Lynda BarryFamed graphic novelist Lynda Barry’s in town, and Tricycle contributing editor and founding art director Frank Olinsky went to see her at last night’s crowded book signing at lower Manhattan’s Strand bookstore, with its famed “8 Miles of Books”–or at least that’s how they touted it when I worked there way back in 1983. Frank met Lynda a few decades ago, and when he read about the upcoming publication of her latest book What It Is, he called and asked her to contribute to Tricycle. (See her piece the Summer 2008 Tricycle here.) Frank phoned in this morning to enthusiastically report on last night’s activities: “She basically led a class on writing and on just about everything else–including wind turbines,” he says. He adds admiringly that “she paid close attention to each question from the youngish audience and offered quick but carefully considered answers. At one point, she sang a song. And later, when we finally reconnected, she jumped up and said, ‘I thought that was you in the audience. We’re old! Isn’t that great?'” I’m sorry I missed her, but she’s here in New York City for the rest of the week and will attend the Mocca Art Festival (Mocca is the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art) this weekend and tomorrow evening will appear at New York University’s Cantor Film Center with Art Spiegelman, among others. If you’re around, she’s not to be missed, and I hope take this chance to make up for my own lapse.

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