Shameless promotion for friends of the Phoenix

Polymath (former rocker, former Phoenix columnist, former Clinton speechwriter) Ted Widmer is out with his newest book, Ark of the Liberties: America and the World.

Ace illustrator Elizabeth Rock has a new blog is contributing on her nephew Nick's blog, My Prez, in support of the Obama cause.

I started a new blog intended be a sort of collection of art, culture and politics that have exploded with this campaign, It will have writing contributions in addition to artwork from different people around the country. The ultimate goal of it in the next 60 days will be to support the Obama campaign, hopefully there will be enough interesting critical content to help re-energize dems who have become bored with the election and possibly convince some independents that this is the right path. ...  Please send feedback, or if you want to contribute in anyway let me know. Also links to cool things are always welcome. That said here's the site. Forward it around to anyone who may care.

And another ace illustrator, Steve Brosnihan, is close to finishing a worthy project.

I'm getting very close to--finally--publishing my how-to-draw cartoons book, which will be titled: Anyone Can Draw Cartoonagrams. This book uses a method I have been teaching in hospitals and schools over the past 18 years. My method, using letters of the alphabet, makes learning to draw cartoons a breeze--even for those who don't believe they can draw at all. Many of you have witnessed the method in action. The book is ideally suited for ages five and up. There is no upper limit.
 
The book will feature 26 of my Cartoonagram characters to draw and be about 60 pages total. Based on a lot of surveying of parents and kids about the price of the book, I am currently planning to offer it for $12.95 (the .95 will cover RI sales tax). The price could change a little, but not much. A portion of the proceeds--5% to start--will be donated to The Tomorrow Fund for Children with Cancer, an organization I have been helping out with a percentage of my sales for years.
 
The book has been a long time in the making. A prospect for having the book published through a "real" publisher fell through earlier this year, so I'm going to publish it myself. I am working with a very talented person as editor and he is currently pulling together the electronic version for the printer. 
 
For the past year I have been carrying around a prototype of the book and testing it with kids I work with in the hospital (Hasbro Children's Hospital), at camp (The Hole In the Wall Gang Camp) and in schools throughout Rhode Island. The response has been fantastic and kids have proven, beyond doubt, that the book works--and that they want one.

If you'd like a copy of Steve's book, drop him a line at stevebfly@msn.com.