ProBio for The New Yorker

This piece is in today's New Yorker, it's about a show at PS1 called ProBio. The show is about how technology becomes an extension of ourselves.

I went there to check it out, did some photos and scribbles on location, and did all the sketching in their cafeteria, from IPhone photos. The sketch to the left is what was picked, and it was fun to execute it. It's a terminator hand!

Thanks so much to AD Jordan Awan!

Books of Wonder event recap

Here are some photos from Cool Teen Reads at Books of Wonder (see also my previous post). All the participants were authors of teen novels. Here is the line-up: Shawn Goodman (Kindness for Weakness), Corey Ann Haydu (OCD Love Story), Jennifer Lyne (Catch Rider), Michael Northrop (Rotten), Lili Peloquin (This Side of Jealousy), Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing), Evan Roskos (Dr. Birds Advice for Sad Poets), Katie Sise (The Boyfriend App) and some dude called Paul Hoppe.

It was really interesting to hear about everybody's books which were about a wide range of topics. They also talked about how it is to be a writer, which was really inspiring.

Most of the other authors were reading from their books, but with PEANUT being a graphic novel that's tricky. Also, let's not forget, I didn't write the book, it was Ayun Halliday! When it was my turn, I talked about being an illustrator, told the plot (without giving away the end!) and also about the process of making such a book. All while also doing a "live" drawing of Sadie, our main character.
All in all I was a great day. I was very honored to be part of this group and this event, at such a great place. Many thanks to the friends and colleagues who came for support (especially Dingding Hu and Jen Hill for taking some of these photos) Books of Wonder did also a recap with some photos, which you can see here.

You can buy signed copies of all the books that were featured in the panel, including PEANUT, online or in store, and I also signed a lot of HATs for them. Please support this great place. Cheers!

Jenny Everywhere Day 2013

Jenny Everywhere aka The Shifter, is a character created by the people, for the people. She is public domain and everybody can use her for their stories. Read more about her on the Shifter Archive. I myself am currently using her in my series Tales To Behold.

Once a year, Benji Christensen, holds Jenny Everywhere Day, on August 13th, which is her virtual "birthday". Many submissions came in, and here you can see my very own image for the occasion. I wanted to show many different versions of the character, from other comics. To see my references and inspirations, I've listed them all on the BEHOLDER Blog.

You can read my Tales To Behold series, featuring the intrepid Jenny Everywhere, on THE BEHOLDER, or purchase them as high-end comic-zines here.

Books Of Wonder event: Cool Teen Reads

I'm part of an event at Books of Wonder this Sunday, August 11th, from 1-2:30 pm:

Cool Teen Reads for Summer will be a panel of YA novelists, featuring Shawn Goodman (Kindness for Weakness), Corey Ann Haydu (OCD Love Story), Jennifer H. Lyne (Catch Rider), Michael Northrop (Rotten), Lili Peloquin (This Side of Jealousy), Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing), Evan Roskos (Dr. Birds Advice for Sad Poets), Katie Sise (The Boyfriend App), and yours truly! I will be talking about my graphic novel Peanut (written by Ayun Halliday, who can't join us this time).

We'll be introducing our books, answer questions from the audience, and sign copies of our newest and other books. Ages 12-16.

Books of Wonder (18 W 18th St,  NY, NY) is a lovely store entirely dedicated to children's books and young readers. This is my first event at Books of Wonder, and am thrilled to be invited. Would love to see you there!