I don’t know about you, but I have freakin’ LOVED Ernie Pook’s Comeek for years! And I read her novel ‘Cruddy.’ Lynda Barry has a unique sense of humor, twinged with pain, and I am excited to hear her explain her own techniques for maintaining a constant flow of creativity. And I also hope she tells jokes and gossips.
Renowned cartoonist Lynda Barry will present a slide talk on her work on Monday,April 20 at The Johns Hopkins University. “Writing the Unthinkable” will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Arellano Theatre, Levering Hall, on the Homewood campus at 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore. A book-signing will follow the talk.
In addition to her award-winning comic strip, “Ernie Pook’s Comeek,” which ran in Baltimore’s City Paper for over 20 years, Barry has worked as a painter, writer, illustrator, playwright, editor, commentator and teacher. She is the author of One Hundred Demons, The Greatest of Marlys! and Cruddy: An Illustrated Novel. Her book, The Good Times Are Killing Me, has been adapted as an Off-Broadway musical.
Barry’s most recent book, What It Is, a guide to creating comics, is based on her workshop, “Writing the Unthinkable.” As she will demonstrate in her slide talk, Barry employs a tried-and-true creative method that is playful, powerful and accessible to anyone with an inquisitive wish to write or remember.
Born in Wisconsin in 1956, Barry studied art at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., where she became friends with several future cartoonists, most notably “Simpsons” creator, Matt Groening. After living for many years in Seattle and Chicago, Barry has returned to the land of her birth.
To download images of Barry’s work, go to: http://www.jhu.edu/artwork/artists/barry/
For more information about “Writing the Unthinkable” workshops, visit: http://www.myspace.com/writingtheunthinkable
“Writing the Unthinkable” is co-sponsored by Homewood Art Workshops and Homewood Arts Programs. Visitor parking on campus is available in the South Garage, 3101 Wyman Park Drive, Baltimore, Md. 21211. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410-516-6705.
