Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Who is Uno Kudo? Tracey Lander Garrett
They say that vampires are just mythical creatures, now popularized by campy presently-popular romance novels, but prior to the mayhem that was Stephanie Myers and True Blood, the most popular sometimes-fanged creatures in our circle, was and is Tracey.
With creamy, porcelain-like skin, snaptastic wit and even at times scissor sharp incisors, she makes you wonder if maybe...just maybe...? As fascinating as that may be (which believe me, it can be, especially when you know her), it doesn't even come close to measuring up to what and how she writes.
Who is Uno Kudo?
Uno Kudo is Tracey Lander-Garrett
Your poem is called "The Tin Man's Lament." Tell us about your interest in the Wizard of Oz - in other words, why the Tin Man, and not Dorothy, the Wizard, or even the Wicked Witch?
I have always found the Tin Man the most interesting character of Dorothy's companions in the film. I mean, sure, as a little girl I admired those sparkly red pumps that Dorothy wore as much as any other, but her haplessness was never all that appealing. As for the Wizard, he was a a disappointing phony, and you know, we've already got Wicked to tell the Witch's story.
The Tin Man--forgotten in the woods, frozen due to rust, struck me as a particularly lonely and brave character. He's the one with the ax, after all.
He needs oil to move--and has no heart? But he loves Dorothy all along quite well without one. It's love in return he needs, I think, whether in the form of well-oiled care, or actual reciprocal romance. I imagine he'd prefer both. I know I do.
Tracey Lander-Garrett was born in the Village of Sleepy Hollow on a dark moonless night. Some of her favorite things are vampires, Dungeons & Dragons, and avocados. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, four cats, and lots of books. She is working on her second novel and currently teaches in the English Department at Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York City. Tracey has had works published in Long River Review, Brooklyn Review, and Mid-America Poetry Review.
Tracey Elsewhere
Monday, October 10, 2011
Who Is Uno Kudo? Joseph T. Penaloza
Joseph is an interesting character.
He is the kind of guy who likes to sign his name, "Joseph" to every comment he makes. When asked, "Joseph, why do you sign your name to every comment you leave?" his response is to tell you that he doesn't want to do what every one else does.
Fat chance of that.
Whether it is illustrating a photograph of Uno Kudo member, Tracey:
or sketching another UK member, Aaron Dietz:
The last thing that Joseph T. Penaloza should fear, is being like anyone else. We are lucky to have him as a member of the Uno Kudo Team.
Who is Uno Kudo?
Uno Kudo Joseph T. Penaloza
From his earliest moments, Joseph liked to draw.
Whether it was school buses on the garage wall (which was severely criticized by his Mama) to nekkid women in the fruitless pursuit of drawing perfection when figure drawing (not in the pursuit of said nekkid women), he wanted to capture the images he had seen. Think of it like that neolithic cave person who drew those animals they hunted on cave walls. Bet their Mama approved of that.
Drawing and illustrating are powerful ways to communicate an idea, especially when done correctly and right side up. Someday Joseph will branch into such things as oil painting, use that forlorn industrial design degree or maybe illustrate graphic novels about zombies and vampires and monsters, but for now participating with this group of talented, caring and ribald people like Vincent daddy is an opportunity to break out of the "go to work, go home from work and watch bad reality television" cycle.
Worthwhile endeavors such as Uno Kudo affirms that belonging to a community such as this tells him he belongs to a unique tribe and finding a home for himself.
Why does Joseph sign off on his comments on the Facebook one might ask?
In my advanced age it is important for me to remember my name. I also have a tendency to look outside of myself, but not in that scary out of body type experience.
Joseph Elsewhere:
Uno Kudo is on sale now.
We hope you love it as much as we loved making it.
We hope you love it as much as we loved making it.
To purchase your own copy, please click
*Disclaimer: If you decide to share this with a friend of 12, we promise not to cry.
Friday, October 7, 2011
A sneak peak at a few of Uno Kudo's stories
Richard Cox (writer) Eric Edwards (artist)
Megan Elizabeth Corry (writer) Scott Irvine (photographer)
Bud Smith (writer) Michael Brandon (artist)
Inga Semmingsen (writer) Stephen Spera (photographer)
Aaron Dietz (writer) Emily Kaplan (artist)
Erin McParland (writer and artist)
Chrissa King (writer) Eric Edwards (photographer)
We hope you love it as much as we loved making it.
To purchase your own copy, please click
*Disclaimer: If you decide to share this with a friend of 12, we promise not to cry.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Who is Uno Kudo? Richard Cox.
Sometimes the best stories aren't the ones that tell a tale, but perhaps they are instead those that open up possibilities for new ones to begin? The merits of "What if?" and the ensuing postulation gives anyone who's ventured into that territory fodder for practically limitless ideas.
The best thing a writer can do is to leave the reader staring at a blank wall after they have finished their story.
To have them sit and let the mind spin on what they've just read and in the aftermath consider what it means, how it relates to their beliefs, how it has broadened their mind and the multitude of questions that are now swirling around in their head that all begin with, "What if...?". That is magic.
To have them sit and let the mind spin on what they've just read and in the aftermath consider what it means, how it relates to their beliefs, how it has broadened their mind and the multitude of questions that are now swirling around in their head that all begin with, "What if...?". That is magic.
Richard Cox is one of those writers.
Who is Uno Kudo?
Uno Kudo is Richard Cox.
Richard Cox believes he was born in Texas and now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to multiple Internet sources, he has published three novels, THOMAS WORLD (September 2011), THE GOD PARTICLE, and RIFT. Richard has also apparently written for This Land Press, Oklahoma Magazine, and is an associate editor for TheNervousBreakdown.com.
However, you can't believe everything you read. Or see. For all you know, you're not even reading this right now.
Why get up in the morning when you can't know for sure if anything is real?
It's pretty likely the world isn't what we think it is. For all we know, the whole thing might be a video game on some kid's computer. But does it really matter? Even if the world isn't real, you still have to get up every morning and go to work. You can still fall in love. In the end, knowing the true reality of the world is pointless, because it's what we make out of our own worlds that counts. Or so I've been programmed to believe.
What was the motivation behind writing your piece (called "Ripped From The Page") for Uno Kudo Volume 1?
The primary inspiration for my piece was an idea I've been mulling for some time now, and which I explored in my new novel, Thomas World: How do I know if anything in my life is really happening? Which is not exactly a new idea. It's been covered in philosophy for hundreds if not thousands of years, it occurs in films like The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and it even show up whenever you have a dream and realize it during the dream itself. And once you introduce doubt into the reality of this world, how do you get back to not having that doubt? Because we can never really know for sure.
But while I was writing Thomas World, especially at the very end, I realized an important thing. It doesn't really matter. I've been fascinated with understanding the essential truth of the universe and humanity since I could conceive of such ideas, but only writing the climactic scenes of this novel did I realize that more important is making the most out of the relationships you have. Yeah, it's fun to look at the cosmos and deep field pictures of the early universe, but the things unique to you, that are perhaps unique among all life on Earth, are the complex relationships you make with others, and the feeling of romantic love.
So the circumstances in the story were inspired by the philosophical conundrums of defining reality, but the emotional resonance and the images were inspired by a beautiful girl who has recently become an important part of my life. Her glinty eyes are the glint in the piece.
When you begin a story, you never really know what you're going to end up with. This piece illustrates that perfectly.
Richard Elsewhere:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)