SATA
ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE:
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.kirkreedstrom.com
CITY: Shreveport
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
ADDRESS
CAREER
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews Jan. 15, 2024, review of Reedstrom, Kirk: DUCK MOVES IN! p. NA.
School Library Journal vol. 70 no. 2 Feb., 2024. Schwessinger, Danielle. , “REEDSTROM, Kirk. Duck and Moose: Duck Moves In!”. p. 88.
School Library Journal vol. 70 no. 2 Feb., 2024. Schwessinger, Danielle. , “REEDSTROM, Kirk. Duck and Moose: Moose Blasts Off!”.
Kirkus Reviews Jan. 15, 2024, , “Reedstrom, Kirk: MOOSE BLASTS OFF!”. p. NA.
Kirk Reedstrom makes funny picture books with heartfelt characters and a little bit of mayhem.
Photo by Shannon Palmer
About Kirk
Kirk Reedstrom has spent most of his adult life surrounded by books. He currently works at a public library and used to be a bookseller at Blue Willow Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Houston, TX. He has led children's art workshops at the Kimball Art Museum, the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, and interned with William Joyce at Moonbot Studios. Kirk mixes his past experience with traditional and digital mediums to develop fun-filled characters with a lot of heart and a little bit of mayhem. Kirk enjoys creating books that make people laugh.
He is represented by Ana Crespo at East West Literary Agency.
Centenary alumnus featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered”
May 29, 2020
Kirk Reedstrom shows off one of his "quaranzines."
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary alumnus Kirk Reedstrom ’15 recently caught the attention of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” with his “quaranzines,” small comic book style drawings exploring the small details and occasional absurdities of daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reedstrom is an author, illustrator, and designer and works as Social Media and Digital Services Coordinator for the Shreve Memorial Library system in Shreveport.
Reedstrom’s “All Things Considered” interview is available at npr.org. He also recently answered a few questions for the College about his process and inspiration.
What was the inspiration behind creating the zines? And why zines, specifically?
I'm a newcomer to the zine world! In fact, I made my first one in January of this year when Malaka Gharib, a zine-maker and author of I WAS THEIR AMERICAN DREAM issued a challenge to create an eight page zine about your last decade. A few artists I follow started posting theirs, and I thought it looked like fun! After watching a couple tutorials to figure out how to fold and cut the paper, I instantly fell in love with the form. I'm not great at writing long-form pieces or even journaling regularly, but I found I could handle writing four to five sentences along with a couple of doodles. I especially enjoy that I'm not using extravagant art supplies—you just need a sheet of paper, something to write with, and you're good to go!
When Louisiana started sheltering-in-place, I made a couple about our new quarantine life. The 100 day project was about to start, and I wanted to see if I could maintain a daily practice of creating. My wife, fellow Centenary alumna Sarah Duet ‘11, did a 100 day project last year, and I was super jealous! Now we're both working on our own projects at the same time (she's doing 100 days of Enneagram), and it's nice to have a person to encourage you to keep going. I have to say, though, she's done a much better job at posting every day than I have.
An added bonus of the zines is that I don't look at a screen when I make them. My phone and computer consumption skyrocketed when we were at home all day, so I wanted an activity that would keep me engaged and not scrolling through endless feeds on social media.
Can you talk a little about your creative process? What’s the hardest part? What is the easiest part? What is your favorite part?
I usually sit down with a spiral bound notebook, jot down a few ideas, and do very loose thumbnails before jumping in. I want to make sure my zines feel like first drafts. I tend to overthink and overplan most of what I do, so if I'm not careful I'll spend weeks making drafts and not actually creating anything. I also want these to look so accessible that other people try making their own. The most rewarding feeling is seeing people inspired by my posts to create something that might be meaningful to them. If I'm feeling really stuck on an idea, I run through Lynda Barry's four minute diary exercise or make a few squiggles to loosen myself up.
The hardest part is making time to create the zines! It's so easy to watch another episode of something on Netflix—especially when you're tired at the end of the day. I've missed a few days (life happens), but the most important part of the project is to pick up where I left off and keep going.
Do you plan to continue to make zines post the 100 days project? How do you foresee them evolving?
I do! I have a feeling I'll be making zines for a long while. I have a few ideas collecting dust right now because they'll take longer than 20 minutes to an hour to make, but I'm itching to start on them!
How else are you spending your time in the pandemic? How has it affected your family?
Most of my days have been spent cooking, working on longer writing/illustration projects, walking, staring at my phone, and watching a lot of TV. Now that Louisiana's opening up, I'm going back to work in my office for part of the day which feels bizarre. We've had a couple of non COVID-19 related health issues come up in the last couple of months, but my family has stayed largely healthy throughout the pandemic and I'm incredibly grateful for how lucky we've been.
Photo credit: Shannon Palmer
Kirk Reedstrom, a 2016 Centenary graduate originally from Houston, Texas, recently signed a three-book deal with Disney-Hyperion to publish his Duck and Moose early graphic reader series. Reedstrom grew up on the art and stories of Calvin & Hobbes and continued to be inspired by children’s literature and drawing while in college, especially during his internship with illustrator and Academy Award-winning filmmaker William Joyce. Since graduating from Centenary, Reedstrom has kept his creative juices flowing in Shreveport alongside his wife Sarah Duet ’11, a fellow Centenary graduate and artist. His comic “zines” have been featured in Salon, Relief Journal, The Quaranzine, and on NPR’s All Things Considered.
What was the inspiration for Duck and Moose? Where did the characters and their personalities come from? What are the big ideas or stories that they help you tell?
I was inspired to write this story after a family trip to Alaska in 2018 where we saw moose in real life while visiting Denali National Park. Stepping on spongy tundra, watching arctic ground squirrels chirp at passersby, petting huskies, and being surrounded by towering mountains and bucolic wilderness makes it hard not to be inspired, but making this particular book wasn’t immediate. I tried to write two different stories with other animals we encountered on that trip, and neither story worked. I fumbled around with those ideas for a couple of years. It wasn’t until 2020 that I doodled the first picture of Duck & Moose.
After looking at that first drawing, I thought it was the funniest thing I’d made in years. I took the characters, and sketched out a very rough first version of Duck Moves In! I had a good sense of the characters’ personalities early on—Duck is a happy-go-lucky, go-with-the-flow kind of bird, and Moose prefers quiet and his little routines. It was through revision, though, when I learned more about the characters’ sense of themselves. At first, I thought Moose came mostly from my personality, but I was surprised to discover there was an equal amount of myself in Duck. Realizing that helped me make Duck a more rounded character.
Duck and Moose’s stories are about friendship, and navigating relationships where you don’t always see eye to eye.
Talk about your creative process: How do you prepare? How do you get started? Where and when do you create illustrations?
I don’t do well staring at a blank page–that’s too much pressure for me! I’ve also never been the kind of person who gets something right on the first try, so revision is an integral step in my process. Understanding that means I know I don’t have to write a perfect story or draw well when I’m sketching out a first draft. I’ll often go through five to ten rounds of revision before sending a project to my critique partners and agent for their thoughts.
People might wonder if the words or pictures come first to me when working on a book. They both happen concurrently! I’ll usually doodle and jot down ideas in a sketchbook or journal until I have what feels like ideas for more than half of the pages in the books. After that, I do very rough sketches using Procreate or Photoshop so I can start building out a draft in InDesign. I try to do this step as fast as possible so I won’t allow myself to second guess my work or try to redo the first three pages over and over. Then I’ll sit down and write all the dialogue by hand, letting myself tweak word choice and rearrange pages. After adding all of those changes back into the document, I’ll export it as a PDF and read it aloud to see where I get bored or fumble with words. If I’m bored with my own work, the reader will certainly be bored, so reading aloud is an indispensable step in my process. After the story’s feeling good, I’ll tighten up the sketches (they’re still very rough) and send the new draft out to critique partners and my agent. They often spot problems I can’t see on my own, and getting their input is invaluable when I’m deep into a project and can’t see the forest for the trees.
For the most part, I create these books in my home studio. During the day, I work in the marketing department of Shreve Memorial Library, so the vast majority of my creative work happens before and after hours. On weekdays I wake up at 6am to get a 30 to 40 minute session in, and depending on if I’m cooking I’ll do another session from 8pm-9:30pm. On weekends, I work from 9:30am or 10am to 4pm or 5pm, with another evening session.
What was the process that has led to the Disney book deal? What has been surprising/challenging/exciting about that process?
This deal started out as a rejection! My agent, Ana Crespo, sent an entirely different project. My editor liked the humor and the art, but didn’t think the book was a good fit. She asked if I had anything else, so Ana and I sent everything I had (including a kitchen sink or two). One of the projects was DUCK MOVES IN! but it was a picture book. The editor asked if I’d consider turning it into a graphic novel, so I said, “Yes! Of Course! Give me two weeks!,” and I transformed what was originally a 40-page picture book into the first draft of a 64-page graphic novel. The editor also asked if I had ideas for other adventures with the characters, so during those two weeks, I also wrote out pitches and cover sketches for another three books. I also changed my art technique three times before landing on the final look of the book series!
The most exciting part of this process is simply that it’s happening. It’s been a dream come true to work with the team at Disney. The most challenging part has been managing time!
View fullsizeWindy-Day.jpg
View fullsizeMouse-Girl.jpg
View fullsizeTurtle.jpg
View fullsizeSheep-signs.jpg
What will your life look like over the next few years as you work on the books? Has this work already been completed or is it still in production?
My life is going to be filled with a lot of long nights! Right now, I’m finishing the final art for the first two books, and then I’ll start writing the third book.
What other projects do you have in your head?
I’ve just opened my first solo exhibit at the RW Norton Art Gallery called Squiggle Party: A Doodle Experience. The show will invite kids and their families to create characters and stories based on creative prompts I’ve developed in my newsletter, Somebody Write This Book! The exhibit will be on display this summer through August 6. You can find more information about the show here.
What advice would you give to a person who wants to publish their children’s book, or is interested in learning more about writing/illustration?
I have two pieces of advice for anyone who is interested in creating kids books. First, join the Society of Children’s Book Writers And Illustrators. SCBWI will help you find critique groups, has monthly regional chapter meetings, and annual conferences where you can put your work in front of agents, art directors, and editors. My senior project/exhibit at Centenary was to create a portfolio which I brought to the SCBWI summer conference in Los Angeles.
My second piece of advice is to read a lot, and read diversely and widely. Check to see what’s new at your local bookstore, make friends with your local librarians and see what they’re reading.
Where can we keep up with you?
Visit my website and sign up for my newsletter at kirkreedstrom.com! Once a month, I send writing and drawing prompts to inboxes near and far as well as updates on my own writing life.
KIRK REEDSTROM
@kirkreedstrom
Originally from Houston, Texas, Kirk Reedstrom spent most of his childhood drawing and reading Calvin & Hobbes. He studied at Centenary College of Louisiana where he interned with William Joyce at Moonbot Studios, and fell in love with children’s literature before becoming a bookseller at Blue Willow Bookshop. Kirk now spends most of his time doodling in Shreveport, Louisiana with his wife, Sarah Duet, and their temperamental cat, Nash. Kirk is the creator of Somebody Write This Book, a monthly newsletter of drawing and story prompts, an active SCBWI Member, trained as a Primetime Storyteller with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and his comics zines have been featured in Salon, Relief Journal, The Quaranzine, and All Things Considered. Duck And Moose, his debut graphic novel series, will be published by Disney-Hyperion in 2024. He is represented by Ana Crespo at East West Literary Agency. Artist Statement: I am interested in creativity as a mode of self-reflection, a means of engaging with the subconscious to discover more about ourselves, our neighbors, and our communities. My art can often be described as quirky, whimsical, loose, vulnerable, and playful, which allows for the viewer to inhabit the role of a participant or collaborator instead of that of a consumer. Using materials that can often be found around a house: markers, colored pencils, pens, found paper, and watercolor, I strive to make my work accessible to give permission to the viewer to create their own work and foster interaction.
Kirk Reedstrom has spent most of his adult life surrounded by books—he currently works at a public library, and he used to be a bookseller at Blue Willow, an independent bookstore in Houston, TX. He has led children’s art workshops at The Kimball Museum and interned with William Joyce at the Moonbot Studios. And he mixes all his past experiences with traditional and digital mediums to develop fun-filled characters with a little bit of mayhem. Kirk enjoys creating books that make people laugh. He spends most of his time doodling in Shreveport, Louisiana with his wife, Sarah Duet and cat, Nash.
Kirk Reedstrom is represented by Ana Crespo.
Reedstrom, Kirk DUCK MOVES IN! Disney-Hyperion (Children's None) $12.99 3, 5 ISBN: 9781368097277
A moose fond of peace and quiet gets acquainted with an irritatingly sociable duck in this genial series opener.
Sauntering over well-traveled thematic ground, Reedstrom pairs a solitude-loving moose with a chattery mallard. Duck takes a comfy perch between Moose's antlers and announces: "This will be my forever home. Hiya! I'm Duck." Moose, understandably peeved, tries to shake the squatter off into a series of alternative digs. Duck, like the cat of song and story, keeps coming back (the distant, snowy mountaintop just doesn't have "that je ne sais quois") but does get the message at last--and so unpacks a large-screen TV(!) and other furniture in an open meadow and invites Moose over for movie night. Moose's discovery that they both like the same films and snacks leads, voilà! to instant bonding, and the final simply drawn cartoon scene leaves the pair companionably lounging together on a sofa with Duck's "Peace and Quack" sampler hung on an antler. "Friends!" "Roommates!" Stories of friends who get off to a rocky start are a staple of kid lit, and Moose and Duck make an endearing pair. With just a few speech bubbles and two or three panels per page, this title is a strong choice for those new to comics.
Odd couple animal bros, firmly set in the grand tradition of Frog and Toad. (Graphic easy reader. 6-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Reedstrom, Kirk: DUCK MOVES IN!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A779191061/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=012ad273. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
* REEDSTROM, Kirk. Duck and Moose: Duck Moves In! illus. by Kirk Reedstrom. 64p. (Duck and Moose: Bk. 1). DisneyHyperion. Mar. 2024. Tr $12.99. ISBN 9781368097277.
K-Gr 4--Readers are in for a treat when they meet Duck and Moose! Moose is looking for some peace and quiet when he is interrupted by Duck, who wants to move into Moose's antlers. This "new neighbor," the enthusiastically sweet Duck, is ready for an instant friendship. As much as Moose tries to protect his space and keep his cool, Duck tries to go with the flow. Even though these two are perfect opposites, they find a way to unite in friendship. What moves this graphic novel past the traditional narrative of the odd couple are the illustrations that show the unique personalities and emotions of the characters. Rendered in a blend of pencil, ink, and digital, the art shows Moose's frustration and Duck's joyful oblivion, depicted in the shapes of their mouths and eyes, and in the lines of their body language. Blues, greens, and browns place the characters in their natural setting while more vivid shades of red and orange begin to show as Moose's emotions grow. The chapter structure mixed with occasional full-page art will be an instant hit with students who are just beginning their reading journey, as well as with kids who are just getting to know and love graphic novels. VERDICT A perfect addition to any library, and the start of a beautiful friendship.--Danielle Schwessinger
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Schwessinger, Danielle. "REEDSTROM, Kirk. Duck and Moose: Duck Moves In!" School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 2, Feb. 2024, p. 88. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784714369/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ba95288d. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
REEDSTROM, Kirk. Duck and Moose: Moose Blasts Off! illus. by Kirk Reedstrom. 64p. (Duck and Moose: Bk. 2). Disney-Hyperion. Mar. 2024. Tr $12.99. ISBN 9781368097307.
K-Gr 4-The adventures continue for the lovable odd couple, friends Duck and Moose. Although these two have their differences, their desire to spend time together puts them in funny situations that turn into laugh-out-loud moments for readers. In this the second series installment, Duck interrupts Moose while he's playing astronaut--his "favorite thing ever." True to form, Duck has a lot of questions about what this imaginary game is all about and wants to add his own flair. As the two try to play together, Duck's imagination runs wilder than Moose can handle. A story about two characters gets a special addition with transparent drawings of what is happening in their imaginations. The chance to see the inner workings of a silly animal's brain is another layer to an already strong visual representation of the characters' external characteristics, like Moose's frustration and Duck's enthusiasm. Each pencil, ink, and digital illustration is carefully constructed to enhance the humor and chaos that is Duck and Moose's relationship. Not only will this be a book series kids gravitate towards, but it has extensive opportunities for social-emotional lessons on communication, friendship, flexibility, and emotions. VERDICT A must-have series that is among the best that graphic novels have to offer.--Danielle Schwessinger
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Schwessinger, Danielle. "REEDSTROM, Kirk. Duck and Moose: Moose Blasts Off!" School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 2, Feb. 2024, pp. 88+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784714370/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c5599508. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Reedstrom, Kirk MOOSE BLASTS OFF! Disney-Hyperion (Children's None) $12.99 3, 5 ISBN: 9781368097307
Moose challenges Duck to an "imagination-off" after discovering that Duck doesn't quite have the hang of make-believe.
Sitting on a boulder, Moose loves pretending to be an astronaut blasting off into space and is shocked by Duck's clueless question about pretending: "What's that?" Moose responds that imagination allows one to do anything or be anything, but when Moose invites Duck to give it a go, Duck takes the whole idea in different directions first envisioning the arrival of a whole crowd of other ducks. Then, instead of compliantly playing "astronaut" according to Moose's rules, Duck insists that Moose's boulder isn't a rocket but a time machine. So it is, while Moose stubbornly sticks to visualizing science fictional elements, that Duck conjures up an array of wildly fanciful dinosaurs from a "roller-skating caveduck" to "a disco-dance megaloduck"--until, with a mighty POW, the scenarios blend to produce a helmet-wearing dinosaur astronaut. The rivals agree that they have better ideas together than apart. In the simply drawn cartoon panels, Moose's fantasies manifest in translucent blue, Duck's in pale yellow, and the combined notions in (natch) green. As in their last outing, these two pals set a good example, demonstrating that friendship requires compromise and give-and-take.
A worthy proposition that effortlessly achieves liftoff. (Graphic easy reader. 6-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Reedstrom, Kirk: MOOSE BLASTS OFF!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A779191062/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4c0404d4. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.