INTRODUCING!
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Welcome to the World
Milo Cannonball Meloy!
BIG EXCITEMENT
I designed a mural celebrating St. Johns, my beloved de facto Portland neighborhood!
click to enlarge
It’s being installed on the side of the Grocery Outlet on Lombard and will be unveiled at the St. Johns Parade in May. This mural is one of a handful of public art projects I’m involved in on that block. The neighborhood association is raising funds and seeking volunteers to help with the others so stay tuned for more info if you’d like to take part. Or, if you’re antsy to give/help now, email Jennifer Levy. She’d love to hear from you.
A million thanks to St. Johns citizen and public art enthusiast Robert Petty, who did so much work to make this happen. He roped me into it out of the blue and I’m so glad he did. And thanks to Whit Anderson, who came up from California to paint this on panels in the empty space next to the St. Johns Ace Hardware. He’ll be slaving away on it until Tuesday so peek in and give him a thumbs up if you’re in the neighborhood.
Also, thanks RACC, Jennifer Levy and the St. Johns Neighborhood Association, ZGF Architects who gave Robert the week off to work on this, Ace Hardware, & the Grocery Outlet!
Eidolon by poet Ken
Eidolon is a debut poetry collection from my old, brilliant college friend, Ken White, and it’s lovely. Look for it from Peel Press in Missoula, our old stomping grounds, sometime this year. They plan to print both a big edition and a small, letterpressed one. I’ll try to get my hands on some copies, hopefully of the latter, to sell in my shop. Stay tuned!
Happy New Year, Friends!
Wishing you lots of luck and happiness in 2013.
A Plea
Perhaps you heard that Adam Lanza may have been autistic or you read the piece making the rounds by the mother of a violent, speculatively autistic, mentally ill son and your brain is beginning to connect autism with lack of empathy and violence. If so, I would beg you to read this short, insightful, piece by Emily Willingham. There is no tendency towards violent crime in autistic people. Sadly, they are more likely to be the victims of violent crimes. But not to commit them. The question of empathy as it relates to autism is a complicated one that I’m bad at explaining (and bad at understanding). Emily can explain it to you better than I, but the important thing to know is that it does not mean that people on the spectrum don’t empathize with others. Autistic people aren’t any more prone to violence than the rest of us, though they may be more prone to unhappiness because their world is full of extra challenges. It breaks my heart to think that this community that I love, which has been working so hard to be less misunderstood, might be seen in an ugly light because of one person’s heinous actions and the irresponsible media soundbites that wormed their way into our heads in the aftermath. As the mom of an autistic kid, I take this really seriously. So please read up and if you want to read more or have unanswered questions, I recommend consulting the folks of A Thinking Person’s Guide To Autism. TPGA is a community of advocates, writer and scientists, both autistic and neurotypical, who can help steer you in the right direction.
Mush, Mush, The Sloping Midnight Line
I’m very happy to say that I’m currently exhibiting new paintings at Nationale in Portland. I’m also happy to say that I’m sharing the space with Midori Hirose, whose work I love. The name of our show is Mush, Mush, The Sloping Midnight Line. “What in the hell,” you ask, “does that mean? What is this all about?” I’m not sure but it has something to do with the way that Kristin Lavransdatter (an epic novel set in medieval Norway that I was reading for like a year), being pregnant and the inevitable introspection that goes along with that (I’m pregnant by the way), and being a night owl combined in my insomnia-addled brain.
If you’d like to read a more eloquent description written by someone else and find out pertinent info about the show, you can do so here. We’re having an opening tomorrow from 6:00 – 8:00 and would love to see you if you’re in the neighborhood (811 E Burnside). If you’re not, but you’d like to see the show online, you can email May at Nationale for a preview or look at it here on The Morning News. Thanks!
Hey Booksellers!
Under Wildwood comes out on September 25th! In celebration, we’re pleased to announce another Wildwood-themed contest. This one is a decorating contest, for bookstores only. The skinny, from Colin:
We’re challenging booksellers of all stripe to engage their creative faculties and decorate their bookstores in a decidedly WILDWOOD way. The best and most imaginative redesign, judged by myself and Ms. Ellis, will be awarded an ORIGINAL PIECE OF ART drawn by the illustratrix, Carson Ellis, that will incorporate the name of your bookstore in a pretty banner. But that’s not all: runners up will receive nifty exclusive stuff, which is awfully cool.
Okay? You can find out more about the contest here, on the Wildwood Blog. May the best decorating fool/bookseller win!
Sincerely,
the illustratrix, Carson Ellis