a few perfect hours

Barnes and Noble “Slideshow”

Publicity, Work

Just wanted to remind you about this Wednesday’s Barnes & Noble event:

Wednesday, March 16, 7:30-8:30 pm — Billed as a “slideshow/illustration demo,” stories from A Few Perfect Hours will be projected on a screen while co-star Sari Wilson and I read the stories aloud. Similar in method to the critically acclaimed Comix Decode and Carousel comics slideshow series, it promises to be an entertaining and unique way of experiencing the comics medium for fans and new readers alike. If you have yet to see the book, this is your chance to preview some of the stories. And afterwards, I’ll sign and do sketches.

Barnes and Noble Park Slope, 267 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215, (718) 832-9066.

I hope to see you there!

A New Interview and an Upcoming Event

Publicity

Couple of things: an interview with me and Sari and an upcoming bookstore appearance.

  • The grrrl-power comics webzine SequentialTart interviewed me and Sari about A Few Perfect Hours. The interview is called “Poisonous Bugs, Crazy Farmers and the True Meaning of Enlightenment“. Hey, that title’s almost as long as my book’s!
  • On Wednesday, March 16, Sari & I will be doing a presentation/reading at the Park Slope (Brooklyn) Barnes & Noble’s. We’ll project pages from one of my travel stories onto a screen and read along. We’ll also do a Q&A and of course sign books for those who don’t have it yet. And I’ll sign copies of the TWO new Harvey Pekar/American Splendor anthologies, both of which feature work of mine. I’ll pass along more information as the event gets closer.

Signing, Splendor, and Write-Ups

Publicity

Happy New Year! I’m starting things off with a signing at Jim Hanley’s Universe today, from 5–7 pm. Come on by and pick up a signed copy of A Few Perfect Hours. (Jim Hanley’s Universe, 4 West 33rd Street, NYC, 212.268.7088) There you can also purchase the brand-new Harvey Pekar anthology, American Splendor: Our Movie Year, which features a couple of stories drawn by yours truly. Finally, the Hours reviews keep piling up. New ones include Comicon.com, Comic Book Galaxy, The Orlando City Beat, and The Austin Chronicle.

Many Goings-On

Travel, Work

The book release party was a rousing success, as all sorts of family, friends, and other guests descended on Jigsaw for drinks, conversation — oh, and A Few Perfect Hours! Here’s a really nice gallery of photos from the event, courtesy of Jigsaw’s inestimable proprietor, BenJones.

If you missed the fun, don’t despair because I’ll be offically debuting the book this weekend at SPX! Pick up your copy from Friday, Oct. 1 – Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland, just one mile outside the nation’s capital, Washington DC. In its tenth year, SPX now serves as the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent. I’ll be sharing space at SPX with Rob “Chappy” Ullman, so visit us at table V-8 (in the Versailles Ballroom, natch).

Finally, for all you literary types, there’s the Fall 2004 issue of The Common Review, the magazine of The Great Books Foundation. Poet & memoirist Nick Flynn and I reunite for another “graphic poem.” It’s another two-page spread and it’s called “Father Outside.” Look for it.

You’re Invited!

Publicity, Work
A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories from Southeast Asia and Central Europe)
A Few Perfect Hours

WHAT: A Few Perfect Hours book release party

Come by after work … and stay to celebrate the debut of my 128-page graphic travelogue, A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories From Southeast Asia & Central Europe). It’s all set to happen at Jigsaw, the new coolio venue for independent/small press comics, handmade art, and shoestring media. Established this summer by dapper host BenJones, Jigsaw is located in New York’s East Village.

So swing on by to say hi, pick up copies of the book, view a small exhibit of my original art, and belly up to the open bar. And bring your friends!

WHEN: Thursday, September 23rd, 2004
6 pm ’til midnight

WHERE: Jigsaw, 526 East 11th Street (between Aves. A & B)
New York City, 212.777.7845

WHY: In A Few Perfect Hours, we accompany main characters Josh and Sari on such offbeat adventures as a cave expedition in Thailand, a train-ride through war-torn Serbia, and a stint as extras in a Singaporean soap opera. Eddie Campbell (Alec, From Hell) calls A Few Perfect Hours “A worthy addition to the growing list of serious comic books that have made the form a significant cultural event of our times.” Harvey Pekar (American Splendor) finds it “… emotionally gripping. I really dig A Few Perfect Hours.” And Jeff Smith (Bone) calls the book “a wonderful and realistic journal of adventure travel by a talented and observant cartoonist.”

I hope to see you there!

I Won the Xeric!

Publicity, Work

Last week I got a letter I was really hoping to receive, notifying me that the Xeric Foundation Distribution Committee had awarded me a grant to publish my upcoming collection, A Few Perfect Hours (and Other Stories From Southeast Asia and Central Europe). I’m incredibly gratified that the Xeric Foundation believes in me and my project enough to give me this generous award. I’m excited to have this opportunity to share my work with a wider audience and I look forward to the process of self-publishing and giving my book the best possible presentation. Let’s hear it for Peter Laird!

“Monsoon Season” Added to Modern Tales: Longplay

Travel, Work

Two of my travel stories — “A Few Perfect Hours” and “The Cave of Fear” — are being featured this month on the groundbreaking online comics provider, Modern Tales: Longplay. You can read both stories — as well as all other other Modern Tales web-comics for the measly sum of $2.95 per month. Less than the price of a single comic. Check it out.