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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
David Lasky's LiveJournal:
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| Sunday, August 21st, 2016 | | 2:03 pm |
| | Friday, August 5th, 2016 | | 1:30 pm |
David E. Lasky, 1938-2016
My father passed away last month, after battling various health issues. It's still hard to accept that he's gone. He was a great parent, and as I get older I realize more and more how lucky I was to have him. His death notice appeared in the Sacramento Bee yesterday (where he'd retired), and is in the Washington Post today (where he spent most of his professional life). It was written by his wife Mary, with input from my brother Jason and I. 
David E. Lasky died of complications of COPD on July 14, 2016, in Woodland, California. He was 78. He leaves behind his wife, Mary Symmes; sons David (LeeAnn) and Jason (April) Lasky and their mother Barbara Lasky; granddaughter Mollie; stepson Andrew Telford; brother Steve, and sisters Jeri and Judy. Dave was born in New York City and moved with his mother to California during WWII. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany from 1955 to 1958. He retired from his long career in the U.S. Department of Commerce as the director of the Economic Development Administration. He was a man of notable intelligence, kindness, and charm, and a lifelong champion of civil rights and feminism. Dave prided himself on finishing the daily New York Times crossword puzzle in ink, almost always without cheating. He will be sorely missed by his family and many friends. There will be no services. Donations in his name may be made to any legitimate veterans' assistance organization. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=david-e-lasky&pid=180956538#sthash.xNx0PUAD.dpuf Current Mood:  sad | | Monday, May 9th, 2016 | | 10:09 pm |
A new comic by me on the wall of Hugo House...
From about 2003 on I've been a part-time teacher at Richard Hugo House, a sort of community-center-for-writers in Seattle. It's been based in an old house, a former funeral home, since 1997. The building is being torn down to make way for a condo/apartment (an ongoing story here), but the Hugo House will continue to exist on the ground floor of the future-building. Last Saturday night, Hugo House held a celebration and farewell for the original location. Everyone was allowed to write on the walls (since they are coming down in two weeks), so I decided I'd draw a comic about writers -- in the room that housed the last public location (so far) of ZAPP, the Zine Archive and Publishing Project.
This photo by Raymond Pompon Facebook users have guessed nearly all of the writers pictured in the comic. Here is the roster:
Panel 1: Mairead Case, author, prison writing instructor, PhD candidate, and former Hugo House intern. She represents all the HH interns who went on to do great things in the world.
Panel 2: Sherman Alexie, literary titan. He represents all the literary titans who have been involved with Hugo House over the years.
Panel 3: Wendy Call: nonfiction writer, translator, and a fantastic writing instructor. She represents non-fiction writers and all the great teachers that have worked at HH over time (and will continue to!).
Panel 4: Anastacia Tolbert, HH writer-in-residence who gives powerful readings, here representing all the writers-in-residence, and all the great readers who've taken the stage, or shared their work in a classroom, at HH.
Panel 5: Stacey Levine, writer of short fiction and novels, with whom I read at the Lit Series a few years back. I took one of her classes at HH and it was great. This panel is about the writing community.
Panel 6: Sierra Nelson of Vis a Vis Society, and Typing Explosion. This panel is about taking poetry and literature in bold new directions! Huzzah!
Panel 7: The late Octavia Butler, who took science fiction in amazing directions, here representing writers in the NW who write diverse and sophisticated genre fiction that transcends the bounds of genre fiction.
Panel 8: Not a great likeness: This is Greg Stump, my frequent co-teacher of comics classes at HH. Greg represents comics/graphic novels' important presence in Seattle's Lit Scene.
Panel 9: RIchard Hugo, guiding spirit. 
| | Sunday, March 27th, 2016 | | 1:13 pm |
"This is what Democracy looks like"
So I went to my first Democratic caucus today. It was held at Whitman Middle School - walking distance from me.
I was anticipating crowds, and it WAS very crowded, but I didn't have to wait in line.
 My neighbors (I only actually knew two people gathered around this table - and waved to other. more distant neighbors at other tables) -- the man with the folder volunteered to be in charge. At the table is a volunteer vote-counter and secretary. They counted the votes a few times, my neighbors had 3 minutes for whomever wanted to speak for each candidate, and an additional 3 minutes for whomever was undecided. One woman identified herself as undecided and she had the most interesting things to say. (In a nutshell: "I LOVE Bernie, but I'm not sure he will be able to do all of these things he's promising. I HATE Hillary, but I think she may have the better chance of actually getting things done. How should I vote?") My immediate neighborhood went about 80% for Bernie. 
The very full cafeteria at Whitman Middle School. I saw this guy taking photos, so I decided I would too.
The crowd. On the left, a woman was speaking to the room, but her mic was not working so well and people had trouble hearing.
It was so crowded and stuffy inside, some of the tables opted to move outside. ^
When I left to catch a bus to Ballard, I came across this graffiti. ^ Crown Hill (and WA state) loves Bernie.
| | Wednesday, November 18th, 2015 | | 12:12 pm |
Happy birthday, Ner-Tamin
Happy birthday (nov 20) to one of the great emerging fantasy artists, Ner-Tamin! (also known as Julia Nikitina)...
Originally posted by  ner_tamin at Белый новый год
 По клику картинка увеличивается. С наступающим всех! Кстати, в моем паблике вконтакте, вот тут: http://vk.com/thewizardsjourneys в течение декабря шел новогодний календарь, сделанный по типу рождественских календарей - помните, такие, с конфетками на каждый день? Только вместо конфеток там были волшебные предметы: телефоны, которые звонят в прошлое, книги северного сияния, сундучки со сказками и другие вещи. Если кому хочется добрать новогоднего настроения - приглашаю. :-) | | Sunday, October 18th, 2015 | | 7:28 pm |
30/30: Ideas for Short Comics
I am writing 30 minutes every day in the month of October to help raise funds for Seattle's Hugo House, a place for writers. A lot of what I've been writing falls under the heading "Ideas for Short Comics" -- a flurry of ideas which I may sit down and turn into comics one day. I am posting some of them here on LiveJournal for other cartoonists who may get inspiration from them. Here is a challenge for comics creators (If you draw comics, feel free to attempt this one yourself, and maybe give me a little credit on it): – RAIN A comic goes on for a few panels until a drop of rain hits it, and we realize that we have been looking at a comic that character has been reading. That character opens an umbrella and is then revealed to be a mascot on a product's packaging. The product is then shown to be a part of the scene we were shown in the original first few panels. The overall feeling should be that we have witnessed a complete cycle, either narrative or visual, or both. – If you would like to support the Hugo House, please donate a litte something via my page... http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Lasky/3030-writing-challenge-2015
| | Friday, October 16th, 2015 | | 1:37 pm |
30/30: Ideas for Short Comics
I am writing 30 minutes every day in the month of October to help raise funds for Seattle's Hugo House, a place for writers. A lot of what I've been writing falls under the heading "Ideas for Short Comics" -- a flurry of ideas which I may sit down and turn into comics one day. I am posting some of them here on LiveJournal for other cartoonists who may get inspiration from them. Here is one more of my "ideas for short comics" (If you draw comics, feel free to do this yourself): – Make your own version of a classic comics page. Write new text in the captions and balloons (and sound effects). [See example below]
– If you would like to support the Hugo House, please donate a litte something via my page... http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Lasky/3030-writing-challenge-2015
| | Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 | | 12:31 am |
30/30: Ideas for Short Comics
I am writing 30 minutes every day in the month of October to help raise funds for Seattle's Hugo House, a place for writers. A lot of what I've been writing falls under the heading "Ideas for Short Comics," which may become a zine some time soon. Here is one more of my "ideas for short comics" (a very short one)...– | | Monday, October 12th, 2015 | | 7:43 pm |
30/30: Two more games for comics creators
I am writing 30 minutes every day in the month of October to help raise funds for Seattle's Hugo House, a place for writers. A lot of what I've been writing falls under the heading "Ideas for Short Comics," which may become a zine some time soon. Here are two more of my "ideas for short comics"...– Loteria Comics Do a web search for “Loteria Cards.”
Pick a deck you like.
Redraw the grid (or part of it) as a comic, adding word balloons as you wish. Subject: your own aspirations vs. fate. – Erotic Comic Take up to 3 pages to depict a sex fantasy, or memorable sexual experience. You may hide or disguise the identities of the characters if necessary. Look up the printers' text “Lorem ipsum.” This will be the text of your comic, to use any way you desire. Be adventurous. The title of your comic will be “Latin Lover.” –
| | Saturday, October 10th, 2015 | | 11:27 pm |
30/30: A Game for Comics Creators
I am writing 30 minutes every day in the month of October to help raise funds for Seattle's Hugo House, a place for writers. A lot of what I've been writing falls under the heading "Ideas for Short Comics," which may become a zine some time soon. Here is one of my "ideas for short comics"...
–
Public Dominion Pick a book you like that is in the public domain (published before ~1915). Turn to the page that corresponds with your current age. Pick the longest paragraph (or the entire page) and make a comic which has one panel for each sentence in the paragraph. Content of the panels and how the text is used is up to you.
–
If you would like to support the Hugo House, please donate a litte something via my page...
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Lasky/3030-writing-challenge-2015 | | Friday, October 9th, 2015 | | 2:51 pm |
30/30: Ideas for Short Comics
I am writing 30 minutes every day in the month of October to help raise funds for Seattle's Hugo House, a place for writers. A lot of what I've been writing falls under the heading "Ideas for Short Comics," which may become a zine some time soon. Here are some of my "ideas for short comics"... –A first-grader walks into school on a fall morning, carrying a lunchbox. Zoom in to images on lunch box: It depicts a scene from “Catcher in the Rye”, complete with logo, as if it were a movie or TV show. Within the scene, a door bursts open and J. D. Sallinger enters. “This has to stop right now, by order of my estate.” – Nineteenth century séance – Jules Verne, with heavy beard, requests the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe. Nothing happens. A door bursts open, a raven flies in, and lands on a woman's hat. Everyone is stunned. A mom runs in and says: “Ah, there he is. My bird escaped the apartment.” He takes the bird away. “Pardon me,” announces Verne, standing. “I have soiled my trousers.” – Two first-graders eating lunch in a school cafeteria, with lunch boxes on display. One is “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, but it's not the Disney version. The other has “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym” by E. A. Poe on his lunchbox. A girl joins them and shows her lunchbox, which is decorated with “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. One of the boys says: “Huh. Never heard of that one.”
–
If you would like to support the Hugo House, please donate a litte something via my page... http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Lasky/3030-writing-challenge-2015
| | Thursday, June 4th, 2015 | | 2:59 pm |
Seattle Comics Events - first half of summer, 2015
For Seattle area people, I've tried to gather all the comics events I know about in one list (for the first half of summer). I'm sure there are plenty I've missed, but here goes... Comics Events, First Half of Summer 2015
(Art by Robyn Jordan) | | Monday, April 27th, 2015 | | 11:59 am |
Exciting Comics News
A new site for comics has just launched, and I’m excited to be a contributor. Zco.mX is a comics sharing website “for self-publishing cartoonists and their readers.” This page gives you more info about how it works. I will be posting my mini-comics on the site, including ones that you may have never seen before. Because I’m not paying for photocopies (and not hanging out in copy shops, which I must confess have lost their thrill for me), I’ll be able to color the comics, often for the first time. For starters, I’ve posted Manifesto Items #3, a collection of some of my one-page comics which first came out on paper in 2013.  At the end of each issue, a request will be posted to donate a dollar, or purchase something at my online store. You don’t have to do this, but it would help me continue to make my comics if you chipped in a little something. I have it set up so the payments go to a paypal account set up for “micro-payments”, which means more of your dollar will actually reach my pocket (minus fees) than would happen with a regular paypal account. Please check back in a few weeks to see more of my comics, and look for updates on the ZcomX twitter page. Oh, and you may want to check out these other artists whose work I really like: Jordan Crane, Rachel Masilamani, Joel Orff, John Hankiewicz, Damien Jay... There are a whole lot more to find when you explore the site... | | Thursday, April 16th, 2015 | | 2:52 pm |
Recommended Graphic Novels
People often ask me for graphic novel recommendations. This is my basic list, but of course there is so much more out there. This is a good place to start, for grown-up readers who want to see what comics (er, graphic novels) is all about... Recommended Graphic Novels by David LaskyThere are lots of great graphic novels out there. Here are just a few of my favorites...MemoirMaus by Art SpiegelmanBlankets by Craig ThompsonFun Home by Alison BechdelPersepolis by Marjane SatrapiYou'll Never Know by Carol TylerOne Hundred Demons by Lynda BarryKing-Cat Classix by John PorcellinoHumorWimbeldon Green by SethDisillusioned Illusions by Greg StumpPassport by Saul StienbergSurrealism / FantasyWeathercraft by Jim WoodringArtichoke Tales by Megan KelsoThe Bone series by Jeff SmithSwamp Thing by Alan Moore and various artistsReportageSafe Area Gorazde by Joe SaccoA.D. New Orleans After the Deluge by Josh NeufeldUnderstanding Kafka by Robert CrumbSuperheroicsWatchmen by Alan Moore and Dave GibbonsClassic Comic StripsThe Comic Strip Century by Bill Blackbeard and Dale CrainWalt and Skeezix by Frank King (reprinting Gasoline Alley)Krazy and Ignatz by George Herriman (reprinting Krazy Kat)The Complete Peanuts by Charles SchulzBooks on how to make comics:Understanding Comics by Scott McCloudMaking Comics by Scott McCloudDrawing Words and Writing Pictures by Matt Madden and Jessica AbelWhat It Is by Lynda Barry
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ P.S. Frank Young and I made a pretty good graphic novel as well: Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song, which I heartily recommend (but of course, I'm biased).  | | Wednesday, December 31st, 2014 | | 8:56 pm |
| | Friday, December 12th, 2014 | | 12:59 am |
| | Saturday, November 1st, 2014 | | 4:25 pm |
| | Wednesday, October 29th, 2014 | | 4:02 pm |
| | Thursday, October 23rd, 2014 | | 3:08 pm |
| | Tuesday, October 14th, 2014 | | 2:59 am |
30/30: Another Favorite Song
I am writing for 30 minutes per day this month, for 30 days (the 30/30 challenge) to help raise funds for Richard Hugo House, a center for writing in Seattle. Anyone who'd like to help me reach my $500 goal is welcome to donate to Hugo House via this page...
Today (10/13) I wrote about the #10 song on my all time favorite songs list... "Ziggy Stardust"
performed by David Bowie
I suppose you could call this the ‘title track’ from “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,” a David Bowie concept album that is so well constructed, so full of youthful excitement and youthful fatalism that it grabs hold of its listeners and stays with them far beyond youth. This song is a standout on an album of standout songs. Its lyrics tell the story of Ziggy, a fictional rockstar guitar god described by the third person narrator as being “well hung with snow white tan.” Is Ziggy really Jimi Hendrix or The Silver Surfer? The answer is - he’s both (and neither). This is the rock music equivalent of a brightly colored1960’s Stan Lee and Jack Kirby comic book, where aliens emote, and humans gain unexpected powers. Ziggy could easily have been one of Kirby’s Inhumans (a secret, ancient race of superheroes who try unsuccessfully to blend in with us ordinary people). Envious musicians want to “crush his sweet hands,” and in a pop-Shakespearean power struggle, we learn that his band was broken up when “the kids” killed him. It presents a cautionary tale about talent and ego and fame. It’s a rock song about overblown rock stars that lives up to its own hype.
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