Fall 2006
Moving to the Blogosphere
From now on all news about 99 Ways--as well as my other projects--will be posted on my new blog. Please join me there and subscribe to be automatically notified of updates.

New Interviews; More Foreign Editions on the Way
There's a new interview with me on Wizard Magazine's website. I also have an interview and excerpt from the book in the fall issue of the classroom magazine Writing for Teens. If you're a teacher, parent or teen, I hope you'll check it out.
Meanwhile, my Japanese translator tells me that Comic Buntai-renshuu is out and in stores in Japan (if you scroll down the publisher's site you will spot the new but recognizable cover). L'Association's edition should be out in France in November, followed by Spain (Ediciones Sins Entido) next Spring.
Please note that I have added direct Amazon links to both the US and UK editions for one-stop-shopping ease!

PS: I have finally fixed the mysterious broken links on the Guest Artists page--click on the link at right and take a look!

July-August 2006
Welcome UK Readers!
The UK edition of 99 Ways to Tell a Story from Jonathan Cape is on sale as of July 7. Advance reviews have been positive, including a nice write-up in the Guardian on Sunday, which called it "a small work of genius." I also recently did an interview for the Radio 4 program Open Book. It aired July 16 and July 20 and will be available for a short while as an archive on the show's website. Thanks to the readers and friends who have already written to me about the book, I really appreciate it.

June 2006
Foreign Editions Update
The UK edition of 99 Ways to Tell a Story will be released by Jonathan Cape on July 7. Japanese and Korean editions are also underway, and I'm extremely proud to announce that L'Association will be publishing the French edition in the fall!

Upcoming Appearances and Fall Plans
The first round of promotional readings and signings for 99 Ways is just about over. I have on more reading ahead, here in NYC on May 31st. Beyond that I'll be appearing at a few signings for different anthologies to which I've recently contributed, then Jessica and I will have a table together at the MoCCA Art Festival.
Meanwhile, I am already planning a busy fall of school visits and workshops so if you want to have me do an event at your store/school/etc. please get in touch sooner rather than later so I can fit you in!
Here are the details of this month's events:

Wednesday May 31, 7-9PM in NYC: signing at McNally Robinson (with Jessica Abel & Lauren Weinstein )
Thursday June 8, 6-8PM in NYC: HOTWIRE signing at Jim Hanley's Universe
Friday June 9, 5-7PM in NYC: Blurred Vision signing at Jim Hanley's Universe
Saturday & Sunday June 10-11 in NYC: signing at MoCCA Art Festival (Jessica and I will have a table)

 

April 2006
99 Ways to Tell a Radio Story.
The Third Coast International Audio Festival invited me to help them come up with a constraint-based call for entries for this year's radio contest. We came up with a kind of "assembly kit" that producers have to use as the starting point for a two-and-a-half minute radio piece. So it's kind of like Exercises in Style in reverse: instead of different formal approaches to a single story it's going to be (up to) 99 different stories using the same formal scaffolding. In October I will go out to Evanston IL for the Festival where we will have a round table discussion with some of the winning producers. Check out the website for details--and please consider contributing something, you don't have to be a professional to submit!!

Upcoming Appearances.
I will be doing a number of readings and signings in the coming month or so. I'm doing all of them with Jessica Abel, whose amazing La Perdida just came out from Pantheon (be sure to check out her new website for details), and a few of them with other artists as well. Here's the rundown so far:

Wednesday April 12, 5-7PM in Cambridge MA: signing at Million Year Picnic in Cambridge MA.
Thursday April 13, 7-9PM in Cambridge MA: talk and signing at MIT Building 4, Room 237 ( Building 4 is the red building on the map. Room 237 is on the second floor. The event is open to the public and free.)
Sunday April 16, 7-9 in NYC: reading at KGB Bar (with Evan Dorkin and Bob Fingerman), 85 East 4th Street, btw 2nd and 3rd Ave.
Wednesday April 26, 7-10PM in Toronto, Ontario: This is Not a Reading Series (with Harvey Pekar).
Friday/Saturday April 28-9 in Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Paradise Con (we'll have a table).
FInally, down the pike a bit:
Wednesday May 31, 7-9PM in NYC: signing at McNally Robinson (with Lauren Weinstein)

January 2006
New Guest Exercises--CORRECTED.
Stephen Frug has revised his "Reader's Digest" to match the book: the eight panels correspond to the first eight comics in the book--panel one from the first comic, panel two from the second comic, and so on. Jakob Klemencic has done two new ones: a "global" one and a "cosmic" one.

New York Appearances and 2006 Plans.
I will be doing a slide show and signing at Barnes & Noble Chelsea (6th and 22nd) on January 20th at 7PM. I will also be doing a reading for the Frequency North series in Albany on January 26. Details here.

I am in the process of planning a variety of slide show talks and signings in New York and around the country this winter and spring. If you are a teacher who would like to have me come to your school or if you would like me to come to your local bookstore please get in touch with me (contact info to your right).

December 2005
99 Ways in Village Voice Best of 2005.
99 Ways to Tell a Story was recently selected as one of the top 25 books of the year by the Village Voice.

New York Appearances and 2006 Plans.
I will be doing a slide show and signing at Barnes & Noble Chelsea (6th and 22nd) on January 20th. I will also be making a few appearances in Albany at the end of the month. Details to follow.

I am in the process of planning a variety of slide show talks and signings in New York and around the country this winter and spring. If you are a teacher who would like to have me come to your school or if you would like me to come to your local bookstore please get in touch with me (contact info to your right).

Chicagoland Appearances.
I'll be doing a few signings in Chicago the first weekend in December. On Friday 12/2, I'll be at The DePaul University Bookstore at the DePaul Center at 12:30pm. On Saturday 12/3, I'll be at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka at 11:00am. And later on Saturday 12/3, I'll be at Quimby's at 7:00pm.

November 2005
Signing Friday November 11 in Berkeley CA.
My wife Jessica Abel and I will be doing a signing this Friday November 11 from 8-9PM at Comic Relief, 2026 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley CA.Other upcoming signings include Jim Hanley's Universe and the Chelsea Barnes & Noble in New York City and several appearances in Chicagoland the first week in December.

On Sale Now!! A Starred Review in PW! Release Party November 3 in NYC!
99 Ways to Tell a Story went on sale Tuesday October 25.Look for it at your local bookstore or comics store or click on the Amazon link to your right. (Note to comics specialty stores: Diamond is not yet carrying the book but it can be ordered through most of the other distributors or directly from Penguin.)

Several glowing reviews have come in, including a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

I had a great release party for 99 Ways on November 3rd at Pianos starting at 6:30. Pianos on Ludlow at Stanton in Manhattan.

October 2005
Interview on Bookslut; save the date.
I have the lead spot in the October features line-up at bookslut.com.

September 2005
Some Recent Media Appearances
Publishers Weekly has been all over my book lately! First, I got mention as one of the hot titles not to show up at the Small Press Expo; then there's a Q&A with me in the inaugural issue of their new weekly comics newsletter; finally, they should be running a review of it in the print edition soon. Elsewhere, there's an in-depth interview with me and Jessica at fanboyradio.com. You can download the episode, which also features Harvey Pekar, as a podcast or a very affordable mp3.There is a nice photo of me at SPX showing off the printed book at The Beat (the September 26 entry).

Publishing Update
The official release date for 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style is October 25, meaning copies should be in stores everywhere by mid-November. The book is back from the printer and it looks great. Review copies are going out so some media coverage should start to appear around then as well.

October UK Visit
For those of you reading this from across the pond, I will be in England at the end of October making several appearances:
-On October 23 I will be presenting a Powerpoint lecture about "Exercises in Style" at the Multimodal Texts Conference at the University of Portsmouth.
-On Tuesday October 25 Jessica and I will be visiting the Camberwell College of Arts in London.
-On Wednesday October 26 we will be participating in a round table discussion at the ICA London led by Paul Gravett and featuring the unusual line-up of Killoffer, Igort, and Junko Mizuno (this event is still in the planning stage).

June 2005
All Art Is Finished!
As of May 6, two days short of my birthday, I have finished all the artwork for "Exercises in Style." I have posted the last batch of new and unseen comics. There probably two or three that I never got around to putting on the site, but that just gives you something else to look forward to when you get the book (which is due in stores everywhere in October)! Keep checking back here for news of the book's release and associated publicity, signings, lectures and workshops. If you are associated with a book store, university or other cultural institution please contact me about scheduling events for the fall and into 2006--I am planning to do a lot of traveling to promote the book.

April 2005
More New Exercises; Publishing Schedule Moving Forward
A few last ones for you. I am finishing up the remaining pages and will be delivering the whole book to my editor in early May. We are scheduled to go to the printer in July and to have th book in stores by October.

February 2005
Interview at Comixpedia
There is an interview with me in the February issue of comixpedia.com where I discuss Exercises in Style and other projects of mine. Also, a new batch of exercises went up last week. Next update in March!

January 2005
Happy New Year!
You may have noticed that another batch of new comics has replaced the last one. I plan to update the site with newcomics and a reshuffling of older favorites about once a month so be sure to check back.

Novermber 2004
Site update:
Starting now the format of this web page will change slightly: I will not be putting up all the exercises at the same time but rather previewing selected old and new exercises as I prepare the book for publication. Check back regularly for batches of new comics and old favorites! I have completed 25 new comics since I last updated this site and I am forging ahead at a fast clip: stay tuned!

August 2004
EiS gets book deal with Penguin Books:
It's official: Chamberlain Brothers, a new imprint of Penguin Books, is going to publish a trade paperback edition of Exercises in Style toward the end of 2005! Now I just have to draw the remaining 60-odd comics... This website will change in form slightly in the months to come, but it will still be the place to come for news and the latest exercises.

May 2004
One new exercise to tide you over:
I have several new comics in progress but have been concentrating on some other deadlines lately (including finishing up A Fine Mess #2, which will be out in June) I'm planning to post several new exercises in June, but meanwhile I've posted a quickie for you: an exercise in digital code.

April 2004
EiS profiled in French comics magazine 9e Art:
For you francophone readers out there, the new issue of 9e Art has a very nice two-page overview of Exercises in Style as part of a section commemorating the first ten years of Oubapo.

April 2004
EiS selected as Yahoo! Pick:
Exercises in Style was recently featured as a "Yahoo! Pick of the Week." Read the plug here and then come on back!

March 2004
Guest Artist section on line:
Pop over to the new Guest Artists section and check out variations on the Exercises in Style as imagined by a wide variety of artists.

February 2004
EiS nominated for Pushcart Prize
Exercises in Style has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize based on the appearance of selections of the project in Lit 7, the literary journal of the New School University. Winners will be announced in May and will be published in the annual anthology, Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Press.

February 2004
Web site launches
This month we've got 34 pages of Exercises in Style for you. More will arrive shortly, along with many by guest artists and collaborators. Once you've read them all, hop over to mattmadden.com for more comics and illustrations.