Okay, I'm sure you've heard of The Simpsons....
You have? Good!
Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) was college buddies with graphic novelist, Lynda Barry at Evergreen State College in Washington. He actually got her career started by publishing, without her consent I believe, a comic called "Ernie Pooks Comeek" in their college newspaper! Now she has written a number of books incorporating graphics, collages, and the written word into one big mish-mash of creativity. She calls her work "autobifictionalography" which is to say that the stories are both true and false about her childhood and adolescence.
In One! Hundred! Demons!, Barry devotes each chapter to a different problem she faced growing up and even in adulthood. For instance, she loved to dance as a kid, until the fateful day when a friend told her that she wasn't very good. (Leave it to our peers to stamp the creativity out of us!) At the end of this book, Barry gives a brief tutorial on how to paint your demons. She believes that anybody can write or paint. She explains that we should all give it a try and see what demons we unearth.
While these graphic novels look like kid stuff, I wouldn't suggest passing them on to your youngsters just yet. Some of the topics are not kid-safe.
If you'd like to hear her speak, she'll be in the NY Room in Cooper Hall TODAY March 25th at 8pm.
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