Plethora of Poets at Annie's Book Stop of Worcester

Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester is holding a reading and signing for six different, local poets from 7 pm to 9 pm on Friday, July 27th. The poets that will be there include Lori Desrosiers, Eve Rifkah, Joshua Michael Stewart, Susurrus Din, Dan Lewis, and Paul Richmond. All... poets will be reading from their own works, and signing books.


Lori Desrosier’s first full-length book of poems, The Philosopher’s Daughter, is forthcoming from Salmon Poetry in 2013. She has a chapbook, Three Vanities (2009). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies.


Eve Rifkah is author of Dear Suzanne (WordTech Communications, 2010, and Outcasts (Little Pear Press, 2010). She was founding editor of the literary journal Diner, and co-founder of Poetry Oasis, Inc., a non-profit poetry association for local poets. For more on Eve Rifkah, check out: http://www.everifkahwriter.com/


Joshua Michael Stewart has had poems published in multiple journals. He currently has two chapbooks out, Vintage Gray (2007) and Sink Your Teeth into the Light (2012). Visit him at http://www.joshuamichaelstewart.yolasite.com/



Susurrus Din owes much to the Masters of the Macabre, Gothis Horror, and World Myth/Folklore. A tome of his photography and poetry, Mendicant the Hidden, Votary of the Sepulcher, has been recently unleashed.


Dan Lewis lives on the edge of the Patch Reservoir in Worcester, MA. He is the author of the chapbook, Tickets for the Broken Year, and a full-length poetry collection, This Garden. His work has been published in many journals.


Paul Richmond started writing 37 years ago by keeping a journal. Many of his works have been collected to create "No Guarantees – Adjust and Continue" and "Ready or Not – Living in the Break Down Lane" with a third book due out in June 2012. He runs Human Error Publishing. Visit him at: http://www.humanerrorpublishing.com/

For more information on the event, please contact Annie's at (508)-796-5613 or check out their website at

http://www.anniesbookstopworcester.com/

Reference Material and book recommendations

While chatting with local artist Joanna Matuck last night at my show she asked me where I get a lot of my reference material for clothing of the late 19th and 20th Century.

Well, I have three really great books I go to. One of which is Costume 1066-1990s by John Peacock. It probably THE best book I got while I was at college. I had originally gotten it because I was doing a Doctor Who related story for my senior project. The story featured the Third Doctor as portrayed by Jon Pertwee and I needed to find as many pictures of frilly shirts and Inverness Capes as I could.

I was still fairly green when it came to the internet and finding reference material on that so I happened upon this book when I was visiting one of the small local bookstores around the college.

Little did I know at the time how much this book would be a huge influence on my artwork. It was probably THE BEST book I got while I was in college. Mind you, I also got the books Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud as well as both Graphic Storytelling and Comics & Sequential Art by Will Eisner during that time period.

But this book is STILL the best book I got in college.

Two other books I got much later were MEN A Pictorial Archive From Nineteenth-Century Sources 412 Copyright-free Illustrations for Artists and Designers and WOMEN A Pictorial Archive From Nineteenth-Century Sources 488 Copyright-free Illustrations for Artists and Designers. Both books by Jim Harter.

Both books are not only great resources for drawing fashion from that time period but also for the line work. It's great for artists who work in crosshatch or wish to learn the technique.

I recommend you search Amazon.com for them. I'm sure they must have an updated version of John Peacock's book by now that goes past the 1990s. When I got my copy, we were still a year away from entering the new Millennium.

And if you get the opportunity, please check out Joanna Matuck's blog. Her artwork has an amazing Art Nouveau approach to it very similar to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and my personal favorite artist Aubrey Beardsley. Please click on the image below to check out her site:

Happy Holidays one and all

Well, I was up at 4:53am this morning getting all my last minute holiday bits and bobs done. My cold last week kind of knocked the wind out of my sails on getting anything productive done, so here I was at a ghastly hour of the morning where everyone is either still fast asleep or still fast a sleeping it off getting all the stuff I should have done three or four days ago done.

But the point is moot. I had everything pretty much in the can by 7:30am and wrapped by 8:30am. Or theresabouts.

Now it's about nearly 10am and I'm probably going to need one more small cup of coffee to keep me reasonably sane throughout the day. My usual supersized Nightmare Before Christmas mug of coffee really isn't cutting the mustard this morning. So, I think I'm going to have to have a seven-per-cent solution of caffeine just for good measures.

I hope all my family and friends have a very Happy Holidays this year. And if you happen to be in the area of the Shrewsbury Borders on Friday, stop on by and say hello between the hours of 1pm and 5pm!! I will be taking part in a Decembers Authors Showcase. The Borders in Shrewsbury started to put this event on in the Summer and it's become a real hit. Both with the writers and the people that show up.

I will be signing copies of both my books in print at the moment and promting both The Spaghetti Strand Murder and Polly and Handgraves. Both of which come out next year.

Borders Books and Music is located on 476 Boston Tpke. in Shrewsbury, MA!! So come on out and spend a few hours with some really talented writers from the Worcester County area!!

December Author Showcase

Nothing to do day after Christmas? Well, come on out to DECEMBER AUTHOR SHOWCASE taking place at Borders Books and Music located on 476 Boston Tpke in Shrewsbury MA.

I will be signing copies of Diary of the Black Widow and Confessions of a Peculiar Boy... And Other Stories as well as promoting two of my books coming out early next year.

The show will be taking place Friday December 26th 2008 from 1pm till 5pm. So, come on out and see me as well as some really talented authors from the Worcester area.

Thank you for coming out yesterday!!

For everyone who happened to stop by the November Authors Showcase, thank you kindly for coming out to see and chat with myself and other extremely talented artists from the Worcester County area.

They're planning on another show December 26th, so I hope to see all y'all there!!

November Authors Showcase

If you happen to be in close proximity of Shrewsbury Street and Boston Turnpike Road, why stop on by and check myself and other local authors out at Borders Books and Music this afternoon at November Authors Showcase!!

Hosted By: Borders Books and Music
When: Friday Nov 28, 2008
at 1:00 PM
Where: Borders Books and Music
476 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 01545

I will be onhand to sign copies of Diary of the Black Widow and Confessions of a Peculiar Boy... And Other Stories.