The Basics

Greetings readers! I thought since I have been telling a lot of new people about this blog lately I should probably take a moment and review the basics of what Cellar Door is (and what it hopes to be). The anthology started out a little under a year ago after another book my group had been working on called Tales to Oddify went under. The editors of that one got out two pretty cool books but the motif of pulp fiction only seemed to stifle the amount of content they received. Having learned the ins and outs of self publishing through this experience (though my cohorts and I were only writers and artists on the book and not the ones putting it together) we decided to give it a try and thus was born Cellar Door. One of my main hopes is that this book will start people on the road to submitting their works for publication. It can be a really intimidating industry out there and I am trying to help make it a little less so. There are too many amazing voices and visions that get relegated to the corner because they don't think they have what it takes.

The first book we put together under the title was themed One (and is still available here, on Amazon, and upon the bookshelves of a few stores in Denver, CO). It took approximately six months to put together and release and has gotten some favorable attention.

The second book is being created under the theme Unraveling. We've got some really great material already and are still looking for a bit more. I'm excited to report that it will definitely have more artwork than the first issue! Keep your eyes open and tell your friends to submit and check out the book.

Thanks so much,

Michael Prince

Hunting Writers!

      I've just returned from the annual Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors Society) International Conference held this year at Pittsburgh, PA. It was a weekend full of excitement and lots and lots of talent. I talked to plenty of fantastic writers about submitting to Cellar Door: Unraveling and hope to see a new crop of poems and stories coming in soon. The conference ended on Sunday and there is the shock of readjusting to reality (work and school especially) to consider so while I am hungry to see these new works, I refuse to grow impatient until at least the end of the week. Then! All bets are off ;)

       The picture here depicts a classy sampling of the super team known now as the Sigma Tau Delta Mega-Chapter which knows no borders! You'll be hearing more from them and certainly from me. Stay tuned.

The Quarter Cart

I just had to post about this really fun project my friend Jovie is working on. She is heroically rescuing books that have been cast into those quarter bins with cracked paint that you see standing dejectedly outside the store proper. She is willing to suffer through these tales deemed unworthy of the true shelves in order to not only review them but also re-imagine and draw their rather strange covers (check out the wicked handlebar on that man's face!).

This will actually be a good study about judging a book by its cover. Will Jovie find a masterpiece of literature hidden under an unfortunately drawn piece of "art"?

You can follow along with the fun at the link:

http://quartercart.tumblr.com/

The Conference

Let the hunt begin once more! It's that time again. Wednesday morning I'll be flying to Pittsburgh (accompanied by a handful of other writers and one writist...the illustrious Roberto Martinez) to attend the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Conference. I'll be reading on a panel and pubbing with our amazing friends from Wisconsin (see below) and most important (to this blog at least) hunting new writers for the Anthology! It's going to be a great time as always. Keep an eye out on here. I might find the time to post some of our adventures. The lovely Jillian Phillips will be doing so as well at the link below:

http://jilliesconvention.blogspot.com/

Hmmmm....perhaps there will be interviews coming as well. Stay tuned!

Comics & Education Symposium

Love comics? Love reading? Love education? Still need to get your hands on a copy of Cellar Door: One or some fantastic author buttons??? Make sure to be at Tattered Cover in LoDo this coming Thursday around 5 o'clock. We'll have a great panel in session starring some great mind and talent!

* Leila (stop calling me beautiful!) del Duca the artist on such titles as Escape from Terra and her personal project Fox Witch and Other Tales.

*  Doctor William Kuskin, repeat panelist at Denver Comicfest and great literary mind joining us all the way from CU-Boulder.

* Sam Spina the AWE-inspiring auteur of Spinadoodles and many other charming titles!

* Professor Rebecca Gorman, bringer of comic knowledge, successful playwright and professor at Metro State College of Denver.

* Scorpio Steele the mysterious and uber talented artist!

* Professor Quintin Gonzalez who has brought Graphic Novel to UC-Denver and will bring his charm to this panel (ask him about his love of Scott Pilgrim).

With a line-up like this can you really say no to a visit??? Make sure to get the skinny on Friday's events too if you haven't heard already! Here's a couple of teasers: American Splendor and Static Shock and prizes and merch! This one will be held in North Classroom on Auraria Campus (room 1525)...just follow the posters and herd of nerds heading into the building :)

Steve Niles!

Remember that comic I recommended on here just the other day? The Lurkers? Well it turns out that I must have been subconsciously been prepping for the upcoming Denver Comicfest (April 15-17) because the writer of that ghoulish thread, writer Steve Niles will be there. He is also the author of 30 Days of Night. I need to check those out next. Shamefully I have only watched the flick so far but I really enjoyed it and if the book is better in this case (of which I have little doubt) I am really excited about this read.

Maybe if we ask nicely he'll spin us a tale for the anthology. We'll have to see.

Make sure you come out to the comicfest to get your Niles' book of ghouls and vampires signed by the very man! There will also be a chance to attend the special event on Saturday night of the festivities in which you can share drinks and appetizers with this talent and the other great guests. It is called An Evening With...and there will be more details soon. Keep your eyes on here and on the related Facebook pages.

Rapunzel (A work in progress)

Artist Thea Jovie Hunt is hard at work creating a collection of images from the fairytale Rapunzel to include in Cellar Door: Unraveling. If you think about it, it couldn't be much more perfect for the theme. A girl is taken from her home because of her father's theft (though they were just vegetables!). A witch's obsession keeps her from living a normal life. In the end a prince's eyes are undone by thorns. This old tale was made for this book! To the left is just a hint of the wonderful work you'll find between the covers of the second issue of Cellar Door Anthology.

ALSO! Poet and writer Tameca Coleman has just signed on to write the occasional blog on here. I am honored and you should be excited. Tameca is a very talented wordsmith! Keep an eye on great things to come.

Oh the Horror!

I've discovered today (between midterm prep) that horror comics are alive and well! I've got some recommendations for those of you not too weak of heart ;)

First off Vertigo is putting together a monthly anthology of some of comic's best minds and talents under the title: Flinch. It is aptly named. The story's range from the cutely macabre to the gut-wrenching to the occasional mind-jarring thread. My favorite so far of the three collections I've read was "Wolf Girl Eats". I think it was in the first book actually.

My meanderings next led me to a comic put out by IDW, written by Steve Niles and drawn by Hector Casanova (great name!) called "The Lurkers". I loved the art in this book and the story was consistently creepy and enthralling. Tired of Zombies? Come check out the Ghouls in here. I need to find more work of both of these guys!

The last was a short book by Alan Moore so its no big surprise that I was enchanted and stunned all at once. The book is The Courtyard. Its a fantastic tale in Lovecraftian fashion (keep an eye out for the Cthuhlu tentacle beard in the second half!). This comic was printed under Avatar. Make sure to look it up.

Tonight at Drink & Draw!

Great turnout tonight for Denver Drink & Draw at Leela European Cafe. A good mix of new and familiar faces! I'm sitting here with artist Thea Jovie Hunt and though we are fading fast I felt like expressing some excitement over things to come.

Finding some really great work in the submissions for Cellar Door: Unraveling...finally. I've already sent some acceptances and got some of the artists started on illustrations. If you haven't heard from us yet, don't fret, things are just going a bit slower than expected.

Also there was plotting done for upcoming events such as the Comics & Education Symposium which is being held on March 15-17 (details will be listed on here in the next few days), a fashion show to be held this summer and a guerrilla film-making camp. That's right, be excited.

Sleepiness is setting in and its time to sign off. For Cellar Door and Narniaaaaa!