing, Preacher, and others. These thespians are, in alphabetical order and not in order of oratory prowess or vocal timbre, Terrence Donohue, Lisa England, Derek Freund, Jeff Ganger, Jamie Jastrab, Joanne Helmers, Jason Krukowski, Lisa Moldenhauer-Rasmussen, and Scott Radtke.

Of particular note is Lisa England's appearance as she is the Miltown author of Rise of the Tiger, a graphic fantasy/adventure/steampunk/dystopia/horror--no lie--novel that she's releasing in a serialized format on the web. Check it out, kids, 'cause it's pretty damn good!

When asked if the actors would be going full method by dressing their parts, Freund replied, "The actors will not be in costume... the emphasis will be on the scripting. There really is some great writing in comic books and this reading will be a way to draw attention to that. We're not aiming for camp--we're aiming at strong (super heroic, and character) drama."

Okay, right on, being a word nerd I'm all for that, but I'm fairly sure I'm not alone in believing that a dash o' camp at an event like this is not only super fun, it is absolutely necessary. So all you comic book hero/villain lovers are hereby authorized to bring it yourself. And when I say bring it, I mean BRING IT!

The SPOILERS exhibition opening day runs from 11AM to 5PM on Saturday, May 4 at Z Chiropractic, 2331 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue. Can't make it that day? Well you can come by any Tuesday or Thursday from 12-6PM until the closing reception on Friday, May 24 from 5-8PM.

Also, before, during or after the opening, head across to the street to Collector's Edge Comics to get two free comic books just for stopping in. They've also mentioned on their site that persons donned in "comic book theme apparel" might score more, so that's another reason to BRING IT!

(Thanks, Troy!)

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Words & Images: A Conversation

Something's happening over at Tumblr. Something that makes me want to use adverb + adjective phrases like "oddly delightful," "playfully cryptic," "strangely gemütlich"--using a German thesaurus on occasion is not a crime people! This something is called shutters/dead ends/lens/pens--all in lowercase, thank you--and it's a something y'all should check out now and continue to take a peek at for the foreseeable future.

This collaborative project is the virtual brainchild of two Miltown artists, writer David Press and visual artist/photographer William Zuback, the latter of whom has been so prolific over recent years he's earned himself several posts on this here bloggity blog as well as attention from other media outlets.

So the way shutters/dead ends/lens/pens works is this: David posts prose and William replies with a photo, then William posts a photo and David replies with prose, and back and forth and forth and back it goes until both their minds are spent and the whole of the Interwebs explodes! Okay, that last part is a wee bit of an exaggeration but that's why you keep comin' back here, right? Don't deny it.

Thus far they've posted two conversations and David is now waiting--as are we all--for William's reply--it's been a whole day, so come on already! I must say that Chapter Three's prose reads like an argument between Hemingway and Faulkner, with Will getting impatient with Papa's short, sharp shock style and just taking over, churning out words with absolutely no punctuation and a gigantic sigh of relief. Strangely gemütlich, really.

(Thanks, Bill!)

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Bring Your Own Artistic Creature To Life In The DanceLAB--Mwahahaha!

The process of artsy creation is always complicated and always messy, and anybody who tells ya different has never gotten his/her brain dirty--all right now, y'all know what I mean, sheesh! In the most obvious yet poignant metaphor in English literature, Mary Shelly told us so in her Gothic novel Frankenstein--a.k.a The Modern Prometheus. While she narrates nearly nothing of what must surely be a gruesome procedure of animating inanimate matter, we gather all too well that the process of bringing a new creation into this world is filled with both wonder and terror. Ask any mom--she'll tell ya that plus more than ya ever wanted to know!

So if that's the case, if it's so damn tricky and scary to create, why do we do it at all? Fair question, kids. Ya gotta be at least half off your nut to even try, right? Well, yes, but being half off your nut just means you're human, so that's no excuse, and being human means you not only try in spite of the tricky/scary but because of the tricky/scary, right? Right on!

In that spirit, Danceworks invites you and the artistic partner of your choice to apply for participation in its DanceLAB Art to Art 2013, an experimental performance event featuring works created by multiple two-artist teams who practice different disciplines. It's an artsy cross-pollination hootenanny!

One stipulation: One member of each team should be a choreographer or at least know a little sumpin' sumpin' about choreography. Pretty sure dancing along with the Glee gang in your living room doesn't count, but if you got the gumption and a high level of what-the-hell attitude, I'm not gonna tell ya you can't apply.

For the rest of you in film, music, theatre and visual arts, all you gotta do is find yourself one of those fancy dance types to partner with and you're good to go. Easy peasy!

Go to the Danceworks website to download the Art to Art 2013 application--it's under the DanceLAB tab--so you can face the wonder and the terror together!

(Thanks, Elyse!)

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True Rumor: Work On Artifacts Sequel Has Begun!

When one manages to live through the simultaneously gratifying and agonizing experience of writing a novel, emerging more or less intact if just a bit off-kilter for a while, there is a natural reticence to begin that process all over again. Oh, the bitter weeping and creepy low giggling! Ah, the tearing of hair and joyous shouts of, "That's it!"

But one thing is true for any writer worth his/her ink: The words never stop comin' and if ya don't get 'em outta your brainpan they will drive you to a madness more profound than that of King George III or perhaps Bugs Bunny when he was really and awesomely off his nut--I refer you to this clip from 1952 as proof.

Being fully aware of this danger to the mind and wishing to keep some measure of my sanity--not all of it, of course--I announce today that work on the sequel to my first novel Artifacts is under way!

Now, certainly not every novel should have a sequel. A follow-up to Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, for instance, would be categorically absurd as that masterpiece is beautifully and wholly complete. But not every story can be told in one installment. Also, many readers of Artifacts have clamored in my ear for more, more, more! And while I am not one to easily crumble to peer pressure, I too believe more, etc. is a very fine idea.

I cannot give you a publication date at this time--sheesh, I just started, kids!--but I will try to provide periodic progress reports on the official Artifacts blog. In the meantime, if you haven't yet read the original, click on over to artifactsnovel.com where you can download the first three chapters for free and then buy the whole thing if ya like!

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The Hero Librarians--& 72 Year-Old Security Guard--of Timbuktu

A time does not come often when we may so obviously equate librarians with heroes, preferring to bestow that honored title most often upon those who carry swords rather than pens, but such a rare moment has come and it cannot, will not pass without note here on CricketToes.

As you may or may not have heard--and, boy, I sure hope you have--there's been some real trouble brewing in Mali--that's on the continent of Africa--since last spring, with Islamic extremists moving through the northern portion and taking control of cities along the way. By all accounts, they did not come to enjoy the generous hospitality of the people and hang out in a student hostel to take advantage of the awesome free WiFi, but rather to spread chaos and war.

No doubt spurred by other desecrations of culturally significant artifacts in recent memory, the Associated Press and others have been keeping a close eye on what's been happening to the great multitude of ancient manuscripts housed in the fabled city of Timbuktu. After initial, heartbreaking reports that it appeared that the bulk of 30,000 manuscripts--irreplaceable documents of human history dating back to the 13th century--stored at the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research had been burned, it is now fact that--wait for it--about 28,000 have been saved!! Whoot and Hooray!

At this point, you may rightly ask, "How did this happy turn of events occur? Who, I say, who could have salvaged such a ginormous reserve of words on paper from the ravages of those determined to destroy it?" Why, librarians of course, and one very, very dedicated security guard.

Overall credit of this colossal act of heroism is due to the library's acting director, Abdoulaye Cisse, who, in his wisdom and foresight, saw that the manuscripts could be in danger and began commanding a stealth operation to move the majority of the texts out of the city last August.

But one cannot accomplish such a huge task with just a small group of librarians--brave though they may be--and without the aid of those whose praises too often go unsung. Enter Abba Alhadi, a 72 year-old man and 40 year veteran of ancient manuscript care-taking. Under cover of night, night after night, this unassuming fellow concealed the works in rice and millet sacks, pushed them across town on a cart and sent them on a long 600 mile journey to the city of Bamako.

Phew! Now that, my friends, is the stuff of legend, no? Yes! And you should all read the harrowing tale in full, penned by the AP's Rukmini Callimachi, immediately, 'kay? Because this real life story powerfully relates the reason why librarians exist--to safeguard and protect history and culture, so that we may learn and share in all that has made us human. Freedom of expression and thought belongs to all of us, and no matter if it's a threat by those who hold extreme religious beliefs--let us not forget the untold damage done by those brandishing the Christian flag--or those who would seek to keep us mute as a means of control or for monetary gain, librarians are the hero sentinels who will stand firm and, in the end, help save us from lesser ourselves.

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A Centennial Celebration Of Cage: It's Gonna Be A Circus!

John Cage can be fairly described as a jack-of-all-arts. A composer, performance artist, visual artist, writer, poet, mycologist--that's somebody who studies mushrooms at a super smart nerd level, and anyone who's experienced his abstract experimental music should not gasp with surprise at that fact--and an all-around lovable freaky dude. On September 5 of this year Mr. cage would have been the very venerable--some would say waaay too old--age of 100. Celebrations have been taking place 'round the world and Miltown is no exception.

Spearheaded by Thomas Gaudynski--himself a lovable freaky dude--and co-sponsored by Woodland Pattern Book Center and the Urban Ecology Center, the John Cage Centennial Literary Musicircus this Sunday will feature volunteer readers, um, reading various works penned by Cage that are sure to blow each and every mind in the general aural vicinity.

So what makes this event remarkable? Well, the readers will be scattered throughout Riverside Park, so in order for you to hear the profound, sometimes wacky words and line breaks crafted by Cage you'll have to move your booties instead of sitting like a lifeless lump on a giant 'shroom à la Alice In You Know Where. Ha! The tables do a turn, don't they? Indeed.

Just be clear, there will not be any music, though the name certainly might give you that impression. This is a literary event, but the "Musicircus" reference is to honor Cage's spark of genius when he had musical and other performers do their thing simultaneously while the event-goers traipsed around them. It's a happening, man.

The John Cage Centennial Literary Musicircus takes place Sunday, August 26, from 1-4PM in Riverside Park if the sun be a'shining or in the Urban Ecology Center if the rain be a'drizzling. If you'd like to volunteer to read, contact Thomas Gaudynski at tgaudynski at mindspring dot com.

(Thanks, Thomas!)

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WisCon: The Smartest SF Convention You've Never Heard Of

When you're a writer and you're nutty enough to decide that Novelist should be added to your curriculum vitae--in fancy Latin, of course--'cause, hey, you've never done it before and crafting thousands of words that somehow hang together to make up a coherent story sounds like a super fun way to spend a huge amount of time, well you just gotta try, right? Right. And so you do. And even though the experience brings out all your latent manic-depressive tendencies, making you alternate between yelps of, "OMG, this soooo awesome!" and, "OMG, this soooo excruciating!" you keep pluggin' away until the work is completed.

Once the novel is finished and published, you have two choices: You can either sit alone and stare at your tome, stunned and in utter disbelief, or you can begin the next phase of work that entails letting other folks know it exists so they too can stare at it and, hopefully, read it. I chose the latter.

In my quest to discover avenues through which I could connect with readers, I came across the website of a science fiction convention that I'd never heard of before that's been held annually for 35 years in my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin called WisCon. "What?!" I cried. "I was there from birth to age 21 and had no idea this special meeting of literary fans existed? How can that be?" Having no satisfactory answer, I shrugged and gathered more intel.

WisCon, it turns out, is not just a science fiction convention, it is the science fiction convention for those of us who believe that fully developed female characters and the issues of equality, gender, race and class can and do make for compelling reading. I mean, there are only so many cold-blooded hot chicks and magical waifs ya can take before you start screaming, "Be more real!" Also, "Natural boobs don't defy gravity and I doubt very much that these well-trained ninja sisters would take the time to get implants just to titillate, so to speak, 14 year-old boys!"

Anyhoo, seeing as my novel Artifacts just happens to have a complex female protagonist and, as a supernatural tale, fits securely within the speculative genre--depending on who you're talking to, that's either an umbrella term that includes science fiction, supernatural, horror, fantasy, etc. or a close cousin of science fiction--we should really be there!

And so it is that I and my always supportive hubby Kevin will be in attendance at WisCon 36, running May 25-28 at the Concourse Hotel. Whoot and Hooray!

We'll be in the dealers' room Friday-Sunday, ready to meet and greet all who refuse to accept the one-dimensional female character status quo and wish to build a science and speculative fiction literary legacy that offers more discussion of pressing real-life issues and less fake boobery!

If you haven't yet gotten your copy of Artifacts, go to artifactsnovel.com where you can read the first three chapters for FREE as a dowloadable PDF and then purchase the paperback, PDF or EPUB.

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Artifacts Goes EPUB

It's true, lit lovers, my novel Artifacts is now available as an EPUB exclusively at artifactsnovel.com. Whoot and Hooray! And just barely in time for our modest appearance at FOGcon—Phew!

Now, as most of the super hip kids know, EPUB is the common standard file format for reading on mobile devices, laptops and desktop computers with e-book reader software and apps. Of course, in the world of techy-tech there are always a few device and app makers that, for reasons completely and ridiculously uncool, don't support the thing that everyone else has decided is totally frickin' awesome. So, as a public reader service, we have created a page on the website suggesting a couple o' neat sites that can convert the EPUB to other e-book formats absolutely free.

With that being said, ready, set, go get your Artifacts EPUB, PDF or paperback now!

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It's Official: FOGcon Here We Come!

It's Official: FOGcon Here We Come!

Con-goers, a.k.a convention-goers. We all make fun of 'em—sometimes 'cause they deserve it but most times 'cause we don't always understand 'em. Who are these nutty yet dedicated folks that fly across the country, even the world, to spend three/four/five days hanging out with other nutty yet dedicated folks of the same ilk? And why, oh why do some wear fancy, often homemade costumes in order to pay homage to their favorite fictional heros and anti-heros? It is truly a puzzle to many who never dare to slip their dainty toes into the con-goers shoes.

But The Con—as it's known in the collective—is the modern, if sometimes wacky expression of our ancient proclivity to socialize. We are the most emotionally needy of beings, and the opportunity to fraternize, hobnob, mingle, etc. with others who share our interests is just too much of a temptation to resist, even to those who claim complete reclusive status. Also, con-goers on average are some of the smartest, friendliest, not-too-cool-to-hoot-n-holler peeps around.

And so it is with great pride that we—"we" being myself and my equal half Kevin—announce our appearance at the 2nd Annual FOGcon, March 30-April 1, to promote my novel Artifacts. Whoot!

For those asking, "What in holy con-bleep is FOGcon?" let me explain. FOGcon is a San Francisco SF/F—that's literature, baby!—convention organized by Friends of Genre and the Speculative Literature Foundation. Operating under the theme of The Body, this year's con promises to be a fascinating trip into the actual, metaphorical, corporeal and metaphysical avenues to be found therein. Since Artifacts heavily incorporates all of these aspects through the body of the female protagonist Al, how could we not go, huh?

Okay, so to anyone who happens to be attending this year's FOGcon, stop on by our Artifacts booth for an amiable chat in the dealer's room. To anyone not attending this awesome con—whether you pine for the chance or not—you would do us great honor by wishing us fair travel.

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The New School Of Old School Printing

In our ultramodern, digitize-everything-in-sight age, it's tough for the modest ink-stained page to get much attention. And for those who labor at the craft, well, let's just say the days have become longer and the pickings slimmer over the last decade, with printing companies of all sizes shuttering their doors and leaving the hulking mechanical beasts of creation mute.

And though this tale of a once giant medium humbled is not new by any means—and I swear this isn't yet another whiny lament for the old-timey days—there does exist a new generation of brave souls ready and able to take on the art of the printed word, and pictures, and all kinds of other stuff, too. See, this is a hap-hap-happy post!

Gretchen Kletzien, owner of Milwaukee Printing Press, is just one of these new gutsy go-getters, and today we're gonna talk about how and why-oh-why she decided to take a life-altering, fairly scary swim in the blackest of black ink.

So, as with most this-could-be-nuts-but-I-just-gotta-try stories, this yarn begins with art. Gretchen earned her BA at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in—wait for it—Fine Arts! Oh, and also got herself a Minor in Art History. And what do you do with that combo? Why prepress, of course!

As she tells it:

"I got interested in design in college and Prepress seemed like the logical direction to go in to get use out of my degree. Before starting my business, I worked in Prepress and Design for about 5 years until that printing business closed and I decided I would have a go at opening my own business."

Did ya catch that? That little "have a go" buried in the last sentence? Such nonchalance makes my heart ache with pride. Indeed, why don't more of us "have a go" at something we wanna do, eh? Beautiful.

And so she went, opening Milwaukee Printing Press in February of 2009 in downtown Miltown at the corner of Broadway and Michigan. Today she does 90% of the work in-house—farming out only when the jobs are comin' in fast and furious—including the usual suspects—ya know, business cards, invitations, brochures, etc.—but also design and layout, typesetting and bindery work. Twas that last one that led me to contact her for a quote to print and bind my novel Artifacts, and the results are quite simply stunning.

But owning your own business ain't no joy ride, and much kudos and gratitude must be given to those who help you along:

"Even though I am a sole owner, I could not have opened by own business without the support of my family: Husband, Parents, & Siblings. They support me immensely in my life and business! Starting a business in not easy on any level, as you know. It takes it's toll on your stress level and relationships. It is a major commitment that, looking back at who I was before, I am glad I didn't know how hard it would be and how much work and sweat it would take to succeed. If I had known, I may not have chosen to proceed, and that would have been a mistake because I now that I am into it am so very happy I did. There is a certain pride unlike any other that comes with the success of something huge that you work so hard at."

And work hard she does, folks, so let's hear it for having a go, go and go! You may also show your support and enthusiasm by flowing some jobs Milwaukee Printing Press' way 'cause keeping good people who do good work in business is what good towns do.

Link (Thanks, Gretchen!)

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