THE NEW YORKER FESTIVAL

Cover by Lorenzo Mattotti

THE NEW YORKER FESTIVAL

October 3-5 2008

Here’s a reason I wish I lived nearer to NYC.
The legendary New Yorker magazine hosts an absolute feast for readers, writers, and even comics fans. Huge literary figures attending include Haruki Murakami, Salman Rushdie, Joyce Carol Oates, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Elmore Leonard, Jhumpa Lahiri, Alice Munro, Junot Diaz, , and Paul Theroux.
Also Stephen Colbert, Clint Eastwood, Oliver Stone, Tommy Lee Jones, Martha Plimpton, and Rage Againts The Machine’s guitarist/activist Tom Morello.

Comics fans get treated to some heavyweights too.
Saturday October 4, at 4pm you get “Drawn Together”: Lynday Barry in coversation with Matt Groening. Barry will likely be discussing her latest book an illustrated comics instructional “What It Is” as well as her forthcoming book “Nearsighted Monkey.”

But you’ll have to choose because at 4:30 the same day comes “Breakdowns: Comix 101” with Art Spiegelman. Not certain what the discussion specifically entails but Spiegelman has two new books coming out this month. One is a children’s book “Jack in a Box” and “Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&!.”

At 10 pm you get an amazingly rare chance to hear from Italian comics legend (and New Yorker contributor) Lorenzo Mattotti, alnog with Charles Burns in a discussion with Francoise Mouly. The two artists will discuss the new animated film “Fear(s) Of The Dark,” a compendium of animated shorts about phobias.
Mouly first published both Mattotti and Burns as co-editor (with partner Art Spiegelman) in RAW.

Spiegelman and Lynda Barry will also do book signings on Sunday October 5.

Plus Dawn Upshaw talks with Alex Ross!! Um, okay, not that Alex Ross, but rather the music critic and author who shares a name with the comics artist.

Things I also attend if I could: Tom Morello talks with James Surowiecki. Oliver Stone with critic David Denby (sure to cover Stone’s wacky-looking new bio-pic “W” about our country’s worst president). Stephen Colbert (from my hometown) talks with Ariel levy. Also talks with Rushdie and Murakami, and NY’s high-minded literary critic James Woods.