Looking back to APE 07

Carman Day Two, originally uploaded by Tugboat Press.

The weather is sweltering. The sun is out. There is hardly a more perfect time to hark back to the breezy, fresh Spring, and the beautiful recollections of APE 07!

Ed posted his amazing interview of yours truly here. I am the first person on the podcast. If you still have any remaining questions about what Fat Camille is, well, go ahead and be enlightened, click on that link!

In More News

I still haven't found my city digs and am torn between various crash opportunities. The more I think about it, the more confused I get.

Post Script

Clutch's drawing for me

There are favorite things I forgot!

Carolee at Pod Post. I met her a few years ago at the Foothill Book Arts Jam. A couple of things stood out this year, first, she is beautiful-- the red lipstick and the girl scout uniforms her Pod buddy and she wore were gorgeous. Secondly, her stuff is cool (see the link). I personally own two of her amazing sketchbooks. She was across the aisle from me and we gave each other eyes and she came over a bunch of times to give our side cookies.


drawing from Orion Martin

The Zine Kids. I have noticed that as APE evolves, there seems to be fewer zombie-sex comics and more knitters. That is a good change. On the other hand, there are fewer kids coming around wanting to trade. I used to trade like a fiend (money! bah!) but that ended last year after I started getting dirty looks from people. So now I just don't buy anything from adults (unless it is really really cool, see above entry). But a few zine kids did stop by my table. I tend to always trade, because I remember how it feels. I keep small things around to trade these days. I still trade with friends (like most of the people I've mentioned in these posts). Usually the stuff I get from the zine kids is strange (like the book with the dryer lint taped to the inside), but I did get a book worth noting from Orion Martin (cool name!) called Pup-One 2 Three with interesting drawings. (OK... I did gradgimate from art school... uh, lets see here, effective hatching, sensitive line-work, variety, good control of value-patterns, carefully observed portraits, ta da!)

Derek Kirk Kim: I borrowed his graphic novel recently from a friend at the same time I was subbing in Pacifica last month. He writes/draws about life in the big P. His observations are hilarious and true. I got to say "hello" to him and my biggest regret is that I didn't pick up my own copy of his excellent book.

Post Post Script

When I was Little Camille, I decided I wanted to draw when I grew up. At the time, my drawings included people with lots of fingers. I certainly didn't know what a life of drawing would really entail (what! no picket fence! no gold ring!), nor did I foresee the financial persecutions I'd suffer for it (what! they won't take my credit card!), but somehow, it is all okay when I get to spend an entire weekend in a drafty convention center with a bunch of other misunderstood geniuses who wanted to draw when they were young, too.

Favorite Things

picture from Clutch

Things I loved about the Alternative Press Expo in no particular order:

Clutch McBastard was my neighbor. I have to highlight and put a few happy faces around this entry. When I was but a wee lass of 28, I went to my first zine fest with Weird Mike (the Wobbly) and this man not only smiled and said "hello," he also, upon hearing I was from Flip Flop, got up from behind his table and introduced me to all the other Floppers at the show. His upbeat attitude and genuine smile have since made every other zine-comic convention I have ever attended a joy. Plus, he always gives me cool zines.

Shannon O'Leary gave me about ten hugs. For reals. And she screamed when she saw me, like I was a rock star.



John and his new issue of Painkillers. What is better than drawings of bald men? Drawings by bald men! Especially if the man in question is a good artist.


Clutch's photo of H wearing her shirt from Only In Cambodia

The H graciously shared a table with me this year. Her rubber beetles were a hit, just about every table visitor had to pet them. (ew, gross!) She not only let me take pictures of, um, expansive derrieres (you are going to put them on flickr, aren't you?) with her digital camera, she also was a mellow and low-key table-mate.

The Son of the Steppes. If one finds oneself incapacitated at a party, and too retarded to figure out how to call a cab, one prays that one will run into a good Kosak. Such was my luck Friday night at the

Last Gasp party. I arrived too late to partake of the food (see the above entry), but just in time to finish the Chardonnay. The place has an amazing selection of WWI propaganda art, circus freak show signs and fun-house mirrors, in addition to a whole warehouse full of books and cartoonists.



XIP One of the XIP principals, Robert Syrett, is one of my favorite art-store clerks. I made the mistake of wrongly guessing the make of the beautiful all cotton paper covers he had on his zines. Don't try to argue over art paper makes with an art store clerk! He graciously forgave me my ignorance. I still have one of his fantastic drawings hanging over my bed.

Buttons Everyone loves Too Much Coffee Man and it was great rubbing shoulders with Shannon himself, but the surprise treat was buying custom buttons from his sons. I was the crazy lady who kept coming by. I bought two originals, and designed two more. I wonder if the Knee Biter would like to run a button machine at my table next year?

The Lower Haight I am familiar with the Upper, but this was the first time I had spent much time eating my way through the LH. Hanging out during the evenings/mornings with the H and one of the Js was a gastronomic delight. We had great coffee, Indian and Thai. I even found parking. I fell in love with the City all over again.