Author Archives: dsamarov

K writes that her good friend, Jenny’s, cat, Bobby, died and asks me to paint his portrait. She emails a few photos of the odd little guy with his smushed-in nose and worried eyes. I’ve never had any problem painting cat portraits even though I don’t care for them. K doesn’t believe me. No cat-loverContinue reading “Cat Fancy”

Sometime late last summer, I decided it would be a good idea to record myself reading bite-size chunks of Moby Dick. My illustrated version had recently been published and I was at work on a couple other public domain titles, but I felt like I wanted a final bout with the white whale. I pitchedContinue reading “…back out to sea”

I’m working on a review of Colin Asher’s forthcoming book about the impact of prisons on American music. There’s a lot to chew over in its quick three hundred pages. It’s an ugly history, unsurprisingly. A lot or racism and class hatred all the way through. I loved Colin’s biography of Nelson Algren and thisContinue reading “The Midnight Special”