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Category: books
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Mel Stringer Fart School Release Event, In Conversation With Kevin Budnik, at Quimby's, April 15th
Quimby’s welcomes Mel Stringer to celebrate the release of her graphic novel Fart School published by Silver Sprocket on Saturday, April 15th and 7pm here in person at 1854 W. North Ave in conversation with comics artist Kevin Budnik, for a night of talking and signing.
Based on the author’s experience attending art school in the early 2000s, Mel Springer’s Fart School is a funny, heartfelt graphic novel will resonate with anyone who had a youthful dream—or a DeviantArt account. The book chronicles Mel’s excitement about moving to Brisbane to start art school where she imagines collaborating with other artists in a vibrant community, honing her craft, and becoming an accomplished artist. But it turns out that art school isn’t quite the same in real life. Can Mel finish college with her love of art still intact?
Mel Stringer was encouraged to be creative from an early age and remembers spending most of her free time drawing all through her schooling years. Her work spans across mediums, including comics and illustrations, all autobiographical and influenced by her surroundings in one way or another. Mel was brought up in the Northern Territory of Australia, finishing high school in Darwin. She then traveled across the country to study art in Brisbane, in hopes of starting her art career and meeting more like-minded people. Now based in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband, she spends her days creating autobiographical comics in the form of the zine Flowery, about what it’s like being a Filipino-Australian living in the USA. Fart School is her first graphic novel. She has long been a consignor at Quimby’s, where she sells her diary comic Flowery. Find her on the web at instagram.com/melstringer.
Mel will be in conversation with local mini-comics artist and Quimby’s friend Kevin Budnik, whose diary comics have been called “painful” in a complimentary sense. Born in Chicago, graduate of Columbia College, Kevin makes work exploring depression, compulsive behaviors, mental illness, queerness, cats, and death. Find him on the web at instagram.com/kevin_budnik. He publishes the ongoing mini-comics series I Hope This Finds You.
Reviews of Fart School:
“A relatable exploration of the difficulties of making it in the art world.” – Booklist
“Devotees of Dan Clowes’s beloved teenage dramadies will appreciate Stringer’s neurotic, angsty worldview as she tries to find her way in the adult world. Though most likely to strike a chord with actual past and present art school comrades, any reader who’s ever felt like a fish out of water will be drawn in by the irresistible loose cartoony art style and cheery color palette. This funny portrait of the artist as a young adult is a charmer.” -Publishers Weekly
“Mel Stringer’s art and storytelling talent shine in this brilliant, beautiful graphic memoir that’s both personal and universal: the time somebody starts to become their true self. Her brilliant artwork and storytelling are somehow both intensely personal and universal, as well as funny, poignant and real. The more you look at Mel Stringer’s work, the more you see, and the more you realise what an awesome talent she is.” -Kaz Cooke
Facebook event invite here.
Be extra prepared and purchase Fart School here!
Hey! Remember when Mel did our awesome bookmarks?! We love them so much!
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Dave Eggers Does Something Interesting at Quimby's For His Book The Eyes & The Impossible, April 11th
What will Dave Eggers do here at Quimby’s for this event Tuesday, April 11th? Read something? Talk about something? Who knows? Will he cut hair? Make drinks? We look forward to finding out. What we do know is he has a new book coming out. And we’re having an event here in partnership with the American Writers Museum.
The Eyes and the Impossible (McSweeney’s) is the story of a dog named Johannes. Johannes is a free dog, a fast dog—such a fast dog! He lives in an urban park by the sea, and every day, he runs through the park, seeing all, missing nothing, and reporting what he sees to the park’s three ancient Bison, the Keepers of the Equilibrium. But the Equilibrium has been disrupted.
Mysterious rectangles are hypnotizing Johannes, humans are erecting a strange new building, and an entirely new kind of animal has arrived in the park—and there are hundreds of them. Johannes must run faster, see better, and ultimately do more than run and see—he must liberate those he loves.
Gorgeously illustrated throughout by Shawn Harris (author of Have You Ever Seen A Flower? and illustrator of Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, among many others)—Dave Eggers’s The Eyes and the Impossible is a lyrical, soulful book full of wit and passion—a timeless story for readers of all ages.
Quimby’s is normally closed on Tuesdays but for this very special event we’ll be open in the evening for this event! Doors open at 6pm, events starts at 7pm.
Praise for The Eyes and the Impossible
“So clever and engrossing and sweet. I loved it.”
—Roddy Doyle, Man Booker Prize and Irish PEN Award winner“An exhilarating, funny, frightening, mind-warping, heart-squeezing tale. Told at the speed of light. A must read. For all humans.”
—Jon Scieszka“A total delight: a heroic dog’s account of a thrilling adventure, during which a community determines, separately and together, how to live. I loved it.”
—Maile Meloy“This book is a magic trick. The kind of magic trick where you want to know how to do it so you can also write a book this good.”
—Jon Klassen“The Eyes and the Impossible is Exhibit A in the argument for children’s books being great literature. Honestly, it’s the best all-ages novel I’ve read in years. It reminded me why I love kids’ books—and why I love reading itself.”
—Annie Barrows“Hilarious, big-hearted, and beautifully written. If you want to know what I think, this book right here is a significant contribution to children’s literature.”
—Mac Barnett“One remarkable creature vividly shows readers that “there is so, so much to see.” —Kirkus, starred review
The Eyes and the Impossible
McSweeney’s
isbn: 978-1-95211-945-3 (wood-cover edition)
pub date: May 9, 2023
price: $28
format: Hardcover
publicity: Amanda Uhle, amanda(at)mcsweeneys(dot)net
&
Caroline Sun, caroline(dot)sun(at)sunliteraryarts(dot)comAbout Dave Eggers: Dave Eggers is the author of many books, among them The Eyes and the Impossible, The Circle, The Monk of Mokha, Heroes of the Frontier, A Hologram for the King, and What Is the What. He is the founder of McSweeney’s, an independent publishing company, and co-founder of 826 Valencia, a youth writing center that has inspired over 70 similar organizations worldwide. Eggers is winner of the American Book Award, the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the TED Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He once did an event at Quimby’s in the middle of the day on a Wednesday.
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Happy Holidays from Quimby's!
Step into the wintery wonderland that is the Quimby’s holiday window display! Designed by our Artist-in-Residence Ashley Wilfong* (an actual position here that is totally not made up) and assisted by employee-and-artiste Echo Elise Gonzalez (check out her Dream Bindery notebooks!), the window features staff favorite books, zines, and gifts peppered among miniature buildings and festooned trees. Don’t miss the Chicago skyline in the background, the garland of colorful zines, and the tree hanging with mini-zine ornaments. Stop by anytime from 12-6 Th-M and peruse our collection of books, zines, comics, and curiosities. The store is filled with perfect gift options of every size–come in and grab something for your friends, family, maybe even yourself? We won’t tell.
* Ashley relocated this year from West Virginia to Chicago, where she is constantly reminded of the magic of our city. This is her first time making a public display and she designed it to be a place where a tiny two-headed mouse would like to live. Check out her neighborhood favorite cocktail bar Nighthawk in Albany Park.
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Support Quimby's on Cyber Monday (Or Any Day, Really)
It being Cyber Monday we thought we would give a shout out to the multiple ways you can use your hard earned moolah to support us with your mail order.You probably know we have a webstore at quimbys.com where we sell all our QuimbSwag (gift certificates, t-shirts, all that stuff) and a select few other exciting things. You can have stuff shipped! Or you can select Curbside Pickup and we’ll hold it for you!But did you know your can also order from bookshop.org and give us a kickback?Here’s the story with that. Let’s say you want a book we carry (or even a book we don’t carry) though it’s not available on our website. (See our bookshop.org link in our bio.) But you still want to buy it from Quimby’s. Our online bookshop.org store provides that opportunity and also lets you order your guilty pleasure book you don’t want anyone to know you’re reading. And you have it shipped directly to you! Your favorite bookstore (that would be um, us) gets a commission when you select Quimby’s as the store. We thank you for that! There are some curated lists over there too if you need some suggestions. Just make sure the Quimby’s logo is in the upper left corner and you’re gold.Astute Quimby’s fans will recall back in the day we used to have a version of this that we used to joke about and we called it Quimazon? It was that thing that nobody used because it was awkward and confusing. Remember that? Bookshop.org is a much better version of that, an iteration that’s easy to use and updated in a way that makes sense for people. Hoo-ray! -
Zine Club Chicago Online: Cheap Copies! Edition with Special Guest Rich Dana, Aug. 16th!

Zine Club Chicago Online: Cheap Copies! Edition
with Special Guest Rich Dana
7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 16 on Zoom
Free!This month, Zine Club Chicago is really excited to welcome special guest Rich Dana, a stencil artist, zinemaker, and founder of Obsolete Press. Rich will be joining us on Zoom to discuss his recent release, Cheap Copies!: The Obsolete Press Guide to DIY Hectography, Mimeography & Spirit Duplication, and demonstrate one of the no-cost/low-cost analog printing techniques featured in the book.
Bring your questions for Rich and your favorite zines that were printed using cheap, cool, and tactile DIY techniques! We want to hear about the non-digital ways that zines in your collection (and that you’ve made yourself!) were reproduced, including hecto, ditto, mimeo, block printing, letterpress, screen printing, and copying by hand.
Grab your stack of analog-printed zines, BYOS(nacks), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Cheap Copies! Edition with Special Guest Rich Dana at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, August 16!
** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday, August 15 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, August 16.
Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.
More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event is here.
Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer featuring a photo of zinemaker Rich Dana demonstrating an analog printing technique and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Cheap Copies! Edition with Special Guest Rich Dana; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CST Tuesday, August 16”
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New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramQUIMBY’S COLA!!! by Caroline Cash, in collaboration with Marz Brewing!
View this post on InstagramGifty Shit
Nudie Ladies 2022 End of Herstory Calendar by Flannery Cashill $15
More stickers by Corinne Halbert & Mel Stringer (Eat Me, Pick Yourself Up and Try Again, Wheelie Cool Sticker by Mel Stringer, Fairy Dust)
Zines
East Village Inky #65 by Ayun Halliday $3
KerBloom #152 Sep Oct 2021 by Artnoose $2
Pandemic Movie Watchlist SECOND DOSE by Johnny Misfit $3
New Wave Chicken #9 (Fluke Publishing) $4
Push: A Cure Fanzine issues #1 and #4, $6 each by Arusha Baker & friends
zines from LMK, $6 each: Above All Else, Recipes, Deeper Meanings to Words and more.
Thirteenth Story #5 by Jaye Frisina $10
Handout #8 Rejection Letters $2
The Thread #17 a Memoir Personal Zine by Rachel Lee-Carman $5
Rubber Souls by industrialsewage $3.75
These Are All Inadequate Christmas Issue and issue #3 $3 each
December 3rd by JB $4
Papercuts Library #6 You and Your Phone Are Boring $5.99
Comics & Minis
Vacuum Decay #4 by Harry Nordlinger $10
Birth of Eggy Toad by Aim Ren $2
Municipal Threat Explotation (Fluke Publishing) $5
Graphic Novels
Peow Studio Press stuff! On Tour by Moa Romanova $12, Ice Cream and Beast by Iggy Craig $10, Berzerkid by Gax Vallez and Mikal Lopez $12, Brush Paradise by Mathilde Kitteh $15, Aeon 6 by Jules Naleb $12, Bark Bark Girl by Michael Furler $19, Witchcraft and Melancholia by Loic Locatelli Kournwsky $22, Magic Mayhem Metal by Tom Hunter $27
Good Boy Magazine #1 (Silver Sprocket) $9.99
Art Books
Connies Characters by Constance Volk $20
Music Books
Reversing into The Future: New Wave Graphics 1977 – 1990 by Andrew Krivine $45
Stompbox: 100 Pedals of the World’s Greatest Guitarists by Eilon Paz and friends $50
Essay Stuff
Flying High: Flags of the United States by Billy McCall $14
Slow Motion Heroics by Joshua James Amberson $10
New Stuff From GenderFail Press: Imperfect Archiving Archiving As Practice For a Love of Softness by Be Oakley $20, Behind Shut Eyes QTBIPOC Dream Anthology $25 & more.
Fiction
Especially Now SC by Jonas Cannon $5
Everybody Comes From Somewhere by Ira Sacharoff $14
Photography Books
PUSH: J. Grant Brittain – 80s Skateboarding Photography with words from Tony Hawk, Miki Vuckovich, Garry Scott Davis (Gingko Press) $50
Sexxxy
Elska #35 Casablanca Morocco $20
New York Hustle #1 $20
Magazines
Juxtapoz #220 winter $9.99
Breathe #42 $13.99
Progressive december-january $5.95
Aperture #245 winter $24.95
Vive Le Rock #86 $13.60
Wire #453 november $12.50
Heavy Metal #312 $13.99Poetry & Chap Books
31 Days The Self by Amie Zimmerman and Samantha Wall $15
Poetry by Connie Boje $5 each: My Life is a Library #12, Monster of Music #16
For the Young at Heart
Haymarket Books Fairy Tale Revolution series, $17.95 each: Duckling by Kamila Shamsie, Blueblood by Malorie Blackman, Hansel and Greta by Jeanette Winterson































