A Jolly Time

I have just returned from a Boston area book tour + illustrator's conference. It was an "all my favorite things" trip! Highlights:
Serving as a judge in the excellent phenomenon known as Literary Death Match:

My dear friend and EVP of Literary Death Match Boston, Kirsten Sims, on left

I'm the one sitting.

Visiting the Cambridge Community Center (Photos by Kirsten Sims)

reading Percy and TumTum

Group drawing!

They were so game.

New best friends.

...had a fine time at very cool establishment Tres Gatos in Jamaica Plain, MA.

and was honored to kick off the Friday Morning Storytime series at Curious George Bookstore in Harvard Square!

photo courtesy of Kirsten Sims

The Danforth Museum invited me to come and chat about an event for mid-July. This year I participated in The Giving Tree Project, a unique exhibition in support of children’s literacy.  I was overjoyed to see my artwork displayed in the entrance of the museum store. The Danforth is a gem of a place. They have a fantastic collection curated by very clever and warm staff members. A lovely time.
Isy Mekler, the genius behind the Giving Tree Project. My tree is the pink one on the left.

(Photo credit: Yoon S. Byun/globe staff )

The biggest event was ICON7, the illustrator's conference, in my old college home of Providence, RI. Eighty-four hours of illustration presentations, advice, discussion, inspiration in one of my absolute favorite places in the world. I loved every single minute of it. So much fantastic work!
And I'm psyched about all the cool new buddies I met.

The auditorium. Art by Chris Buzelli.

Paul Sahre and Brian Rea discussing their recent collaboration, Malcolm Gladwell Collected.

Bacon, pâté, Lingonberries, mesclun and cucumbers on brioche.

Sleeping on couches and in guest rooms for 14 nights made me feel like some kind of touring musician, which is cool because there was a time when I really did want to be a rock star and actually played in a band which opened for the *brag alert* Arcade Fire before they were anybody. I forgot the lyrics mid-song and sang the same verse twice. Fortunately no chords were bungled. That would have been worse.
I have no photo documentation because cameras were not invented yet. It was that long ago.

I am so glad to be home. I am so glad to be glad. Seeya later!