5 pleasant things to look at
(like peaceful cemeteries, comics & a mango)
How was your week? Don’t wanna talk? No sweat. We can shove the words aside for a second and gaze upon …
1 - Green River Cemetery
I visited this heavenly spot in East Hampton, N.Y., on a beautiful fall afternoon to track down the grave of poet Frank O’Hara:
One of my favorite O’Hara poems, “Lana Turner has collapsed!” exemplifies how, on a very rare occasion, the exclamation point can be a fabulous device.
And here’s Jackson Pollock’s resting place beside a big boulder:
His wife, painter Lee Krasner, has a much smaller boulder (ahem) surrounded by dozens of rocks and paintbrushes. The Pollock-Krasner House is just steps away and well worth the trek.
2 - Chest Face
My dear friend Dean Haspiel launched a Kickstarter for his new pulp noir comic, CHEST FACE. It’s about a soft-hearted guy with a super-hard body … and he’s also a standup comedian!
Dean was challenging folks to draw ol’ Chesty — yes, his face is actually on his chest — so here’s my rendition:
ALSO, in an effort to help Dean, get this: I’ll send a previously unpublished short story to anyone who backs his Kickstarter (or raises their contribution) TODAY, NOV. 9. Just email me after you’ve pledged and I’ll reply with a story that I put my own squishy heart into.
3 - Diary comics
Ah, turtles and cake.
4 - The cover of THERE IS A RIO GRANDE IN HEAVEN
Earlier this year, I spent some time with writer Ruben Reyes Jr. at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Not only is he an excellent writer, the cover of his new book by artist Maria Jesùs Contreras is my favorite book cover of the year!
See more of Contreras’s work and buy prints on her website. As for Ruben, he has another book out next year — with another incredible cover by the same artist! You can preorder it now.
5 - Three vintage Conan performances
As we drift/crawl into the weekend, remember to hydrate, sleep and listen to as many guitars as possible. Love to you all, and thank you for reading.
🐢🧡🐅
THANKS WHITNEY.
Love your chest...face!
xo