Suzanne Alyssa Andrew's Blog: The PROCESS blog, page 12

Chris Eng and HoodieRipper Press profile

I chatted with Chris Eng recently about his new punk romance novel, ZeroWave, published by his HoodieRipper Press. The article was published in Quill & Quire magazine, but it’s behind the firewall, so here’s an excerpt:

Chris Eng’s HoodieRipper Press books riff on relationships, identity,
and acceptance

By Suzanne Alyssa Andrew

When Chris Eng stands behind the cluttered cash desk at
Page and Panel, the Toronto Comic Arts Festival bookshop, he often nods mid-way
through a customer’s question. The author and micro-press publisher already
knows the answer, but he’s going to wait, unhurried West Coast style, for the
person to finish.

The Victoria, B.C., transplant was a journalist, music
magazine editor, and campus radio host in Victoria and Vancouver before moving
to Toronto four years ago. Working as a clerk at Page and Panel enables Eng to
share his extensive comics knowledge and also devote time to writing and
publishing books through his HoodieRipper Press.

HoodieRipper’s punk-themed books are informed by decades
of reading comics. “I’ve always loved comics,” Eng says. “I tell comic-book-like
stories in prose, and I don’t think there’s a lot of people doing that.”

Eng may also be the first Canadian author to write
extensively about K-pop. ZeroWave, his second teen punk romance, is
about a West Coast punk teen secretly obsessed with Korean pop music and
struggling to find her place in the world. Eng released the book in May with
launches in Toronto, Victoria, and Vancouver. Like his 2013 debut, Molotov
Hearts, it’s set in the fictional Pacific Northwest city of Westport (which
he admits is very much like Victoria), but he wrote the new book for a slightly
older demographic: new adult instead of young adult.

Eng, who discovered punk in Grade 6 and attended his
first punk show with a forged ticket, is establishing himself as a DIY author
on his own terms with HoodieRipper Press. He admits he’s always had an
anti-authoritarian streak, so it makes sense for him to maintain creative
control.

He also has a clear vision. HoodieRipper books are about
love and self-acceptance. After watching all the punk movies, like Sid
and Nancy and Suburbia, Eng decided not everyone has to
die at the end of a punk story. He wanted to write something more like real
life. “I’ve had friends die, but not most of them. Most of my friends fell in
love. Some of them stayed together, some of them broke up and that’s life,” he
says.

Eng’s next HoodieRipper punk romance novel is planned
out and he’s also begun writing a new action adventure series about a punk rock
band. For now he’s focusing on publishing his own books under HoodieRipper
Press, but may expand to publish other authors’ books in the future, provided
they fit the same punk spirit.

“I want to tell stories for the next generation and for
teens who really need to hear that it’s okay to be yourself, no matter what
that means, whether that means you’re queer or you want a group of friends who
support you for who you are,” he says. “HoodieRipper books are about falling in
love, but they’re also about falling in love with yourself and finding people
like you.”

Read the full article on the Quill & Quire site. 

Spadina Rock Walk article for NOW magazine

I looked into what Toronto’s doing to celebrate and support the music scene, compared it to a new initiative in NYC and then chatted with some Toronto musicians including Katie Monks of Dilly Dally, Jesse Crowe of Beliefs, and Tom Bell and Gary J. Conlon of Honey Beard about what they’d like to see. Here’s an excerpt:

Can a Spadina Walk of Fame boost Toronto’s music scene? City council is going the commemorative plaque route, while New York City is giving thousands of hours of free rehearsal space and more to its musicians

Toronto might be getting a public art installation celebrating its music history.

On May 24, city council passed councillor Joe Cressy’s motion to investigate the establishment of a Spadina Rock Walk. A team of city staff would plan the design and decide which historic bands and performances to commemorate.

Cressy says it won’t look like your average heritage plaque series.

Reached by phone, he says the installations will be embedded into the streetscape and have a musical flavour. No word yet on how many there will be or who’s getting one – the walk wouldn’t start rolling out till late 2018.

“We have approved the idea,” Cressy says, “and we have formally directed staff of the city to start working on it.”

The Spadina Rock Walk was initiated by Cressy and Michael Wekerle, the Dragons’ Den investor who now owns the El Mocambo, to honour the musicians who’ve performed along the historic corridor of venues including the Silver Dollar, Grossman’s Tavern, the Rivoli and the Horseshoe.

While Cressy acknowledges celebrating Toronto’s music history is important, he says the city can do more to help the music scene.

“It’s not one or the other. You can celebrate the past while also ensuring live music has a future,” he says. “Live music is living history, and so work to ensure we are a music-friendly city is paramount.” Read on to find out what’s happening in NYC

Q2 recap: all the interviews!

I talked to a lot of people for the stories and projects I worked on in Q2. In fact 52 people is my new interviewing record in a single freelance quarter. I profiled 36 artists about their studio practices, chatted with Frankie Rose, wrote about design thinking, worked on a client’s annual report, wrote a script for a client’s fancy reception event, helped an entrepreneur incubator client start to rebrand and I have two feature articles and an author profile in progress yet to be published that I’ll tell you about soon!

I also did two literary readings this quarter, one at the DRAFT Reading Series, and one at the summer Taddle Creek launch. 

In case you missed it, here’s my Frankie Rose profile for NOW magazine.

Some of the projects I worked on this quarter are still in production, so check back later this summer to view them on my portfolio. 

I’m very proud of how this summer’s issue of Taddle Creek magazine turned out. Pick up a copy on newsstands today!

Frankie Rose article for NOW magazine

I had the great pleasure of chatting with Frankie Rose and writing about her for NOW magazine’s music section. Here’s an excerpt:

Frankie Rose is a founding member of Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, Beverly and Crystal Stilts and a solo artist with three album releases – so why is she in the opening slot on tour with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart?

“This is definitely a warm-up before my album comes out,” she says over the phone from New York City. “It’s a nice way to get out there, see audiences and friends, try out some new songs and keep it low pressure.”

The NYC music scene veteran hasn’t released a new album or toured since Herein Wild, over three years ago. Plus, Kip Berman, frontman and songwriter for the Pains, is an old friend.

For Rose, music is about community and her love of playing. 

“I’m surprised music became my profession,” she admits. “I’m in it for the joy.” Read the full article. 

Illustrations from DRAFT

I read a new story at my recent literary reading/performance at the DRAFT series (May 28 at the Flying Pony Cafe, with Suzanna Derewicz, Catherine Graham and Amy Lavender Harris )! The story was illustrated by the talented Jonathan Kociuba in poster-sized, full-colour panels, the reproductions of which appear below. Enjoy!

All illustrations copyright Jonathan Kociuba, 2017. 

Ilustrations from DRAFT

I read a new story at my recent literary reading/performance at the DRAFT series (May 28 at the Flying Pony Cafe, with Suzanna Derewicz, Catherine Graham and Amy Lavender Harris )! The story was illustrated by the talented Jonathan Kociuba in poster-sized, full-colour panels, the reproductions of which appear below. Enjoy!

All illustrations copyright Jonathan Kociuba, 2017. 

Come to my literary reading!

I’ll be reading a new short story at the Draft Reading Series, and I’m excited to announce it’s illustrated by the talented Jonathan Kociuba! 

He’s created series of wonderful illustration panels to accompany the story, including the one of Ana, below.

Hope to see you there! 

Draft Reading Series: Sunday, May 28, 3 p.m., Flying Pony Cafe, Toronto

With Catherine Graham, Suzanna Derewicz and Amy Lavender Harris. 

Courage!

“As artists, one of our biggest nemeses is self-doubt. Look for inspiration apart from online sources. Go to galleries, used bookstores, watch vintage films and documentaries, experience nature and explore and investigate as much as possible.” Illustrator and artist, Jody Hewgill

“Courage” by Jody Hewgill

Space to create

I’m fascinated by the spaces artists, writers and musicians inhabit and work in, and keep writing about space. I had the chance to talk to three OCAD U alumni about their studio spaces and write about it for OCAD U’s online Instudio magazine: Jihee Min, Joseph Clement and Melanie Janisse-Barlow. 

Space to create: a glimpse inside innovative work studios in Toronto and beyond takes readers into a collective studio space in Kensington Market, a renovated studio in a shared home and a unique studio in a historic building in Windsor:

Finding the right space to create in is integral to the creative practice , and right now there’s no question this is more challenging than ever—but it’s not impossible. As rents in Canadian cities continue to rise and neighbourhoods gentrify, independent creators pushed out of old warehouses and lofts are finding new places to work in. Sometimes this means joining a studio collective, taking over and transforming an unused room somewhere, or finding a spacious and affordable spot outside of Toronto. We talked to three OCAD U alumni who found or built studios they love. Read more

Melanie Janisse-Barlow’s studio in Windsor

The Toronto Comics anthology series showcases rising talent

I wrote about the Toronto Comics anthology for Quill & Quire magazine. This year’s anthology launches at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival and features stories by exciting debut creators:

A trans woman embarks on a quest to find a safe bathroom; residents of the future must fight a robot to purchase a condominium; and clowns rampage in the historic Toronto Circus Riot of 1855 – all within a single, diverse new comics anthology.

“We wanted to reflect the best of Toronto and give creators free rein to tell stories that are personal to them,” says Steven Andrews, lead editor of Toronto Comics: Yonge at Heart, the fourth volume in an ongoing series, publishing this May. “There’s an enormous pool of creators here, and nobody knows it because they draw fictional cities. They don’t always have a chance to make art about where they live.” Read more