|
|
|
 |
||
 |
"(Our son) has not put these books down since I purchased them. He takes them everywhere with him and won't get into the car without a few in his hand." The Breteys |
 |
 |
||
Archive for the ‘Author’s Purpose’ Category
An Author's Stride
Written on Friday, January 25th, 2008 [permanent link]I’ve spoken to school groups for more than a decade. Each visit energizes me as much as it does the students and teachers I meet. Last week I was up in Fairfax County, Virginia, for a whole day at Mantua Elementary and had a great time talking to students about rough drafting, language, symbolism and my Author’s Purpose in creating Chester’s adventures — and I think I even held the students’ attention from the snow falling outside!
Now I’m going to work with WorldStrides to connect to school groups VISITING Virginia! I worked for this great Charlottesville-based company last spring as an on-site coordinator, steering school groups to their destinations in the Historic Triangle and making sure their hotel stays were pleasant. Now I’m offering an evening program for WorldStrides client groups called “Hysterical History” for school groups looking for something to do after the museums close.
We’ll brainstorm ideas as I cartoon about the historical stories they’ve witnessed that day. We’ll talk about what the early American experience says to our lives now. We’ll talk about Why things happened. And we’ll draw a big nose on George Washington. It’ll be fun! I have five school groups scheduled for the spring already, so if you’re coming to Virginia with WorldStrides, ask about my “Hysterical History” program. You can find out more about this school travel company at www.worldstrides.com.
Tags: Author's Purpose, Bentley Boyd, Chester Comix, student tours, Virginia, WorldStrides
Posted in Author's Purpose | No Comments »
A Fest of Cartoons
Written on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 [permanent link]Last week’s Festival of Cartoon Art at Ohio State was inspiring! I love the fact that one minute we’re discussing the meaning of language in the graphic novel format, the next minute we’re hearing old poker stories about “Steve Canyon” artist Milton Caniff, and the next we’re listening to a Wagner opera as a music video to a comic based on one of his pieces. WOW! Here are more highlights:
* I met Mike Peters, Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist and creator of the “Mother Goose and Grimm” comic strip. It was like meeting Robin Williams. The guy never stops talking, reacting, connecting. My Author’s Purpose visits are like his — on about 1/5 Peters speed.
* I chatted with Arnold Roth, who did the layouts for the Schoolhouse Rock episode “The Three Ring Circus” (about the three branches of our government. He is a funny, kind man – his sketch of himself in my sketchbook says, “Everything I know I learned from Bentley Boyd.” Ha!
* Seeing the Caniff originals in a campus gallery was wonderful. His Sunday comic episodes from the 30’s were as wide as my arm span. HUGE ART! I love getting close to see how he put the story together. Young readers who love adventure would do well to read Caniff’s “Terry and the Pirates” collections. He is credited for bringing movie-like images to the comix.
* One of the biggest inspirations was my friend Nick Anderson, who is doing amazing digital things for the Houston Chronicle. His political cartoons are in color every day and they’ve given him a staff to produce animated satire on their Web site. He has very funny music video parodies at www.chron.com/nickanderson. Check it out!
Tags: Bentley Boyd, cartoonist, Chester Comix, Festival of Cartoon Art, Mike Peters, Milton Caniff, Nick Anderson, Ohio State
Posted in Author's Purpose | No Comments »
Welcome
Written on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 [permanent link]Welcome to the new Chester Comix website!
It will be much more interactive than the previous version, with photos, fun stuff, new teachers guide material and a weekly blog posting from me about the latest in history and graphic novels. It’s an exciting time for this unique American art form, and I’ll share each new step of the way with you! For example, I’m looking forward to being at the Ohio State University’s Festival of Cartoon Art in October for a three-day discussion of graphic novels and nonfiction storytelling. Ohio State has one of the biggest collections of cartoon originals in the United States and hosts an academic conference every three years. I last went in 2001, just weeks after 9/11. It was a powerful session for reaffirming American values and an American art form.I’ll let you all know what happens at this one! In the meantime, keep checking back here for the latest updates on my work and the way comix can boost literacy and test scores — I’ll soon have charts showing how my books meet each state’s social studies standards!
Have fun reading!
Bentley
Posted in Author's Purpose | 13 Comments »
