If you have been reading this blog for awhile then you might recall a post we did where we mentioned an event called, “LIVE from the NYPL: Building Stories Together” that featured the Authors Chris Ware and Zadie Smith. This public speaking event happened back in December of 2012 and was a CLOSING EVENT for the famous New York City Public Library. Both Authors talked about the art of writing and it was both informative & very entertaining. In fact, the post we did here revolved around a link to the PODCAST that was later posted of the event & if you didn’t get to go to it, then you could listen to it online.

Anyways, this post is about a review of that event. Paulina Reso, a Contributing Editor over at the WILD RIVER REVIEW website, just published a very excellent in-depth story about the event. She gives us an excellent idea on what it was like to be there and also what issues both Authors brought up that were pretty interesting. Her article is very informative. She also includes a bunch of excellent visuals to go along with her writing that are fun to see. ( Thanks Paulina! )

So, please be sure to check it out by clicking right HERE!

Over at THE CASUAL OPTIMIST Website they recently put-up a blog posting of a wonderful Podcast Interview with Cartoonist Charles Burns as he discusses his new Graphic Novel Book, THE HIVE (Pantheon), with Michael Silverblatt of KCRW’s THE BOOKWORM. We have provided a link, right HERE, that you can click on to go give it a listen. Hey! It’s almost 30 minutes of total craziness as Charles Burns talks about his art & story process.

Here’s a LINK to the INKSTUDS Blog where Chip Kidd was recently interviewed by Robin McConnell. Their discussion is all about Chip Kidd’s new Book titled, “SHAZAM! The Golden Age of The Earth’s Mightiest Mortal” (Published by Abrams ComicArts, 2010 ).

This HUGE over-sized book features a ton of cool vintage toys, figurines, clothing, secret decoders, temporary tattoos, and other rare collectibles featuring Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel.

It’s a short interview but very well done ( Thanks Robin! ). You can hear it, for free, by just clicking right HERE!

You can also order the book at 20% off the regular retail price, by clicking HERE!

Hey Everybody! For your listening enjoyment we have embedded this excellent recording of Book Authors Chris Ware and Zadie Smith as they recently appeared at the New York Public Library for an event known as “Live From The NYPL”. Following the release of Chris Ware's new Graphic Novel, BUILDING STORIES (Pantheon Books), and Zadie Smith's newest novel, NW (an exploration of a set of characters in a London neighborhood) the two come together on stage to discuss the role of space and place in their own works. The event went really well & it’s quite interesting to hear from these 2 Artists. Also, this thing lasts for almost 2 hours! So, please give it a listen.

I don’t know why, but somehow this older Podcast Interview with Designer Chip Kidd popped-up on a recent Google search. Like, I thought it was brand-new, but later I found out it was recorded back in 2008. That’s so weird. Yes, this is from five years ago! But hang-on a second, it’s still great to listen to and fun to revisit. This was posted on a website called 36POINT where they cover many different aspects of Graphic Design. There, they have a Podcast called “The Reflex Blue Show” and Chip was interviewed by Nate Voss and Donovan Beery. The questions they pose are pretty interesting and, overall, the discussion is most excellent! They also talk about some book projects that Kidd had going on at that time like Batman’s Bat-Manga, Watching The Watchmen, and his own two novels, Cheese Monkeys and The Learners.

Hey, Go give it a listen! CLICK HERE

On October 23rd, Chip Kidd had the honor of appearing at the 2012 WAMFEST ( Words and Art Music Festival ) at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack, New Jersey. His lecture was videotaped by them, edited, and then posted on YouTube. So, here it is and it’s really well done. Thank You Wamfest!! If you would like more information on this wonderful cultural event then please CLICK HERE!

On March 24, 2012, the University of Southern California had an event where they had Gary Panter and Chip Kidd as Lecture Guests. Here’s a nice sample of video showing the proceedings:

USC Roski School of Fine Arts and Visions and Voices present “Shelf Life 2: A Big Day for Small Press”, a unique one-day event that gathers a diverse group of independent publishers, writers, artists, and designers whose voices and images have questioned and pushed the boundaries of popular culture. In addition to speaker presentations moderated by writer Byron Coley and featuring artist Gary Panter and Graphic Designer Chip Kidd, there will also be a series of hands-on workshops in zine publishing, e-publications, and blogging as well as a Bazaar with one-of-a-kind goods from a variety of vendors. Organized by Ewa Wojciak and Haven Lin-Kirk (USC Roski School of Fine Arts).

The first video is the main introduction and then Gary Panter’s lecture, the second features Chip Kidd, and then the last one is a discussion with both. Here they are down below, enjoy & share.

Please be sure to click the LINK button here or down below to enjoy the latest KCRW “Bookworm” Podcast where Reporter Michael Silverblatt interviews Graphic Novelist Chris Ware about his latest publication, BUILDING STORIES (Pantheon). Of course this Graphic Novel is way more than a book, it’s a very large box that houses an eclectic gathering of colorful pamphlets, tabloid comics, and a fold-out game board, and more! BUILDING STORIES intimately details the people and happenings of a fictional building somewhere on the north shore of Chicago.

To hear this amazing interview please CLICK HERE and then when you get there just click on the dark-blue “Listen” button.

CULT #MTL ( Montreal, Canada ) just posted an extremely intense interview with the Comic book Artist and Graphic Novelist, Charles Burns. Of course everything Mr. Burns does is intense, but this dialogue between him, and the Reporter Emily Raine, really gets into the nuts and bolts of creating comic books. They discuss Art Styles, Plot Points, the History of Comics and the inspiration/influence of Herge’s Tintin Books on this trilogy. Yes, it’s cool!

Please CLICK HERE to check out this awesome Interview with Charles Burns ( Thanks Emily! )

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES recently posted a very interesting interview with Chris Ware. The topic? Ware’s latest Graphic Novel known as BUILDING STORIES. Published by Pantheon Books, this “book” has been touted as more of a “Book in a Box” by the New York Times. Most of the reason for that is because this product is made-up of many different components: Books, Booklets, Pamphlets, Posters, Maps, etc… all stored inside a “box”.

CBR Staff Writer, Alex Dueben, does an excellent job at asking the tough questions. Then Chris Ware, as always, answers in a most thought provoking way. It’s a great interview. Please go see for yourself, just CLICK HERE! ( Thanks Alex! ) Also, We wanna ask all the readers of this site to please share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere!