The Dreaming

With thanks to batwrangler for providing the text.

From the excellent Guardian‘s overview on the best in current children’s literature, dated 31 March:

The greatest stories ever told
…What’s the story? Classics for every age
Age 0-5…
Neil Gaiman (words) and Dave McKean (pictures) form the most
distinctive partnership working in picture books (The Wolves in the Walls, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish). Scary stories, though no more so than your average fairy tale. Gaiman lives in America, McKean in Kent, and their collaboration is phone-based.

–Dina Rabinovitch

From the March 29th Chicago Sun-Times

Fans of graphic novels will know the name Neil Gaiman right off the bat. The English-bred, U.S.-based writer is best known as the creator of Sandman, the monthly cult DC Comics horror series that first appeared in 1988 and has been described by Norman Mailer as “a comic strip for intellectuals.”

He also is a screen and television writer (he penned the English-language version of the hit Japanese film Princess Mononoke), an author of children’s books and a best-selling novelist (American Gods).

Stardust, Gaiman’s fairy-tale novel for adults, is now headed to a Chicago stage as Griffin Theatre prepares to present a world premiere adaptation of the tale created by William Massolia and directed by Dorothy Milne, artistic director of Lifeline Theatre.

The show, set in a land populated by gnomes, witches, talking trees and unicorns, will run May 15-June 26 at the Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont. Tickets: (773) 327-5252.

Gaiman will be interviewed at 7 p.m. April 19 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, as part of the University of Chicago Presidential Fellows in the Arts series. Call (773) 702-8080.
–Hedy Weiss

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From the March 31st University of Chicago Chronicle:

Graphic novelist and writer Neil Gaiman will appear Tuesday, April 19, as part of the Presidential Fellows in the Arts Series, a new initiative of the University’s Arts Planning Council and the Office of the President, which is bringing three artists to campus every academic year for short residencies.

The creator of Sandman, Gaiman will engage in a public conversation with Gretchen Helfrich, host of Chicago Public Radio’s daily talk show Odyssey. While tickets for the event have already sold out, a limited number of tickets may become available after 10 a.m. Monday, April 18.

Gaiman’s residency is the second in the Presidential Fellows in the Arts Series, a new program that seeks to showcase the vibrant connections between artistic theory and practice taking place at the University and to foster the vitality of the arts in Hyde Park.

The program brings to the University a varied roster of distinguished artists from all arts disciplines for short residencies. These include a public presentation as well as a more intimate educational program for University students and faculty, such as a workshop, seminar or master class. Each residency is organized and presented in collaboration with University departments, centers and arts organizations.

Last month, the program welcomed its first Presidential Fellow in the Arts, actor, professor and playwright Anna Deavere Smith. Deavere Smith performed her latest work and held a discussion with students in the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture.

Gaiman’s residency is being presented in collaboration with the Committee on Creative Writing. During his 20-year career, Gaiman has been one of the top writers in modern comics.

He was the creator and writer of the monthly cult DC Comics horror series Sandman, which won 12 Eisner Comic Industry Awards and a World Fantasy Award for best short story, making it the first comic ever to receive a literary award. Norman Mailer described the series as “a comic strip for intellectuals.”

The Los Angeles Times called the series “the greatest epic in the history of comic books.” Sandman was introduced in 1988 and ran 75 issues until Gaiman chose to end the story in 1996; at the time it was DC Comics’ best-selling monthly at more than a million copies a year. Re-introduced in 2003, the graphic novel Sandman: Endless Nights continues the saga, reaching a wider audience than ever.

Gaiman also is a movie and television screenwriter, a journalist and a best-selling novelist. Called by Forbes magazine “the best-selling author you never heard of,” Gaiman has written more than a dozen books, including the internationally best-selling novel American Gods; Neverwhere, which was originally a BBC television series; and Coraline, a young adult novel that debuted on the New York Times’ bestseller list.

Gaiman also serves on the board of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, an organization that works to protect the First Amendment rights of comic book creators, publishers and retailers.

His personal Web site, neilgaiman.com, was singled out by CNN for “reinventing the marketing of a novel.”

Gaiman’s sold-out talk will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Those interested in purchasing tickets that may be released for sale should call the concert office at (773) 702-8080 after 10 a.m. Monday, April 18.

Immediately following the presentation, Gaiman will sign books at the Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave., where ticket holders will be able to purchase Gaiman’s work and meet the author
–Jennifer Carnig

From the March 15th Booklist:

Blaschke, Jayme Lynn. Voices of Vision. Apr. 2005. 224p. Univ. of Nebraska/Bison, paper, $14.95 (0-8032-6239-6). 813.

Anthologies of mainstream author interviews are common enough, but similar resources covering sf creators rarely see print, except online. Blaschke, fiction editor for RevolutionSF.com, fills something of a vacuum, then, with this outstanding collection of conversations he has had with leading sf editors and authors since 1997. He sorts the interviewees into four whimsically titled categories. “A Source of Innocent Merriment,” for instance, focuses on such highly distinctive voices in speculative fiction as urban fantasist Charles de Lint, and “I Am Legend” targets genuine luminaries of the field, such as Samuel R. Delaney and Gene Wolfe. Standout interviews include those with 800-pound gorilla Harlan Ellison, displaying his usual cynicism about sf films and their fans, and perdurable grandmaster Jack Williamson, who explains how he has kept the creative fires burning since his first publication in 1928. Another section takes note of comic book creators, with Sandman author Neil Gaiman leading the pack. Must reading for devotees curious to see what makes their favorite authors tick.
-Carl Hays

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From the March 15th Library Journal:

Vess, Charles (illus.) & others (text). .The Book of Ballads Tor. 2004. c.192p. discog. ISBN 0-765-31214-X. $24.95.

This fine anthology features classic ballads from the British Isles-stories of fairies, monsters, demons, and lovers-adapted by leading fantasy authors and illustrated in a remarkable fine-lined, black-and-white style by the acclaimed Vess, whose previous work includes two World Fantasy Award-winning collaborations with Neil Gaiman (the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” issue of Sandman and the illustrated novel Stardust) and the Eisner Award-winning Bone prequel Rose, written by Jeff Smith. Reprinted here are all the stories from Vess’s 1997 collection Ballads (published by his own Green Man Press) and four new tales. Both Gaiman and Smith contribute, along with prose writers Charles de Lint, Jane Yolen, Sharyn McCrumb, and others. Vess’s marvelously detailed and atmospheric art hearkens back to classic book illustrators such as Arthur Rackham. The bare-bones nature of the ballad narratives leaves ample room for Vess’s collaborators to flesh out the stories imaginatively, filling in background and detail and sometimes re-framing the events entirely. A discography lists recommended recordings of the ballads by folk and folkrock musicians. With some nudity and sex, this is best placed in adult collections. Recommended for fantasy fans at all libraries, especially for fans of P. Craig Russell’s work.
–Steve Raiteri

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In slightly older news, Publishers Weekly notes that the paperback of Wolves in the Walls is due out from HarperCollins/Trophy in Fall 2005, and a younger readers version of MirrorMask is due out October 18th from HarperCollins. (The illustrated film script is due out from William Morrow on May 3rd).

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And I guess we should have mentioned that there’s an Anansi Boys bit posted, but that would assume that the Author Tracker was actually working. Hah.

From the March 14 Publishers Weekly:

Melinda
Neil Gaiman and Dagmara Matuszak
Hill House (491 Illington Rd., Ossining, N.Y. 10562), $90 (64p) ISBN 0-931-771-04-8

The heroine of the latest book by Gaiman (Sandman, American Gods) is a jaded young girl, playing in a ruined urban landscape populated by rats, crows and sinister-looking pike. Gaiman approaches the story as if he were writing a children’s book, using rhythm and rhyme to move readers from page to page. Fortunately, he knows that the best children’s stories – like Grimm’s fairy tales – are appealing in no small part because they’re dark. The tale is really more of a mood piece than a full-fledged story, but that atmosphere shows off newcomer Matuszak’s art to great advantage. Matuszak combines b&w ink illustrations with color plate inserts to create the effect of an illuminated manuscript. Her linework has a sketchy quality that nicely conveys the story’s gritty, urban surroundings, and the washed, muted colors of the inserts. Hill House has done a superlative job presenting the book, making it an art object in its own right. Heavy, flecked paper showcases the b&w illustrations, and watercolor inserts bring the most memorable elements into stark relief. The price tag for such a slim volume is hefty, but the book includes a plate signed by Gaiman, so Gaiman completists with deep pocketbooks will find it worth the asking price. (Mar.)

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From the March 14th Macleans:

Chris Landreth, 43, the Toronto animator who won an Oscar
for Ryan — his short about Ryan Larkin, a former Oscar
nominee who now panhandles in Montreal — told us about his
favourite adult comics.

1. Watchmen, by Alan Moore.
“A precursor to The Incredibles — albeit darkly comic.
It’s about superheroes who work for the government but are
forced by litigation to blend into society and get regular
jobs. That is, until they’re called back into action.”

2. The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman.
“This 2,000-pager is based on seven siblings called the
Endless (Death, Delirium, Destruction, Despair, Dream,
Destiny and Desire), representing all of what humanity
experiences or awaits. Death is a cheerful, sensible goth
woman.”

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From the March 13th Edmonton Journal:

…As in any segment of the publishing world, many works are
mediocre, but there are more and more gems to be discovered
in the burgeoning racks of graphic novels, many of which
have found a place in mainline bookstores.

The following roundup presents a handful of the exceptional
graphic novels released over the past four months:

…Also in the must-read category, but in a much lighter
vein, is Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli’s Creatures of the
Night (Dark House Comics, 48 pp., $16.50), a dreamy book
rendered in fine romantic style and boasting a
straightforward interpretation of two classic Gaiman
horror-tinged short stories….
–Gilbert A. Bouchard

Moriarity’s review of MirrorMask is posted on AICN (thanks, Steve).

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Sowon Jessica Moon posted an American Gods review to yesterday’s Hofstra Chronicle.

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From the DC Comics Online Newsletter:

NEIL GAIMAN’S NEVERWHERE #1 FEATURED IN APRIL’S FABLES #36

Can’t wait to see VERTIGO’s comics adaptation of NEIL GAIMAN’S NEVERWHERE? You’ll get a look at it in a spectacular, free 8-page preview in next month’s FABLES #36.

Written by Mike Carey (LUCIFER, HELLBLAZER) with art and covers by Glenn Fabry (THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS, PREACHER), NEIL GAIMAN’S NEVERWHERE is a 9-issue adaptation of the classic urban fantasy novel from VERTIGO, with Gaiman himself overseeing the project as consultant.

“Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry are the perfect team to bring Neil Gaiman’s classic first novel to comics,” says Karen Berger, VP – Executive Editor, VERTIGO. “They’ve brought the story’s unique characters to life while capturing all the gothic danger in an adaptation that’s both faithful to Neil’s book and highly original. FABLES readers and fans of dark, urban fantasy won’t want to miss this incredible series.”

Watch for NEIL GAIMAN’S NEVERWHERE #1, coming to comics shops in June!

From the March 7th Publishers Weekly:

Publishers Examine the Good, Bad and Ugly
..last week’s joint AAP annual meeting / PW Summit…sponsored by R.R. Bowker, drew approximately 300 people to New York City’s Marriott Marquis hotel…

…The meeting’s afternoon panel, moderated by PW editor-in-chief Sara Nelson, included a surprise warning from Art Spiegelman about the possibility of the collapse of the booming graphic novel market. The comics market has a “history of fads,” Spiegelman said, and he worries that in 2007, publishers could see graphic novels as “so 2005.”

Author Neil Gaiman picked up that theme, explaining that some publishers are releasing graphic novels with little regard to content. “You can’t randomly publish graphic novels and expect to do well,” he said. Despite their caveats, Spiegelman and Gaiman were both thrilled with the growing acceptance of graphic novels by booksellers and librarians, with Spiegelman describing comics “as the gateway drug to reading.”
–Jim Milliot

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From today’s New Orleans Times-Picayune:

The purpose of the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award is to foster a love of reading in the children of Louisiana and to give them the opportunity to participate in the selection of books worthy of receiving an award for literary excellence.

The overall state winner was Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

The awards site does not reflect this information at the moment.

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From the March Teaching K-8:

The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection, written and read by Neil Gaiman. (HarperCollins, 2004, ISBN:0-060-73298-9, one CD, one hour, $13.95)

This horror writer earns his status as a master storyteller with these four scary, and often humorous, tales. This almost-too-short collection includes “The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish,” “The Wolves in the Wall,” “Cinnamon” and “Crazy Hair.” Not appropriate for the very young.
–Lisa Von Drasek

From Heather Kenyon’s coverage of the I Castelli Animati festival:

…One of the most unusual special guests was the U.K.’s David McKean. David’s dark, haunting images and use of new technology made him a real breath of fresh air and a new face to see at an animation festival. Congratulations go to the festival staff for seeking out such an original guest. A contributor to The New Yorker, he is also a filmmaker, writer, stop-motion animator, photographer and has worked in advertising, comics (the renowned Sandman series) and with collage. He is a multi-faceted artist who works in many mediums, mixing them together, to create a signature style that is very unique.

The highlight was getting two sneak peeks at his recently completed feature film collaboration with Neil Gaiman, MirrorMask. Mr. McKean, who co-wrote and directed, explained, “It is for everybody – it is not a kid’s film, it is not an adult film – however, while it is for everybody, I don’t think it is for everyone. Not everyone will like it.” But I think, with the absolutely jaw-dropping, stunning visuals, this dark, fairy story of a film will be well worth the price of admission for animation fans.

Taking 17 months to complete, the Sony release transplants viewers to another world following the journey of young Helena as she tries to find the fabled MirrorMask, save her kingdom and return home. A charming speaker David offered everything from advice – “A filmmaker must always keep in mind the point and then get their audience to think that that is very important.” – to musings about Batman: “I never understood Batman. Where was the leap between man and bat? There must have been some missing pages somewhere,” he quipped.

From the March 6 Hartford Courant

Short stories, sweet or scary, are delectable bits of fiction easily digested as audiobooks during a lazy stroll or an afternoon of housecleaning.

Some of the more intelligent short stories in audiobook land are on the yearly release of Selected Shorts by Symphony Space, which are culled from acclaimed authors and paired with skilled actors, recorded live at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City and aired on NPR. The best are released on CD, with the focus this year on humor…

…The best of the seven stories is “Chivalry” by Neil Gaiman. The idea is very simple: A late-middle-aged widow finds the Holy Grail in an Oxfam shop and decides it will look perfect on her mantle. All is well until Sir Galahad turns up on her doorstep, hoping to complete his quest in her modest living room. Unfortunately, this smart and sweet little gem is paired to the weakest reader in the bunch, as actress Christina Pickles fumbles too often and does not sound prepared…

…Symphony Space provides complete liner notes, a rarity and a treat, but they track each story only once, so you need equipment that bookmarks your place, or you must finish each story in one sitting.

But the stories are so imaginative and clever that all are worthy of repeated listening.

“Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story, Volume XVIII” by John Updike, Neil Gaiman, Nicholson Baker and others (Symphony Space; unabridged fiction; three CDs; three hours; $28; read by John Guare, Christina Pickles, Isaiah Sheffer and others. Available in stores or call (212) 864-1414, ext. 502, or at www.symphonyspace.org.

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Random House has selected audio stories from their publication Legends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy. The latest is “Legends II, Volume Three,” with three stories of close to novella length by Robert Silverberg, Neil Gaiman and Orson Scott Card. Each author has won at least one Nebula and Hugo Award for his work in the genre.

Though not all the stories from the anthology made it to audio, those that did are unabridged. In each, the author has taken established characters and spun stand-alone stories. They serve as either introductions to listeners or as adjuncts to series already heard and admired.

In Gaiman’s “The Monarch of the Glen,” his character Shadow from “American Gods” is traveling through a craggy and remote Scottish village. This is the best of the three, if only because it sounds the most complete as a stand-alone story. Narrator Michael Emerson conjured up a strong Scottish accent and several other British and Scottish voices. Of the three tales, this is the one that lingers, leaving the listener wanting more…

…”Legends II: Volume Three” by Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Robert Silverberg, edited by Silverberg (Random House Audio, unabridged fiction; four cassettes; seven hours; $25; read by Jason Culp, Peter Bradbury, Michael Emerson. Also available as a download from www.audible.com; $17.97.)
–Rochelle O’Gorman

From today’s Guardian:

Over on Radio 3, the moral struggle involves crocodiles and sausages rather than serpents and apples. The Tragical Comedy Or Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch (10pm, Radio 4) is set on the south coast of England, where a small boy has come to stay with his grandparents. Grandad runs an amusement arcade on the seafront, and when Swatchell, a Punch and Judy “professor”, sets up his booth, the boy becomes fascinated by the puppets – particularly when parallels develop between the story of Mr Punch and events in his own family’s life. Neil Gaiman’s play is narrated by Richard Dillane and stars Alexander Morton and Geoff Felix as Punch.
–Phil Daoust

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From the 3 March Herald:

Distorting mirrors, ghost trains, that tall, narrow tent wherein lurked violent puppets. Was there anything spookier to a child than the old fashioned seaside fun arcade? Well, the funsters who worked there often topped the creepy league.

This, anyway, was the impression left by the latest play in The Wire series, The Tragical Comedy and Comical Tragedy of Mr Punch (Radio 3, Thursday), which explored the weird parallels between a small boy’s encounter with Punch and Judy and the hushed-up furies inside his own family life.

Powerful and chilling, the work was adapted by Neil Gaiman from the acclaimed novel he wrote with Dave McKean, and this time round that grotesque squeeze-box voice chanting “That’s the way to do it” really was nightmarish stuff.
–Anne Simpson