Plus: CAKE Comics And Book Worms
1. Make CAKE.
“The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE), a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, returns to Chicago Saturday, June 15 through Sunday, June 16, 2013 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. with over 200 local, national and international exhibitors at Center on Halsted (3656 N. Halsted).
“Free and open to the public, the CAKE Expo will feature original artwork for purchase, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and special guests.
“Organizers Neil Brideau, Edie Fake, Max Morris, Grace Tran and Jeff Zwirek created CAKE to celebrate the diverse community of underground and alternative comics. The expo debuted last year as the first alternative comics expo in Chicago in 16 years. This year, over 20% of the exhibitors are local Chicagoland-area artists.
“Special guests include Chris Ware (Chicago), Deb Sokolow (Chicago), Kim Deitch (New York), Phoebe Gloeckner (Ann Arbor), Oily Comics (Hancock, MA), Jason Shiga (Oakland), Michael Deforge (Toronto), and Collective Stench (NY-area).
“Comics, prints and artwork will be available for purchase, including debut works from 200+ local, national and international cartoonists as well as independent publishers such as Alternative Comics, Drawn & Quarterly (Quebec), Fantagraphics Books (Seattle), Hic & Hoc Publications (New Jersey), Koyama Press (Toronto), Northwest Press (Seattle), Picturebox (Brooklyn), Secret Acres (Brooklyn), Sparkplug Comic Books (Portland), Uncivilized Books (Minneapolis), and Chicago-based Yeti Press.
“CAKE is an independent, not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization and would not be possible without the help of generous donations from supporters and sponsors including Brain Frame, Busy Beaver Button Company, Center on Halsted, Propeller Fund, Quimby’s Bookstore, Spundik Press Cooperative and Wormhole Coffee.”
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2. Jim DeRogatis On The New Kraftwerk Book.
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3. Son Of A Chicago Bookie.
Former Nevada Governor Bob Miller will be in Chicago on June 5 & 6 to talk about growing up the son of a Chicago bookmaker.
“In the quarter century that Bill Clinton has known former Nevada Governor Bob Miller, the former president has watched Miller earn the respect of his constituents while also having a front row seat to the remarkable changes that have transformed Las Vegas and the gambling industry in recent years,” Newman PR says.
“But while Bob has no shortage of stories about that rough-and-tumble era of casinos,” says Clinton, “he chose a career in law enforcement, which ultimately led into politics.”
“Son of a Gambling Man: My Journey from a Casino Family to the Governor’s Mansion (St. Martin’s Press; 2013) is Miller’s account of growing up with a father involved in illegal bookmaking and the strained relationship the two often had. It is also the story of one man’s personal involvement in the turnaround of an industry and the politics that come with it.
“Steve Forbes calls Son of a Gambling Man a ‘fascinating, larger-than-life story populated with eye-opening, colorful characters.’
“Bob Miller is Nevada’s longest serving governor, holding office from 1989 to 1999. His son, Ross, who is named after his grandfather, is presently in his second term as Nevada’s secretary of state.”
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4. Book Worm.
“To the delight of the students at a Woodridge elementary school, their principal ate a worm today to fulfill a promise,” CBS2 Chicago reports.
“The promise was this: If students at Goodrich School read a certain number of books, the principal would eat a worm.”
Just one? Boy, standards really have fallen.
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5. Worm Board.
“Last month, the parents of an eighth-grader at Hadley Junior High School in Glen Ellyn School District 41 complained about the content in Perks of Being a Wallflower,” CBS2 reports. “The book includes topics such as sexuality, drugs and suicide.
“The school board voted 4-2 in favor of removing the book from the school but an online petition has received more than 600 votes asking the board to reconsider the ban.
“Superintendent Ann Riebock says the board decided to give the book another look.
“The board wanted to talk about this further. One of the recommendations is aimed at independent reading selections.”
“The revised plan also focuses on getting parents involved in what their child is reading.”
Whatever.
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How ironic that school boards never learn their lesson. I bet that book is now the most popular in the district.
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6. Don Share Named Editor of Poetry Magazine.
“The Poetry Foundation is pleased to announce Don Share as the next editor of Poetry magazine. Share will begin his tenure July 1, 2013, as the magazine’s 12th editor in its 101-year history, following the departure of his longtime colleague, outgoing editor Christian Wiman.
“Currently senior editor of the magazine, Share, 56, brings 25 years of experience in poetry and publishing, including editorial posts at the Partisan Review, Harvard Review, and Literary Imagination: The Review of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics. He served as the curator of poetry at Harvard University for seven years until 2007, when he joined Poetry magazine. During Share’s six-year tenure at Poetry working with Wiman, both the magazine and the magazine’s podcast have received National Magazine Awards.
“Share plans to continue the illustrious heritage of Poetry while bringing new energy and initiatives to the magazine, including reaching more young readers and strengthening the conversation between the magazine and its audience, specifically through enhanced digital channels.”
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Comments welcome.
Posted on May 31, 2013