*APE 2007 WRAP-UP..
Loading...*EXTRA!! EXTRA!!
I’ll be sharing a sliver of a table at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival at UCLA THIS WEEKEND. Look for me at the Mc Sweeney’s table and pick up my new (th)ink collection, “Are We Feeling Safer Yet?”
*APE 2007 WRAP-UP..
Another fine APE has come and gone. This one was special because it was the first one since moving down to Los Angeles…
*THURSDAY: The first night up, Kerstin and I stayed at the City Center Hostel on Ellis and Larkin Streets, courtesy of my olde co-worker, Greg. It’s a great hostel, although not the greatest part of town. But if you’ve lived in any sort of big city situation, you’d be used to it.
We heard that Aaron McGruder was being interviewed by my man Jeff Chang at the Jewish Community Center in town. We whizzed on over there after meeting up with New York cartoonists Mikhaela Reid and Masheka Wood at Mark Fiore’s Third Thursdays gathering at Dave’s, a dive bar downtown.
The interview was cool. And the great Morrie Turner, the first black nationally syndicated cartoonist (“Wee Pals”), was in the audience. It was the first time I’d seen him since he had a bit of a medical scare a coupla months ago. We took some nice pix and went out to dinner after.
*FRIDAY: The annual Last Gasp/APE Pre-Reg party was fine and dandy with many of the usual suspects. Plus plenty of good food. It was here where we hooked up with Steve Notley, who was down from Seattle, and Shannon Wheeler, down from Portland. We split the party and joined the rest of our Cartoonists With Attitude colleagues at Daves.
*SATURDAY: The Alternative Press Expo officially begins! I did a panel on socially relevant comics with folks like Paige Braddock and Abby Denson. It was jolly good and well received. A lotta folks came by the table after. Good stuff.
*That evening, Kerstin and I had a great dinner with Rod Gilchrist, director of the Cartoon Art Museum, and his lovely wife. We were prepared for a night of revelry, with an infinite amount of parties and openings to attend..
..but we just decided to go back to where we were staying and get a good night’s sleep.
*SUNDAY: The second day was actually busier than the first day. I was quite surprised and damned pleased. After we wrapped it up, Kerstin, Notley and I went to Tommy’s Joynt for our annual Hofbrau type meal.
*I didn’t pick up much at the event (i gots ta make $$$!!), but I did see this really incredible prototype of a book from Chris Lanier. Chris is a great cartoonist/animator /journalist who served on the board of the Cartoon Art Museum with me. And he did this great interview with me.
*Also, my man Paul Madonna has the first collection of his All Over Coffee. I saw a prototype of the book and it looks beautiful.
*EMAIL OF THE WEEK..
Dear Keith:
I really liked your comic on Jackie Robinson today. I
thought it was the best commentary I’ve heard in all the hubbub about
the landmark. It’s funny that there was so much commotion about him on
his 60th anniversary of breaking the “color barrier” in baseball. You’d
think it would have been a bigger deal on the 50th. Anyway, he was
really before my time (I was born in 1950). I was a Pirates fan because
my father was from Pittsburgh, and so my guy was always Roberto Clemente
(still is). The best highlight from his career, for me, was when he was
named MVP of the 1971 World Series, and the reporter interviewed him.
Even though he could speak English well, he chose to respond in Spanish,
and he gave a little speech about how proud he was to be from the
Caribbean and representing Hispanic ballplayers. A very cool moment
from a real saint of a guy. Hope all is well.
A. (in Gainesville, Fl.)
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