I don’t have that many personal connections to Evanston, Illinois. My friend, Bill, works at Northwestern University and my old friend, Tom, lived and died there, as did my friend, Tony, more recently. It’s a suburb connected to the city by public transportation which links it in my mind with Brookline, Massachusetts, where my parents still sometimes live.

I like the university’s art museum and I’ve seen some good shows at Space but I don’t really have a handle on the place.

Twice over the past month or so I’ve taken the train up to the Dempster stop and walked east a block to a coffeeshop to meet with an editor at Northwestern University Press about publishing a book. It looks like I’ll be signing a contract any day now, though the book won’t appear till the fall of 2028. University presses function on a different timeline than most of us. That’s okay. I know what I’m signing up for. My first book back in 2011 was through a university press situated roughly thirty miles south of this one. Maybe I’m feeling nostalgic for the glacial pace, but more likely it’s that at this point, after making books every which way myself, I’m ready for others to do more of the lifting.

It helps that the woman who’s acquiring the book and will be my editor is not a stranger. Megan and I were labelmates on a doomed local indie press whose demise came with lawsuits and a generous helping of bad feelings. I once illustrated something she wrote. She seems to have an inkling of where I’m coming from and what dealing with me entails. At this point, a little understanding and good will goes a very long way with me.

As part of my book deal, the press asked me not to sell my Book Hole zines publicly anymore. If you want some of those, drop me a line. I have a few each of issues #2-#5.

I wrote a review of John Knudsen’s show at Firecat. What I didn’t mention is that I also helped hang it. It went up the same day my show there came down.

I read my friend, Tim’s, book and it’s been rattling around my head pretty good. It’s up for preorder. I’d get it if I were you.

My friend, June’s, book about Chicago coffeehouses with my painting of Jinx Coffee on the cover is up for preorder as well. Strangely enough, Tim worked at that coffeeshop. In fact, his book is dedicated to his coworkers there.