This week Neil Gaiman’s MAKE GOOD ART Book came out (which was designed by Chip Kidd) and one cool thing to happen is that the Philadelphia Weekly not only did a great interview all about the creation of this book, but they put Neil’s face on the cover! Oddly, this is only the second time that has happened (the first was on WIRED Magazine).

Neil Gaiman was interviewed by Kyle Cassidy. The article covers many topics all related to the new MAKE GOOD ART book like how did the, now famous, graduation Speech even come about and what prompted the creation of this book. It’s a great interview with this fun Author. Here’s a LINK to check it out, just CLICK HERE!

Last year, around February, Chip Kidd was in Texas to speak at a special lecture given at the Dallas Museum of Art. So, to promote the event he got the chance to talk with the crazy guys over at FANBOY RADIO. ( We mean “crazy” in a good way, they’re awesome!)

The cool thing is that you can tell that the people doing the interview either, did some amazing research, or they’re just honestly huge fans because their questions were really really clever. I mean, they discuss Graphic Design, Book Covers, Comic Books, Batman, and a few of Chip Kidd’s Books like – The Cheese Monkeys, The Learners, Batman: Death By Design, and much more.

OK, I know this podcast interview is “a year old”, but it’s actually still very timely today and it shares some really good insight into design and other issues. So, please enjoy… oh yeah, and please share it with everybody you know

THANK YOU FANBOY RADIO!

CLICK HERE TO HEAR IT LIVE:

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This coming weekend, May 11th and 12th to be exact, Chip Kidd will be making an appearance at the 2013 TORONTO COMICS ARTS FESTIVAL. The event is held at the Toronto Reference Library in Toronto, Canada and is open FREE to the public.

Other guests appearing this year will be Gengoroh Tagame, Art Spiegelman, Fran oise Mouly, Paul Pope, Maurice Vellekoop (who designed the poster shown up above), the Brothers Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez, Ivan Brunetti, Taiyo Matsumoto, Michel Rabagliati, and many others. Please check their website for a complete list of special guests and events.

1:30-2:30PM Spotlight: Maurice Vellekoop in conversation with Chip Kidd
One of the most respected editorial and fashion cartoonists today, Maurice Vellekoop is a featured guest. On this program, Vellekoop discusses his life, work, and upcoming projects with Book Designer and Pantheon Books editor Chip Kidd. The two will also make a very special announcement...!

Also, The event is open from 9:00 to 5:00 pm on Saturday, May 11th. Then on Sunday, May 12th, from 11:00 to 5:00 pm.

For more information, please CLICK HERE!

Cartoonist and MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Fellowship winner Ben Katchor was recently interviewed by Gil Roth in a episode of “The Virtual Memories Show” Podcast. The main focus was Ben Katchor’s brand-new graphic novel recently published by Pantheon Books in 2013 titled, HAND-DRYING IN AMERICA AND OTHER STORIES, which collects his monthly comic page from Metropolis magazine. During this special episode, Ben even “performs” several of his comics. Plus, he gives us all some really great insight into his creative process. Also, as a side-note, we should mention that this book cover was designed by Chip Kidd.

We have embedded the podcast down below, but for even MORE information we suggest a visit to VIRTUAL MEMORIES.

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Ben Katchor
Hand Drying in America and Other Stories
Pantheon Books / Random House
ISBN 978-0-307-90690-8
160 Pages

Pantheon Books (Random House) has just released some Book Signing Dates for SNAPPER by the Author Brian Kimbering! So, please check the list down below, and if you live near by, then be sure to get your copy autographed by the author! Remember: Signed First Editions, especially that of a debut novel, are always worth WAY more! Plus, it’s always fun to meet a favorite Writer.

For further information about new events arriving, please CLICK HERE!

Since David Rakoff’s next book, “Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: a Novel” will be published posthumously this year by Doubleday (Random House) we thought we would mention an extremely wonderful thing done by WBEZ Chicago Radio at their Official Website for THIS AMERICAN LIFE.

Besides being a very talented Author, David Rakoff also made many appearances at Book Tours, Lectures, and, most notably, on a Radio Show called THIS AMERICAN LIFE. Down below is a “Special Tribute to David” they broadcasted after he passed away. Please give it a listen. Then, on their site, you can listen to many different shows that David actually appeared in. There are some really good ones like “Who’s Canadian?”, “Poultry Slam 1998″, “Office Politics”, and many more. There are even some very good interviews. So, to be very entertained, please CLICK HERE.

Also, you can look for David’s last book to hit bookstores around mid-July, 2013.

Check out this cool video that is a great documentary about a reporter’s difficult search for the celebrated Japanese Book Author, Haruki Murakami. I just discovered this beautiful gem on YouTube the other night and I knew I had to post it because every fan of Murakami is going to enjoy watching it. In fact, if you have never heard of his books, then you should watch it, because afterwards… you will love him.

As sort of a tribute to the great American Historian & Random House Author, Gore Vidal, we would like to present this full-documentary that PBS TV Series, American Experience, did on him titled, “The Education of Gore Vidal”. It runs about an hour & twenty four minutes, so please, just sit back and enjoy.

Gore Vidal is the author of twenty-four novels, five plays, many screenplays, more than two hundred essays, and the critically lauded memoir, Palimpsest (of which, Chip Kidd designed the cover, you can view it on Page 2 of our COVER GALLERY, Link Button up above just below the header). Also, Gore Vidal's United States (Essays 1952-92) won the 1993 National Book Award.

R.I.P. Gore Vidal 1925 – 2012.

This post is not only for sharing the news about a reallt great book coming out, titled “THE DANIEL CLOWES READER: A Critical Edition of GHOST WORLD And Other Stories, With Essays, Interviews, and Annotations” (Fantagraphics). Whew! Now that’s a title, ha! but this book is already getting great buzz and the other reason for the post is that the Publisher was very generous in supplying a very large preview of the book, which you can read down below. Also, you can pre-order the book RIGHT HERE and save some money too.

The book was edited by Ken Parille. It has 360-pages, full-color, and measures about 7.25″ x 10.25″ (softcover) and will retail for around $24.99. (ISBN # 978-1-60699-589-1). Look for it to hit bookstores around July, 2013.

This landmark collection features ten of Daniel Clowes’s most influential graphic narratives, along with interviews about his career and creative process, and twelve thought-provoking essays by contemporary scholars and critics. Oh yeah, here’s the preview: