Stumptown went great! I sold all 60 copies of Hereville I had with me, chatted with many readers and cartoonists, and just generally had a swell time.
From The Beat, here’s a photo of me at my booth at Stumptown.
Thanks to Jen Vaughn, who took that photo and is also an excellent cartoonist with a series of comics about menstruation.
I also had the good fortune to be on a panel about world-building, moderated by Evan Dahm; the other panelists were Carla Speed McNeil, Jenn Manley Lee, Kel McDonald, and Larry Marder. So that was pretty awesome.
Happily, Evan made an audio recording of the panel, which you can listen to here.
On April 14, 2011 · Comments Off on Barry at Stumptown Comics Fest!
I’ll be at Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland, Oregon this weekend; look for me at table C-26 (see map below). I’ll be signing and selling copies of “Hereville” and just basically hanging out. If you’re there, please come say hi.
I’ll also be appearing on a panel on Sunday:
Worldbuilding • Sunday, April 17th • 2:00-2:45pm in Room A106
Evan Dahm moderates a discussion featuring Carla Speed McNeil, Barry Deutsch, Jenn Manley Lee, Larry Marder, and Kel McDonald, as they share the challenges and rewards of intricate, in-depth world-building for your own fictional settings.
Hope to see you there!
On April 10, 2011 · Comments Off on Wacky face from my sketchbook
Just because.
The 2011 Eisner nominations are out… This is no big deal. I can take it or leave it. I mean, it’s only the comic book industry’s biggest award, and Will Eisner is only one of my favorite artists EVER, and I DID take Eisner’s class at SVA, but it’s not like I care or any–
What’s that?
Hereville made the nom list, you say?
Oh.
Well.
No biggie.
Er, pardon me just a moment.
As I was saying, nothing to get excited about.
On April 7, 2011 · Comments Off on Hereville in the Jewish Daily Forward
Nice article about Hereville in the Jewish Daily Forward, one of the preeminent Jewish publications in the USA. Here’s a quote from the article:
Mirka’s life as a Hasidic Jew is a fundamental part of her character, but no superfluous attention is called to her religion.
“I definitely don’t want to write a textbook, but painlessly without lecturing people, give readers the impression of how Mirka’s life feels to Mirka,” Deutsch explained.
One of the most effective ways he accomplishes this is with the inclusion of Shabbat in the story.
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Immediately after being charged with her quest, rather than set out, Mirka rushes home to celebrate Shabbat. For the next nine pages the action of the book is completely halted and the Sabbath is observed; its traditions described in detail. “The reason I have the story line pretty much stop dead and then pick up like snap when Shabbos is over,” Deutsch explained, “is because you’re supposed to put away your weekday concerns and not let them interfere with Shabbos, and I thought it was the most direct way of communicating that to the reader.”
“It’s a break from the other things going on and hopefully a really joyful break because of how special Shabbos time is to Mirka.”
Mirka’s sense of religious duty and the joy she takes in it, combined with her adventure-seeking personality, makes her a compelling character in children’s literature.
The catch line on “Hereville”’s cover reads, “Yet Another Troll-Fighting 11-Year-Old Orthodox Jewish Girl.” Though meant to be tongue-in-cheek, in many ways Deutsch’s character is just that.
By normalizing the rhythm and values of Jewish life, rather than singling them out as a topic for discussion, he manages to make Mirka just another adventure seeking pre-teen … who just so happens to be Jewish.
Read the whole article here.
Many thanks to Laurie Kamens, the author of the article, who was a delight to talk to.
On April 6, 2011 · Comments Off on Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books Of The Year List
Bank Street College of Education Children’s Book Committee has released its annual Best Children’s Books Of The Year list. I’m happy to say that not only is Hereville on the list, it’s one of the relatively few to receive a starred listing, for “outstanding merit.”
