On the one hand, you keep all the negativity in one place. On the other, seeing a whole list of “DENIED!” is kind of a bummer. Maybe I need to work on my phrasing. (See, you can put a positive spin on it! In any case, it seems poetry is a tough sell in general, [...]
I’m going to have some exciting poetry news to share later in April, but for now, just get into it. Here’s my favorite William Carlos Williams poem to help you get started. As the cat climbed over the top of the jamcloset first the right forefoot carefully then the hind stepped down into the [...]
My friend Nicolle and I are launching a webcomic on February 3rd. Bookmark Cats In The Alley. Do it.
I recently got an email from a student who needed to know 16 facts about me for a school project. He said the facts could be anything, so here is what I gave him, in case you find yourself faced with a similar project. Erik P. Kraft . . . 1. Has 6 pet chickens [...]
One of my former students recently published a book about raising chickens, and it’s really cool. I helped her with it in class, and I’m very impressed with the end result. Her story was even what pushed me from “should I get chickens?” into “I should get chickens!” Here’s what she has to say about [...]
My friend Nicolle and I are working on a graphic novel/webcomic type thing. We have finally decided on how the characters should look. So, presenting Tabs and Dizzy. We’re not quite there yet, but when we are, the comics will be posted at The Cats In The Alley Tumblr.
Good advice from an illustrator. The fearlessness he describes should carry over to writing, too!
If all Gary Panter did was the visuals for Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, that would still be a huge deal. But he’s done a ton more. I especially like his comment about doing something to mess up a notebook when you first get it so you don’t treat it so preciously. Gary Panter at Unbored.net
I got this one from Lynda Barry’s Tumblr, but I don’t remember if she invented or got it from one of her teachers. Basically (and I may be remembering this wrong, but this is how I do it) you spend two minutes writing down anything you remember from the day before. Then you spend two [...]
Apparently I felt pretty sunny the day I finished this notebook.