Mark Mattson Q&A

What is your background? How did you get involved with art?

Well, first and foremost, I'd have to say it started with my parents. I'd spend countless hours in any museum possible with my parents; art's never not been around in my life, I suppose. My mom is an artist, among other things, and my dad really is, too, though he practiced architecture, and it's something I always took for granted, that art is everywhere, or at least was around us. I'd draw naked portraits of people in kindergarten, because of all those naked baby angel portraits floating around the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth, and of all the nude portraits in books that I'd see. I didn't get into painting until high school, where, thankfully I had some fantastic teachers, worked on film, video, animation, illustration, design and painting in college, and have generally been making work steadily the whole darn time, really. I'd also probably still like to be a Berke Breathed/Bill Watterson/Charles Schulz hybrid-beast, who also paints.

Some professional gigs I've had, and still do, include kids' book art director, advertising art director, product designer, video game designer, illustrator, muralist, and interactive designer. I've made many products containing Elmo and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and many products containing licensed characters of whom I will not mention. I would love to be that guy who gets to put his signature on every product in the universe that contains his own licensed character, no matter what product it is, but this has not happened yet. I am super-contact-able, however.

How would you describe your work?

I tend to boil down what I do lately as "things that should not have faces, but with faces."

Like, anthropomorphic versions of pretty much anything that speaks to me in its special humanized, anthropomorphic way. I think mostly I deal with relationships, and nuance, and miscommunication, and things not said, between people, or ketchup bottles, or whatever, and with subtly-expressed desire. Sometimes I'll say "Pop Surrealism", just for fun. Robert Williams said of that "cartoon-tainted abstract surrealism", which I like. He didn't say that of me, he's never heard of me, but he said that of the movement. Subtle heartbreak and terrific whimsy. But fun. How about that?

Have you studied art in school? What did you like best about the school you attended? What advice would you give to anyone considering going to school vs. doing it on their own?

I graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design, where I studied illustration, painting, and design. I also went to arts-centered junior highs and high schools, Stivers and Colonel White, in Ohio; and I went for a time to NYU for animation. I attend lots of kids' book conferences, and video game conferences, too, where I take a lot of classes, still. Classes are fun!

The best thing about CCAD was to be able to focus, all the time, on art, and not be so stuck in my own brain all the time about it, which is a serious danger to anyone making anything. Everybody, or at least most everybody "gets it", that act of art-making, and it's not an anomaly that you seriously want to study something that the rest of the country probably thinks is bizarre and/or essentially unnecessary to everyday life. Dang, did I just say that for most of America? Edit that in post. I had some fantastic teachers in college as well; especially the ones that most students probably thought were bonkers.

Well, it's not like you "need" an art degree to do art, but, for me, college was like a 24-hour master class of art and art history, with like-minded people, giving me perspectives and ideas that wouldn't have come from staring at myself in the mirror 24/7. I do plenty of that now, and it's really no good for anybody. No, but, being anything creative can be incredibly isolating, and getting a network of folks from school is an awesome first step to not going crazy. No guarantee, but still.

How have you been influenced by the art community? Who/ what inspires you?

As far as inspiration: children's television and literature, pop and contemporary art, video games, mass-market mail order catalogs, pictures of food, french comics, all-ages comics, educational filmstrips, New Yorker cartoonists, the Nintendo universe, humor writing, music. I get a lot from studying every parking lot in every strip mall in America, and highways, too. Night-time artificial lighting is intoxicating.

Going to galleries and museums really helps, because I'm in the same space as the work, which is hugely important to understanding my own relationship to it. And talking to people in the art community is hugely important, again, just to get out of my own stupid brain for a while, you know? No creative vacuums, fer cryin' out loud, which is something I always have to remind myself.

Do you have a career/ job (other than the art you create independently)?

I'm also an illustrator, game artist-designer, and full-time-dad to an amazingly amazing five-year-old.

Have you had any careers not related to art?

Not really, I guess; for a few years during and after college, I worked in a library, when I was avoiding the real world for as long as I could, but I was still making stuff on my own.


How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

This is one of the hardest parts, right? How in the heck does one handle that kind of thing? I, as many folks might tell you, am almost entirely right-brained, so that stuff came the slowest to me, as I'm sure it does to a lot of creative folk. I've always hated selling things, even when I was kid, it's all like door-to-door fund-raising to me. I should probably get an agent. Again, I am super-contact-able, all you art super-agents out there.

That said, I have as much online presence as possible; I maintain a blog (mattsonStudio.blogspot.com), a more illustration-based website (www.roxmedia.com/mattson), an Etsy Shop (mattson.etsy.com), a t-shirt and merchandise shop (zazzle.com/mattsonstudio), and I'm on Twitter and Facebook, and Digg, and Technorati, and all of that stuff, just to make sure I pop up in as many searches as possible, and to try and reach folks, you know? It's been so awesome to get to know people all around the world via internet means, through forums, and social media, and all of that; it's really gratifying, and it's really opened up a great way to reach people not in my zip code. But I love my zip code, too, no, really, 19119, I truly do.

It's also really helped getting involved with local creative groups as well: The Handmade Philly Team is amazing, and fun, and talented, and inspirational. It takes an art village, you know?

I hand out a lot of business cards, and flyers, and try to go to a lot of conferences, which I usually find completely worth it, for a lot of reasons, too. I'm aspiring to be a lot more awesome with my guerrilla marketing methods, as well, and, yes, I'm officially registered as a business now, with paperwork proof, and everything; thanks a lot, Philadelphia city business tax, you're awesome, no really.


What are your goals? What are your plans for the future?

I only want to work on terrific projects, no matter what they are, and I want to be able to do that: I want not to be bitter at the end of my life.

Do you have side projects you work on? Have you collaborated w/ other artists in the past?

I always pretend that I am an electronic music composer, but that's probably another story. I always write, which I also love. I've done a fair amount of collaboration; I find it really rewarding, in general. Filmmaking is a totally collaborative process, as is game-making, and book-making. I'm always trying to collaborate on comedy projects, with varying degrees of completion, i.e., none.

I co-made a wacky art publication in college, called "Stir", which I loved doing, thanks, CCAD, for the opportunity, and I've embarrassed myself numerous times with my songwriting collaborations. Again, another story. I'm game for anything cool, though.


What was one of the most memorable projects you've worked on?

Wow, I've gotten to work on some incredible projects, and I hope the best is still in my future, not in my "Diff'rent Strokes" past, sorry child cast of "Diff'rent Strokes", I mean no disrespect. Most infamous, perhaps, draw your own conclusions as to the quality and relative happy memory quantity of said projects, were making illustrated books starring "The Wiggles", and "Jay Jay the Jet Plane." End comment.

What are the biggest changes you've seen in the art world since you got involved? Where do you see the art industry going in 5 years? 10 years?

Um, this always depends; I've worked in different industries, of which some are dying and thriving at different intervals...I have no idea, really; I guess the constant wane of the print industry is always on the table, though. Illustration contracts seem cruddier now, maybe. Art was always hard, and it still is, and where are the answers?! Where!? Wherrrrrrre???!!! I wish I knew, but I think art will always matter.


Favorite painter/ artist:

Wow, this is like the hardest thing anyone can ever ask me; not even artists, just name your favorite anything, and I become a super stupid person; it's just how my mind works, I'm awful at any kind of favorite list-giving, whereas then I just seem completely without opinion, but really, I'm just completely and entirely daft with names, when asked directly. Really sucks at parties, when asked, like, biggest celebrity crushes, or something.

But, OK: I think if Ed Ruscha, James Marshall, Claes Oldenburg, Arnold Lobel, Philip Guston, Tom Wesselman, Louis Trondheim, Anselm Kiefer, Ed Keinholtz, Charles Schulz, Rosemary Wells and Robert Altman were hybridded into a science fiction mega-human, that would be the most amazing person who ever lived, at least creatively. This is where writing interview answers really helps. If I had to pick only one, I guess I'd go with Ruscha.

What are you currently reading?

Right now I'm reading "Broken Angels", a sci-fi/noir follow-up to "Altered Carbon", by Richard K. Morgan. I'm always re-reading "The House with a Clock in its Walls", because I love it, love it, love it. I'm usually reading several books at once, because of my rapidly deteriorating attention span, and I love reading The New York Times and The New Yorker.

I'm also always reading six thousand children's books, both for my daughter's sake, and my own personal obsession. If it weren't for the children's section of The Free Library of Philadelphia, we'd owe millions upon millions of dollars, just to support our kids' book habit in the house.


Is there a book that has strongly influenced you?

"The Runaway Dinner" kills me every time I read it, which is a lot. It's by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman. I think anything I read by James Marshall or Arnold Lobel is a miracle of ink and paper, and I can't believe it, they are so fantastic.


What are you listening to?

Everything, curse you, so appealing "Shuffle Songs" Mode, eating my precious remaining attention span.

I'm currently really, really into M.I.A., Tim Fite, Andrew Bird, Talking Heads (still), and Lupe Fiasco, though.


Websites:
http://www.roxmedia.com/mattson
http://mattson.etsy.com/
http://mattsonstudio.blogspot.com/

http://zazzle.com/mattsonstudio

Angela Davidson Q&A

What is your background? How did you get involved with art?

My mom says I was born with a crayon in my hand. I don't remember not being involved with art.

How would you describe your work?

I do all kinds of things, including painting, but the last couple of years I've been focused on making original crocheted creatures. I would describe them as whimsical, colorful, humorous, and occasionally demented.

Have you studied art in school? What did you like best about the school you attended? What advice would you give to anyone considering going to school vs. doing it on their own?

I went to University of the Arts and majored in painting and drawing for my undergrad. I loved being part of such a diverse artistic community. I would advise someone considering art school that you absolutely must be self motivated and self driven, otherwise you are unlikely to get anything out of art school besides massive debt.

How have you been influenced by the art community? Who/ what inspires you?

There's a big difference between the art community and the crafts community. Both are a source of inspiration, but I have found the crafts community to be much more supportive. I love going to craft shows to see what other people are doing. I am also a little bit obsessed with street art- I love the color and the freedom of it. Most of my favorite art comes from people who haven't been corrupted by art school.

Do you have a career/ job (other than the art you create independently)?

I'm currently in graduate school at UArts, studying art education.

Have you had any careers not related to art?

I waited tables for several years, I worked at Whole Foods for a while, and a few other soul-sucking tedious and torturous jobs…

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

It's always hard to put a price tag on something that you put your heart and soul into. But I am learning as I go.

What are your goals? What are your plans for the future?

I'm not much of a planner. I can hardly see past this afternoon. If you're not stuck to a plan, the possibilities are endless and you'll never be disappointed.

Do you have side projects you work on? Have you collaborated w/ other artists in the past?

Not so much. When I'm really involved with a project, I have tunnel vision until it's completed.

What was one of the most memorable projects you've worked on?

Recently, the crocheted giant squids, especially Big Al.

What are the biggest changes you've seen in the art world since you got involved?

I would have to say technology has had an enormous impact for artists, for both creating and marketing. I see the digital realm taking over more and more and I have to say I'm a little bit scared.

Favorite painter/ artist:

Definitely Frida Kahlo.

Is there a book that has strongly influenced you?

Ummmm… not really. If I had to pick one, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Nothing beats a really great epic novel.

What are you listening to?

I'm obsessed with the John Butler Trio right now. Other than that, I'm pretty much stuck in the 90s. Pearl Jam and Ani DiFranco will always be number one in my heart.

Website: AngDavidson.etsy.com

Allison Ostertag Q&A

Allison Ostertag is a photographer, painter and a non-practicing ceramic sculptor. By day she teaches inner city adolescents how to run fruit stands and about basic nutrition. In her spare time, she's a coordinator for Handmade Philly and has been an Etsy seller since 2007.

I understand you were born in Philadelphia? Yes. I grew up in Overbrook in West Philadelphia and lived here until college, when I moved away to Alfred, NY, a very small college town in rural Western New York that has a fantastic ceramics program and I studied ceramics and photography. I also lived in St. George, Utah and New Orleans, LA and taught adult education and high school art and photography.

What did your parents do for a living? My dad is retired from the recreation department where he ran centers around the city and refereed basketball games, played in volleyball leagues, ran summer camp programs and let me teach art on and off starting when I was 14. Now he volunteers full time for his neighborhood church. My mom is a therapist, but she was a teacher for many years, then got her master's in social work and worked with children with special needs, then started therapy with families of police officers and firemen probably 10 years ago.

What was it like for you growing up? My childhood was crazy and nice. I'm reading Augusten Burroughs' "Running with Scissors" right now, and it reasonates a lot with me. My childhood and adolescence wasn't quite so crazy and berzerker, but it was far from normal. I did get to go to great schools that had programs supporting my art interests, including working with Susan Rodriquez, a renowned teacher and author with a doctorate in art who teaches at the University of the Arts and happened to teach at my elementary school.

Were you involved with the arts as a child? I know I painted in preschool when I was 4 or 5 and I don't think I ever stopped. I wanted to be a famous artist with a studio in New York. We kept sketchbooks for my art classes and painted and drew and we got to take photographs of our school with borrowed plastic cameras. We took trips to the art museum and the fabric workshop. I still have all of my sketchbooks.

How would you describe your photos? Your paintings? My photos are like alien documents to send back to the home planet. I want to see everything. They are a great way to get me outside. They are like an excuse to go exploring in the woods and travel and grow creatively. I'm starting a new series of photographs of tablescapes of food that I cook and eat, kind of combining my day work and art work. My paintings were purely started as therapy to chill out after the daily stress of teaching. I started buying cheesy paint by number kits that I thought would be funny, lighthouses and palm trees with sunsets, then I transitioned to painting on wood I found in the trash; pictures from house and garden type magazines found on recycling day in New Orleans' garden district. I love saturated bright colors and these magazines were filled with them and I painted simple compositions and shapes from the magazines. I enjoy painting.

Tell us about your education…what did you study? I went to Alfred, where they expect all students to learn many disciplines before concentrating on an area of study for their senior thesis, and even then I had a dual show of ceramic sculpture and photography made into sculptures with plexi and wood. They make everyone study what I would call "how to make things well" freshman year, which I wasn't prepared for, so I just struggled until the semester was over. Then they actually started teaching us specific things. That time was beneficial; it prepared me to think in the time between high school and college.

How have you been influenced by the art community? Who/ what inspires you? I love art and many artists and I enjoy seeing museum shows and gallery openings and meeting other artists, but the formal art community is a bit too pompous for me. It's like an insular group that brainwashes its members into following specific rules. The handmade movement, though, is more where I see myself, people who don't look down their noses at your art and know there aren't any rules and there's no reason why we can't be supportive of each other and work collectively. When I first joined the Philly Etsy Team (now Handmade Philly), I was thinking it was like Womanhouse in Fresno in the 70's and we were breaking all the ideas about how artists could work together and help each other meet our artistic and personal goals and those two things could go together, personal didn't have to be set aside for art, they could coexist and intertwine. I love this group and all of the people I've met through it.

If you were going to have a career other than art, what would it be? I'd like to teach science, be an archeologist or a CSI or detective.

Do you consider yourself an artist who works with contemporary social issues? Not at all. I was never good at political art. I've dabbled at sculptures of recycled coffee cups and thoughts of instillations of all my personal trash for a year and personal/emotional self-portraiture, but I don't feel like pushing my point of view on others. I am photographing natural spaces and animals I think need to be appreciated, enjoyed and expanded. If you like a beautiful picture of a landscape, and you then find out it's a public park and go visit and discover the beauty for yourself, that's going to lead you to help preserve that space.

What are you listening to? This American Life on NPR.

Do you have any upcoming shows/ exhibits? I'm showing my photographs and photo collages of Fairmount details and storefronts right now at Rembrandt's Restaurant in the Z Café. The exhibit is on display until May 31, when we are having a closing reception. Check out my blog for details: http://www.phillytravelnaturephoto.blogspot.com/

City Slides Q&A

According to my sources, Drew, you rode your bicycle from Baltimore to Philadelphia last weekend. Tell us a little about the trip.

The trip was pretty exciting for me. I got rid of my car and have been riding my bike everywhere for about three years. This trip was kind of the pinnacle of all that riding. I did it on my fixed gear Bianchi, so I am pretty proud of that (100 miles on a fixie is no joke). As far as the actual trip went, the first 50 miles was a lot of fun. Maryland has some beautiful stuff going on, and the Conowingo Damn is pretty awesome. The last 50 miles was a different trip, it was more about survival. I started getting some serious pains in my elbows and shoulders and had to make some adjustments to my bike in order to endure. Also, route 1 is basically a highway complete with exit ramps and tractor-trailers. It wasn’t your Sunday ride in the county (what we call the country side in Baltimore). I saw a lot of mono-cropping farms along the way. Lots of small towns doing their thing and that’s always good to see. All of the cops along the way smiled and made me feel good. There were also share the road signs the entire trip so I felt safer knowing that. Seeing the Philly skyline from the top of a hill in Media was like Dorothy seeing the Emerald City. I did it, am proud of that, and encourage everyone to get on a bike and get moving.

City Slides is a Baltimore based band. Tell us a little about the city and surrounding areas (Hampden, etc).

(Drew) Baltimore has adopted me with its big beautiful arms. I am from Gloucester City, NJ (across the Walt Whitman Bridge, next to Camden) and moved down here about 3 1/2 years ago for a job and girl. I lost the girl, but still have the job, so it’s all good. Baltimore is the city of neighborhoods. I live in Remington, kind of an in-between neighborhood. We still have our crime and all, but it’s getting a lot better. I live with songwriter MacGregor Burns and local rock-violin legend the VCR. If you’ve ever seen the Food Network show Ace of Cakes, I live a block south of that place. I moved here from Hampden, the quirky artsy sceney neighborhood north of Remington. I loved Hampden, and would def. go back, but the stars have placed me here. We actually do a pretty regular gig in Hampden on the “Avenue.” We busk outside, probably our favorite thing to do, and maybe the thing we are known for the most. Unlike a lot of other cities Baltimore’s street performing scene is small. Except for the performers down on the harbor doing their thing you don’t see much. I do, however, feel that is about to change. We are actually going to be busking the Station North Arts Festival this coming Saturday with a bunch of our friends. It’s complete freedom, it’s what the music we play is all about, if you consider us a folk band.

John lives in Govans, and has an amazing garden and raises bees. He lives with his many cats and dog, and beautiful wife, Lesley. John and Lesley are amazing people. Their home has felt like home since day one. They have that remarkable ability to make you feel welcome and relaxed immediately. John has been a huge influence on me as a human being. He has also helped my confidence; he really gets behind me when I come up with new ideas, or bring old ones out of storage.

Patrick and Atom live in a cozy neighborhood called Hamilton. Hamilton is the shit. Great art; bars; people. Almost all of my friends live in Hamilton, and if I had a family I’d take care of them there. The gardens that Atom and Patrick maintain there are top notch. You really have no idea, you’d have to come to experience. The local spirit in Baltimore is amazingly strong. I have never felt such strong support for local ideas anywhere else in my life. Hamilton encompasses all of this.

Tell us a little about each member of the band.

None of us owns a TV set. Okay, I’m Drew. I write the songs, sing the songs, and play harmonica. I am 26 years old and this is the 5th band I have been in. My previous bands primarily being punk bands, and of course a member of the legendary Baltimore band Good Guise. I am a strict vegetarian and bike advocate. I am currently involved in the urban gardening movement in Baltimore. I also cook, and organize events around the city. I definitely tell the worst jokes in the band, but make up for it with my serious winter beard.

Patrick- You can find Patrick in a tree or dancing to good music. He likes talking and listening too. Patrick whistles with the birds and barks at the dogs. He plays accordion in Cityslides and has been playing with the guys since Good Guise. As a retired classical pianist, Patrick enjoys cleaning for others and rockin’ epic reggae jams on concert grand pianos.

Decker- I'm 58, married to Leslie, born and lived in Baltimore, play a 1933 National Resonator guitar, I cut some fingers off my left hand Oct. 07 so now I have to use a bottleneck, I try to stay engaged with family community, do no harm and such.

Atom- Adam loves cheese and he does small things on a large scale. He is about to get hitched on an island this harvest season. He is a maker of many things and has many on-going experiments. As a retired falafel chef, he spends his days gardening in Baltimore city and rearranging rocks. Adam likes to write songs on guitar and in City Slides he plays the bass.

Describe the music you write, record, and perform.

Our music is “streetgrass.” We aren’t schooled in playing any type of traditional music, and what we come up with comes straight out of our psyches. Therefore, we reflect our individual experiences and surroundings. Our songs all come from our work, whether it be gardens, children, biking, friends, family, the world from the radio news, it goes in the brain waves and comes out music waves. In the true spirit of localvorism we keep our sounds close to home. I am hugely influenced by two main artists: Propagandhi (Canada progressive thrash) and Bob Dylan. I want to take on the social ills of society in a poetic way. Crafting words that intrigue and, if successful, cause listeners to be proactive. I only write when I am inspired, which is hard to come by, but is never dry. Music for me has always been a way of inspiring people, and a cause for change. It’s not a new idea. My songs come from something I cannot explain and don’t even think about that much. I never try to write a song, it’s either there or it isn’t. As for recording, we haven’t gotten there yet. I do some stuff in my room on Garageband just so I can throw it up on Myspace so people can have an idea of what we are all about. We’d love to record, but are waiting for the right time. Performance is another thing totally. We are all very uniquely different and that is ever present in our performance. Right now we are very focused on doing original material that speaks of who we are, and what we are all about. It’ll show, come see us.

Who designs the art for your CDs and flyers for your shows?

Various friends. We have the best friends, everyone is quite amazing. I am working with Philadelphia artist Emily Andrews for our CD cover. It’s getting there. I actually did a flyer today for a show we have coming up. Mike Clarke (commonseed.org) did this amazing poster for this huge event we just held called the Urb Ag Gala, or urbagala, for short.

Have you had any careers not related to music?

We are all Renaissance men. (Drew) I am a teacher currently, teaching cooking and nutrition. I have worked in demolition, fence installation, dishwashing, landscaping, ticket-taking, web design. You name it, I’ve probably done it.

Patrick- piano teacher, house painting, construction, sculpture, landscaping, gardening, cleaning, organizing...

Atom- Stone Mason, Gardner, Chef, Recycling yard worker, Consultant… I have never had a career related to music (taxable income).

Decker- I worked for Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus for 36 years doing building maintance, doing work for folks when they cant't afford contractors, grow plants, rob bees and putz

What are your goals, musically?

(Drew) All I want to do musically is discover my innermost artist, and never let anything get in the way of that. I just want to write the best songs I can write, and have fun doing it. I take it pretty damn serious, but am able to laugh at myself along the way. I’d like to sell out the 2640 space as a headlining group, and meet Bob Dylan (already met Propagandhi). Play for those who will listen, and that’s about it. I’d love to be in the position where I could write songs all day if I wanted. I’ll wake up in the morning and start something, then have to go to work and lose it, which kinda sucks.

Patrick- I enjoy when we connect with the music so tight that we are one mind; flowing and growing together. I think it’s cool when this can extend to our audience, especially when we play on the street!

Atom- keep it interesting and edgy without being obnoxious and preachy.

Decker- I provide the dirt and then watch it grow, my responsibility is to do my best to support whoever is putting themselves up front, I'm honored to stand with these fellows, Drew is a powerful poet and he's growing rapidly as a songwriter, Atom is pretty much a legend within our circle with his creative nature, I sense the potential for some amazing art and relational growth reflected in our music.

Do you have side projects you work on?

Drew- no, but I do poetry and short stories.

Patrick- I have been teaching piano at a music school part time for about four years. I would like to write individualized curriculum for each student I teach. In this way, my students could get valuable customized attention. This means I need to learn all styles of music for piano; classical, jazz, reggae, blues, honky-tonk, etc. I have been recently bartering with a private piano student for cooking lessons. This has been a very unique experience I would like to cultivate. I write words and create music. One day the two will merge as one.

Atom- Yes…..good guise band, solo stuff- Atom Fisher

Decker- I play with some folks from my Church, we get down with the Lord from time to time for special music

Favorite lyrics to a song?

Drew- my song? My favorite lyric is from For Rebecca, “It’s all in the same sentence, the beauty of remembrance.” That line is all about letting your guard down and letting love come flowing into your life, but love can be like a sentence and ends in different ways sometimes; exclamations, question, or just periods. I wonder if the person I wrote that for has ever heard it. As far as other lines go. I’d have to go with Dylan, “The ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face.” Beautifully poetic. The kind of poetry where you know what he’s saying without thinking, but have no idea what he’s saying when you do stop to think.

What are you currently reading?

Drew- Jesus, I am an addicted reader. Let’s see, luckily I am by my bed and my books are here. Finishing Seedfolks and A Confederacy of Dunces, picking at Rimbaud’s work and Vonnegut’s Bagambo Snuff Box (short stories). About to get into American Fascists and Finnegan’s Wake (a present).

Patrick- Holy Bible, Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, how to fix your bicycle by helen garvy, Art & Physics by Leonard Shlain. Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss.

Is there anything that you would like to share with our readers?

Drew- Destroy your TV, get a bike, plant a garden, elect yourself, write a song, make your way to the Gawdenyu!

Atom- Things are looking up. This “economic crisis” will breath life back into people, forcing us to live in community again.

Patrick- climb a tree... or dance... or both... at once!

Decker- Stay connected to your passion and respond to those things that are written on your hearts with an honorable pursuit

Website: www.myspace.com/cityslides