praise for THIS IS US: The New All-American Family, by David Marin:
READER'S DIGEST : The journey chronicled in [This Is US] sweetly mirrors the extreme joys and gray hair-inducing patterns of parenthood . . . At the heart of it all, Marin is a father who loves his children; his experiences illuminating a maelstrom of emotions, trying circumstances and unwavering patience that will resonate with parents and non-parents alike. READER'S DIGEST | November 2011
GILROY DISPATCH : The journey chronicled in [This Is US] sweetly mirrors the extreme joys and gray hair-inducing patterns of parenthood . . . At the heart of it all, Marin is a father who loves his children; his experiences illuminating a maelstrom of emotions, trying circumstances and unwavering patience that will resonate with parents and non-parents alike. Blair Tellers, GILROY DISPATCH | September 2011
The New York Journal of Books : Mr. Marin has not only withstood the tribulations of parenthood, racism, and ignorance, but is also a fantastic writer who knows how to tell a tale that is equal parts heartbreaking, confusing, honest, and inspiring. This guy can write. Gabriel Constans | The New York Journal of Books | September 13, 2011
FOREWORD REVIEWS : Good books often give us some laughs and/or add to our knowledge about a relatively unknown subject. In addition to satisfying on both of those counts, this story had to be told—as a form of therapy and pride for its author, but mostly to hold up a mirror to our nation's incompetent social structure, in which far too many children are considered disposable. FOREWORD REVIEWS | September/October 2011
about EAP and Tod Davies:
POETS AND WRITERS : In 2005 publisher Tod Davies set out on the Internet frontier to start a conversation. What she conceived of as an online “art project”—a venture that would bring writers and artists together in a multimedia discussion about how to achieve equity in today’s society—grew wings and became Exterminating Angel Press, an independent book publisher with a big mission: to challenge the received cultural narrative.
POETS AND WRITERS | Nov/Dec, 2011
WORDS FOR WRITERS : Her artistic pursuits are rooted in the philosophy that people ought to think about the world and their place in it, and that everyone may be an advocate for truth and an agent of change.
Marissa Bell Toffoli, WORDS FOR WRITERS | May 10, 2011
THE OREGONIAN : Most new publishers attempt to establish an identity and find a place for themselves in a very competitive marketplace by putting out books in the same genre or subject area. Davies says she's no different. "All our books have something in common," she says. "It's just going to take awhile for people to see it. They all question a dominant cultural story. We're not going to sit on the fence, we're going to stomp on it."
Jeff Baker, THE OREGONIAN | April 15, 2011
praise for SNOTTY SAVES THE DAY:
NERVOUS BREAKDOWN : Awesome . . . There’s plenty of humor in the book. . . . And the best is the truth—what Is, as the book calls it—Snotty discovers about himself. He doesn’t just see the error of his old ways; he re-becomes an entirely different person. And that possibility, that ability—that we all might re-become what we were born to be—raises a wonder, a “sympathy with the idea of ‘changing the world’” that beats louder than does a superficially bleeding heart. Kristin Thiel| NERVOUS BREAKDOWN | October 2011
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY : Fairy tales and Biblical stories come true in this amusing debut mash-up of folklore and Christian allegory. . . . Readers with a fantasy bent will note the traditional fairy tale elements (there are teddy bears and they do picnic), as those with Christian sensibilities will know to pronounce ‘Luc’ with a soft ‘c’. Dressed up with footnotes, scholarly introductions and a bibliography, as well as lovely line drawings by Gary Zaboly, Snotty’s story seeks to prove that fairy tales rank with quantum mechanics in their ability to establish parallel worlds. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY | October 2011
BOOKSLUT : COOL READS…The most audacious and unusual book I have read this year. If you are intrigued by how [fairy tales] are manipulated with such ease by pop culture mavens and movie makers, if you are tired of the way in which he heedlessly hurdle from one familiar story after another then you will find the cheekiness of Davies' story to be wildly appealing. Colleen Mondor| BOOKSLUT | June 2011
The New York Journal of Books : Ms. Davies blends folklore, fairy tales, fantasy, and even oral tradition—and does so brilliantly….Snotty Saves the Day is a book for mature or precocious teens, for fantasy and tale-within-a-tale lovers, and for thoughtful adults who seek the wonder and optimism so badly needed in today's times. Sally D. Ketchum | The New York Journal of Books | April 11, 2011
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW : a unique story of heroism and how the universe works, spurred by an insufferable brat. "Snotty Saves the Day" is a fun and unique tale, sure to entertain readers both young and old. Midwest Book Review | June 2011
LARGEHEARTED BOY: BookNotes : A smart, funny, and thought-provoking read for readers of all ages, Snotty Saves the Day has me eagerly awaiting its sequel. LARGEHEARTED BOY | April 21, 2011
FOREWORD REVIEWS : Fascinating.The combination of story and thematic elements make Snotty Saves the Day a quirky, intelligent, and imaginative read for mid-teens and up. No matter the age, anyone who enjoys reading or studying fairy or folk tales and fantasy will especially enjoy this. FOREWORD REVIEWS | March/April 2011
and from the Booksellers:
bookconscious : Davies touches on assumptions about childhood, social standing, and gender, the importance of fantasy and fairy tales (and the lack of respect given to these), the nature of conflict, poverty’s impact on the imagination — all very Big Ideas. She explores habitual thought — the way we believe something because that’s what we’ve been told, rather than noticing what is right before our eyes.
But these themes are wrapped in wonders such as a mysterious 7th garden on a street with 6 houses, soldier gnomes, giant teddy bears, magical castles, talking animals, and so forth. What could have been simply “messagey” is a romp, and an original one at that. When Snotty Saves the Day comes out in May, give it to a smart, precocious young person in your life, read it yourself, and see what kind of interesting conversation develops. DEB BAKER, BOOKCONSCIOUS | March 6, 2011
Our 2010 books were two EAP Fairy Tales for Adults of All Ages (you know the conversation NEEDS them…), E. E. King's DIRK QUIGBY'S GUIDE TO THE AFTERLIFE, and Danbert Nobacon's 3 DEAD PRINCES: An Anarchist Fairy Tale (illustrations by EAP's own dear Alex Cox) …
3 DEAD PRINCES: AN ANARCHIST FAIRY TALE.
RAIN TAXI: Nobacon's tale has a haunting quality of unseemliness…the structure and impact of his work is still very much in line with his radical roots.
Niels Strandskov | RAIN TAXI | SUMMER 2011
Chil Mama says: If you're raising a little anti-princess (or wish you were), then this is the fairy tale for you. Chil Mama Blog | November 9, 2010
This Week In New York : 3 DEAD PRINCES also manages to comment on religion, politics, evolution, and the environment in clever and playful ways and concludes with a fascinating Author’s Response that delves into the anarchist theories… making it a fun read for adults and children alike. This Week In New York | October 21, 2010
Live on KDHX radio: Danbert Nobacon makes music like a British anarchist fighting with instruments found in the Grand Ole Opry’s basement… This year he's been killing two birds with one stone as he tours the states behind the album Woebegone and the book Three Dead Princes. KDHX | October 17, 2010
Chicago Parent: Nobacon has created a descriptive, post apocalyptic world that adults and children will relish exploring together. Of course, Alex Cox's illustrations of great hairy beasties and freaky people add to the tale. Bonnie Kenaz-Mara | Chicago Parent | October 14, 2010
Words With Writers: Interview with 3 Dead Princes Author, Danbert Nobacon. Marissa B. Toffoli | Words With Writers blog | October 4, 2010
3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale: "At its best, the story inhabits that delicate balance between sincerity and self-conscious mockery of fairy tale tropes…" Publishers Weekly | September 2010
3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale Skylight Books performance named by the L.A. Times as one of the 22 Notable Literary Events in September. See the list of other events on the L.A. Times blogs site. Carolyn Kellogg| L.A. Times Blog | September 7, 2010
3 Dead Princes: An Anarchist Fairy Tale : "The tale of Princess Stormy and her unorthodox adventures, in which the princes you’d expect to save her are actually foes to be conquered, was completed in January, complete with Nobacon’s maps of his mythical realm. Cox provided the pen and ink illustrations, and Davies packaged the project, complete with a cover blurb from Iggy Pop." (“This is a beautiful book. … It definitely rocks! I ought to know.”) Jefferson Robbins | The Wenatchee World | September 8, 2010
DIRK QUIGBY'S GUIDE TO THE AFTERLIFE.
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW SMALL PRESS BOOKWATCH : “The laughs roll together well with plenty of substance…a read that is fun and very hard to set down.” Midwest Book Review | January 2011
Words With Writers Interviews E. E. King: What question do you find surprising that people ask about your work? “Related to this book, they’ll ask me which is my favorite afterlife, but nobody has asked me if I think there is an afterlife, and that surprises me in a way…” Marissa Bell Toffoli | Words With Writers blog | October 12, 2010
Boring is Safe: “Dirk Quigby’s Guide to the Afterlife is a sly and satirical glimpse into what would happen if a Madison Avenue mad man gave heaven a PR makeover. King clearly relishes her many opportunities to skewer the advertising industry and the pious, indulging in jokes at the expense of religions both venerable (Catholicism) and questionable (Scientology)…. As King demonstrates, the devil also has the best jokes.” Paul M. Davis | SF Weekly | September 22, 2010
Dirk Quigby’s Guide to the Afterlife: “Evie King does a masterful job at mixing short vignettes of Dirk’s experience with the Devil, his travels to the many heavens, his newly discovered lover, the attractive coworker Angelica (yes she is an angel in every sense of the word), and the factual descriptions of the final paradise of each faith.” David Rosman | The New York Journal of Books | September 15, 2010
Dirk Quigby’s Guide to the Afterlife is an "…ecumentically snarky review of postlife paradises [that] spares no religion—large (Roman Catholicism) or small (Zoroastrianism), venerable (Ancient Greek) or modern (Scientology)—in its attempts to rate their various comforts and costs….Not for the easily offended of any faith." Publishers Weekly | September 2010
NPR rated Mike Madrid's The Supergirls as one of the year's top 100 books, one of the top FIVE to share with a friend, and also featured an excerpt of his first encounter with Supergirl…and The San Francisco Chronicle interviews him, too…
Congratulations Mike!!
Jam Today was also recently reviewed by Charlotte Freeman at CookBookslut , and Correcting Jesus was given the thumbs up by The Oregonian . See below for a complete list of this year's kudos, reviews, and anything else we manage to get our name and titles into. Cheers.
EAP.
Where Cookbooks and Comic Books Collide: The Ambitious Variety of Exterminating Angel Press: Tod Davies, founder of Exterminating Angel Press (EAP), takes a physicist's approac..h to social change. It's not that she's extraordinarily precise—it's that, like the minds behind a particle accelerator, her primary goal is to cause collisions. by Jane Carlen | Portland Mercury | Sept 10
Image of the Day: Powell's Hosts Publisher and Book Launch: Powells' Hawthorne store is EAP launching pad… Shelf Awareness| Sept 17
THE SUPERGIRLS.
The San Francisco Chronicle on THE SUPERGIRLS: "San Francisco writer and Amazing Fantasy regular Mike Madrid was always partial to the superhero women so often forced to sit on the sidelines, and it was his dream to write about them." Lisa Hix|Feb 7
The Amelia Bloomer Project picks SUPERGIRLS: "From the super heroines of today to “Goddesses of Tomorrow,” Madrid questions the position of women in the world of superhero fantasy, showing the parallels between society’s expectations and the depiction of American women in comic fiction."
WORN Fashion Journal sees the chic in SUPERGIRLS: "There comes a time in every comic book geek slash fashionista's life when she must ask herself 'What do costumes and couture have in common?' THE SUPERGIRLS sets out to answer that question….a quick read that skims over the history of publishing powerhouses Marvel and DC, making it informative enough and providing sufficient cultural context for those who may have no prior comic book knowledge." WORN| issue no. 9
The Best Five Books to Share With Your Friends: "Of Satin Tights and Equal Rights: [E]ven as it delivers its clear-eyed critique of the way mainstream superhero comics have alternately eroticized or deified female characters, The Supergirls, gleefully celebrates the medium itself, in all its goofy, glorious excess." Glen Weldon | NPR | Dec 2
Excerpt: 'The Supergirls' "I had a vague idea who Superman was… I was more fascinated, however, by Supergirl. She could fly and was incredibly strong, and I could tell from the way she was drawn that she was brave and noble. I thought she was great. Although I wasn't sure exactly what her relationship to Superman was, I could tell that she was somehow considered inferior. And I didn't understand why…" NPR | Nov 30
What About Super Women?: "Mike Madrid has written a comprehensive survey of superheroines. I talk with him about what drew him to them, how they reflect cultural images of women, and where superheroines might be headed…" Kim de Vries | Sequential Tart | Nov 30
I Need a Heroine: "It's been a long and rocky road for super heroines. But thanks to intrepid online activism and a new generation of creators, it might finally be their time to shine." Erin Polgreen | Campus Progress | Nov 12
The Supergirls: "The Supergirls, Mike Madrid's book about the evolution of female comic-book characters, is sharp and lively — and just obsessive enough about women who wear capes and boots to be cool but not creepy. The guy clearly loves this stuff…" Jeff Guiles | Entertainment Weekly | Oct 6
The Supergirls: A feminist response to catsuits? "There's a surprising gap of research, let alone feminist research, on female superheroes from comics. Trina Robbins has turned out some amazing books on women and comics, including one on female superheroes, but she can't do it alone…" Kjerstin Johnson | Bitch Magazine | Sept 16
Tough Babes: "If you've ever wondered about the history of the female superhero, then the upcoming The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines (Exterminating Angel Press, September 2009, $16.95) may just be the book for you…" Chris Zuga | Portland Mercury | Sept 10
When Comics and Cleavage Collide: "Mike Madrid's visual companion to his new book The Supergirls, a history of comic book superheroines, is as thorough and captivating a graphic account as the book is a verbal one…" Jane Carlen | Portland Mercury | Sept 11
Good Comics for Kids: (This is just a short one folks, so here's the whole blurb for you:) "Here's a useful resource: Mike Madrid has posted some image galleries to accompany his book Supergirls: Fashion, feminism, fantasy, and the history of comic book heroines." School Library Journal | Sept 16
The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf: "Any comics or graphic movel library needs THE SUPERGIRLS… It provides a cultural history of comic book heroines and asks whether their fantasy world has any connection to our own, offering a fine survey of different super-women in comic history and crime fighting. Any long-time comic book reader will relish this blend of scene re-creation and social analysis." Midwest Book Review | Nov 2009
JAM TODAY.
Jam Today by BOOKSLUT: "Davies’s creative joy in food and the world around her is infectious." Charlotte Freeman | BOOKSLUT | Feb 2010
Jam Today by BOOKNAROUND: "What was charming about the book itself was that it was written in a cozy, friendly manner, as if the reader was sitting with Davies in her kitchen as she threw together things that were destined to be good." Kristen | BookNAround | Dec 20
Jam Today: An Interview with Tod Davies: "Somehow, I stumbled upon a reference to Jam Today, a new book about food and cooking by Tod Davies… It’s quite an irresistible book, and it approaches cooking in the way that many of us actually do it — not the way somebody else thinks we’re supposed to do it…" Miss T | Mystery House | Nov 20
Jam Today: What's in Your Fridge?: If the end of the world was imminent, Tod Davies knows what her last meal would be. First, she'd pour a sizeable glass of pinot noire, pick a big bowl of peas, then cook them with lettuce hearts, split green onions and butter. Amy Kepferle | Cascadia Weekly | Nov 4
Cook with What You've Got: Watch Tod cook potato salad without a net on Portland's KATU-TV. Apparently, she's the only guest who has ever pulled a wine cork from the bottle with her teeth. KATU.com – Portland, Oregon | Sept 14
Lyn Moelich interviews Tod Davies: Lyn Moelich of KBOO Community Radio interviews screenwriter, producer, teacher and obsessive cook Tod Davies about her new book Jam Today (a dairy of cooking with what you've got). Lyn Moelich | KBOO Community Radio | Sept 10
Jam Today Excerpt on Culinate.com: www.culinate.com, one of the best resources for food news on the web, features an excerpt from JAM TODAY… Culinate.com | Sept 16
Mandahla: Jam Today: "At one point in this delightful book, Tod Davies says, 'Paying attention to what's right in front of you is what life is about. No other way.' Cooking with what you've got is part of that worldview, and her aim is to help you figure out how to do that and have fun…" Shelf Awareness | Sept 1
Publisher's Weekly COOKING THE BOOKS cooks from JAM TODAY: Chile Relleno Casserole from 'Jam Today' is easy to make and tasty, too… Publishers Weekly | Cooking the Books | Aug 3
Read This: Jam Today by Tod Davies: "Home cooking is the new black. Maybe it's the Great Recession or Iron Chef marathons on the Food Network, but It seems that more and more people are staying in and trying their hand at home-cooked meals…" Danielle Dreger-Babbitt | Seattle Book Examiner | Sept 11
In Praise of Brown Rice: Cookusinterruptus, a blog with film about "how to cook fresh local organic whole foods despite life's interruptions," all made to sit up straight and talk straight about food by the inimitable Cynthia Lair, adds a bit about the JAM TODAY blog… Cookus Interruptus | Sept 28
CORRECTING JESUS.
The Oregonian on CORRECTING JESUS: " In "Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story," Griffith notes how — starting with the disciples themselves — Jesus has been second-guessed." Katie Schneider | Jan 16, 2010
Publishers Weekly, Religion in Review: Hooray! The first review for Brian Griffith's CORRECTING JESUS: 2000 YEARS OF CHANGING THE STORY (November 2009), and it's a great one from Publishers Weekly! Publishers Weekly, Religion in Review | Sept 22
Quotes for Correcting Jesus:
"The Christ of today is not the Jesus of history. The man—along with his message – became radically altered along the way. In this readable and insightful book that spans the centuries, Brian Griffith carefully documents how Jesus’ teachings became changed to suit the predilections and fads of later audiences. This book is an excellent read for anyone concerned with moving beyond popular preaching to what the Jesus of Nazareth really taught."
– Barrie Wilson, Professor, Religious Studies, York University, Toronto. Author of How Jesus Became Christian.