Fourth Genre has published my graphic essay about the process of writing autofiction, selected as a finalist for their multimedia essay prize, judged by @KristenRadtke for @FourthGenre . Take a read, and check out the other winners!
Oaxaca is one of my favorite cities—what a robust art culture, both traditional and contemporary. I spent hours in museums: the contemporary art museum, the contemporary painting museum, the textile museum, and Francisco Toledo’s restored art center in San Augustin in Etla, called C.A.S.A., where they make handmade paper with natural dyes, and pottery, printmaking, you name it. I filled an entire notebook of paintings of trees, flowers, foods, people, sculptures; here is a small handful of paintings from this recent trip. 
I recently found this handmade book that I gave to my father as a gift several years ago (given my terrible memory, it could have been three years ago, or five… who knows). He named me after the badger in Russel Hoban’s “Frances” series, most notably: Bread and Jam for Frances, so I decided to write and illustrate my own version as a tribute to my Dad.
I have some BIG ART and LIFE NEWS! I turned my manuscript in today for a new book with MIT Press! It won’t be released until next year, but the deadline was last night, and though I feel like a paper doll or zombie from lack of sleep and overworking my drawing fingers, I’m ecstatic and relieved to have completed this stage of the process. BUT, I am thrilled to be working on this book, which in short, is a graphic nonfiction “translation” of Walter Benjamin’s dreams, philosophies, and aphorisms. It’s been a long process and much more work lies ahead. Here are some teasers and some evidence of the towers of research texts that I accumulated during my process. You’ll also notice a stack of *some* of my notebooks filled with drawings. I can’t share any full illustrations, because art is not free and I want the book to stand alone as a physical art object in collaboration with MIT. For a better idea of what I’m working on, check out the fall 2017 issue of The Iowa Review, they published a visual essay of mine about Walter Benjamin, which was the precursor to this upcoming book, here’s the link.
I’ve been published! Read the new issue of MIRACLE MONOCLE: a Poetry, Prose, and Hybrid journal, out of Louisville. I am going to borrow some of the words of Sarah Anne Strickley, the Faculty Editor of the journal, to announce the release:
I worked as the graphics guest editor for the vivid, meticulous, unusual, lovely literary and arts journal The ILANOT REVIEW. This issue is special to my interests, as it is a “graphics” oriented theme—poetry comics, graphic essays, illustrated fiction, comic narratives, and hybrid works of unnamed genres. There are some true treasures here, including an interview with poet and comic artist Bianca Stone, along with dozens of talented poets, painters, and other artist-writers from around the world. I had the privilege of contributing to the editing and selection of these works. Take a look! Click the link for the full journal.
Image credit Regina Jean, one of the contributors to this issue
Dear art fans, poetry gobblers, radio listeners,
Rick Agran hosts a show called Bon Mot (the good word) on a Vermont radio show through the Goddard campus radio, and little while back he interviewed me about my poetry career, my prose, Sylvia Plath, life adventures, and my artistic process.
Now you can listen to the recording!
Radio Interview on the art and poetry of Franky Frances Cannon:
I’m launching my new website and project: art and writing mentorship, where you can find more descriptions of the courses I will be teaching at the Shelburne Craft School, and other opportunities for individual mentorship. This is a soft launch, I’ll admit that the “school” is currently more conceptual than actualized, but I’m living more in my imagination than in the corporeal realm these days, so this fits,
I’m thrilled to be published in the new Prompt Press book, Prompt 6, which is a collaborative collection of visual art responses to the prose poems of Francesca Abbate, designed by printmaker and bookmaker Rachel Kauff. I’m one of the six artists to respond to her work. You can view the responses here, but I recommend buying the book if you want to hold a beautiful handmade object d’art in your hands.
ALSO, I’m very pleased that Jennifer Colville, the editor extraordinaire, has published my graphic poem on their website. Check it out:
Dear followers of my book tour/ book life, there’s an exciting change in my book tour plans!
After Buffalo, NY, tonight, with Max Weiss and his artsy community buddies,
I’m re-arranging a bit to participate in the POP CULTURE COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL AND SYMPOSIUM in Burlington, alongside my heroes,
Alison Bechdel, Art Spiegelman, Joe Sacco !
I will be sharing my books and thoughts at the Day-Long Comic Arts Festival and Symposium on Saturday, October 21, 10am-6pm
at the Fleming Museum, University of Vermont
https://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org/exhibition-room/
Then, my tour will resume, off to New Haven!
