State of the Union for New York Times

Yesterday I got a call from the NYT OpEd page, to do a piece about the upcoming State of the Union speech. As usual, it is a fast turnaround and always a fun challenge! I did two versions, one with greys and one without, we ended up going with the purist version. You can see it in the paper today– instant gratification! Thanks again to AD Aviva Michaelov!

Ambush Advertising for Wall Street Journal

This picture came out in the Wall Street Journal today. It's illustrating a text about the various kinds and latest trends of so-called Ambush Advertising (crowding into the spotlight without actually sponsoring an event). You can read the entire article here. Many thanks to Art Director Orlie Kraus!

Review of HAT in the New York Times

Here's a highlight that happened when I was in Germany, the New York Times reviewed my book HAT! It was reviewed together with Sujean Rim's Birdie's Big-Girl Shoes.

From the review:
"(…) For those who get worked up about gender typecasting, Paul Hoppe’s “Hat” will give relief. In Hoppe’s universe, what to some might be a decorative object is to others a means of fending off crocodile attacks, sailing the seven seas and performing magic tricks. A little boy named Henry finds a hat on a park bench. He is about to take it — and dreams of the many venues in which he might wear it — when his mother points out that others might need it more than he does. (…)".

Besides some criticisms about my wording (after all, I am a foreigner) the review is quite positive. I am just so thrilled to have been in it, with so many books out there... You can read the entire text about both books here.

Homemade gifts for Wall Street Journal

A recent assignment, from just before the holiday break: exploring the ups and downs of handmade gifts and holiday crafts. Here's the article on the WSJ website. Many thanks to AD Orlie Kraus!

Interview for Schwaebische Zeitung

I did an interview with my old hometown newspaper during my visit in December. It came out today, apparently my parents got a lot of phone calls. Thanks to Margret Welsch for the nice text! I feel very honored. For those of you who can read German, here's the link.

Back from Germany

I'm back from another nice, if cold, trip to Germany.
As usual, it was very nice to be back in the old country.
Now 2010 can begin. Wishing everybody a Great New Year!