Tag: kickstarter

Speaking of hearts

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I’ve had hearts on my mind.

One of the central images and metaphors of Sticks and Bones: Issue 1 (the kickstarter fairy tale comic that I’m creating with artist Madeline C. Matz)  is a heart. I don’t want to give too much away, but the first panel on the first page is a heart held in someone’s hands. You’ll have to read the comic to find out what happened and why.

Then real life caught up with my imagination. Last Tuesday, my husband Mark had a heart attack. We got to the hospital in time to discover a 100% blockage in the Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery (aka “the Widowmaker”). This is the same artery he had a stent put in back in 2004. He had a longer, thinner stent put inside the existing stent. After a few days at the hospital, he’s now at home recovering.

The title of Issue 1 is Home Is Where the Hearth Is, a play on the idiom: Home is where the heart is. The fireplace (or hearth) was literally and symbolically the center (or heart) of the home, the place where people gathered to prepare food, share stories, keep warm. In the winter, it kept the inhabitants alive. No surprise that the spirits or guardians of the home are tied to this central, sacred spot, and they needed to be nourished, cherished, remembered.

This week I was reminded that our hearts also need to be nourished…by the way we live and by the people we love.

With everything going on, hearts have been the topic of conversation at our house. My son asked me about them, “The blood carries the love, right? That’s why I feel it here for you,” he pointed to the place where his six-year-old heart was pumping. “It starts here and spreads out.”

“It does,” I told him.

It starts here and spreads out.

Kickstarter Comic: Sticks and Bones (Issue 1 – Home Is Where the Hearth Is)

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In graduate school at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I took a class called the Shape and Structure of the Book with M. Evelina Galang. It was one of my favorite classes because we broke books apart to see how they worked, looking at the bits: choices of perspective, setting, chapter breaks, syntax.

I love knowing how things are put together, especially stories. Everything is a choice when you’re crafting a story: Where do you start? Who is the protagonist? How many chapters? What do you name the town? How much history do you include? What word best describes the villain? Where do you end? What will be your first sentence? What will be your last? So many choices. Some conscious, some intuitive.

If a writer is successful, readers don’t notice the machinations of the plot, characters, setting. A puppeteer doesn’t want you to think about the strings. A magician doesn’t  want you to focus on the sleight of hand. A writer doesn’t usually want you to notice a clever plot device or stop to admire the way a character’s backstory was carefully developed.

Last year, I had the idea for a story. I wrote it, and I liked it, but it didn’t feel quite right. A few months ago I realized that this was because it wasn’t meant to be a short story, but a comic. So I wrote it and revised it (thanks to some helpful comments and feedback), and I asked artist Madeline C. Matz if she’d be interested in doing the artwork for it, funding it through Kickstarter. She was, and away we went!

Last week we launched our first Kickstarter comic project: Sticks and Bones: Issue 1 – Home Is Where the Hearth Is.  The comic explores issues of home, roots, identity, and sacrifice on 24 fully-painted pages.

Home Is Where the Hearth Is tells the story of Yaroslav, a displaced house spirit in America looking for a new home. At its heart, this is a fairy tale about love and transformation, and the sacrifices we make to find our place in the world.

You can learn more about the comic and the incentives being offered to backers on our Kickstarter page:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/valya/sticks-and-bones-issue-1-home-is-where-the-hearth

We’re hoping to raise $3,500 to cover the costs of production, printing, shipping, and promotion. As is the Kickstarter policy, if we do not raise the full amount, no one gets changed and we will be unable to complete the project. If we raise beyond that around, we plan to print more copies and then begin Issue 2.

Available on the kickstarter page, here’s my attempt at an introductory video (encouraged by Kickstarter). The beautiful musical score is “The Domovyk’s Lament,” written by Rob Lambert. The photos are used with permission by 8 Eyes Photography. The shaky camera is my feeble attempt at videography. Forgive me, I usually work with words, not cameras.

Thank you for your support!

Red tulips and illumination

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The red tulip is the symbol of Parkinson’s Disease.

Red Tulip by 8 Eyes Photography

From the Parkinsons.org website:

Parkinson’s disease is one of a larger group of neurological conditions called motor system disorders. Historians have found evidence of the disease as far back as 5000 B.C. It was first described as “the shaking palsy” in 1817 by British doctor James Parkinson. Because of Parkinson’s early work in identifying symptoms, the disease came to bear his name. (Read more about Parkinson’s here.)

My mother-in-law was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in January 2009. The mother of one of my dearest friends also has Parkinson’s.

If you’re like me, when someone you loves comes down with a disease, you read all you can about it. You try to find new sources of hope or healing. You want to do something to help.

The incredibly talented photographer Allan Amato‘s best friend Becky has had Parkinson’s since she was 29. Allan wanted to do something to help, and so he created a series of photos documenting young Parkinson’s sufferers. He decided to use Kickstarter to fund the project. (If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it’s a way for artists to secure funding for their projects and must be fully-funded or no money changes hands.)

When I heard about Allan’s project, Illuminate Parkinson’s: A Travelling Gallery Show, it struck a chord. Here was someone I admire trying to spread the word about Parkinson’s:


Allan has reached his initial goal of $8000, and he’s raised the goal to $12,000 in the next 11 days. If you can, support him. There are many lovely incentives if you do.

The Illuminate Parkinson’s Gallery show will be coming to Chicago’s Century Guild later this Autumn. I supported Allan’s project on kickstarter, and I plan to attend the show to further show my support (and to admire his incredible photography in person).

I invite you to check out Illuminate Parkinson’s on Kickstarter.org, and I’ll certainly keep you apprised of information about the gallery show.

I have been so impressed by the people who have stepped up to support Allan on Illuminate Parkinson’s: famous friends and clients who posed for photographs, spread the word, and spoke up in support.

It’s an inspiring example of the power of community: Together we can achieve so much. Together we can do something to help. Together we can Illuminate Parkinson’s!