Archive
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February 25, 2010 The Odd-Fish Art of Diana Todd |
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February 16, 2010 The Origins of Eldritch City |

"Hilarious . . . Readers with a finely tuned sense of the absurd are going to adore the Technicolor ride."
—Booklist
"Fantasy done to a clever, grotesque, nonsensical turn." —Chicago Sun-Times
"A work of mischievous imagination and outrageous invention." —Time Out Chicago
"One of the more singular young adult fantasies—or fantasies, period—I've run across . . . Funny, bizarre, action-packed, and even thoughtful, and stocked with a gallery of larger-than-life characters." —Green Man Review
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Participating in "LitWorks: A Teen READ Workshop" through the Eisenhower Public Library (4613 N Oketo Ave., Harwood Heights, IL, 708.867.7828) 10 am - 3 pm.
Wednedsay, April 14, 2010
Leading a Dome of Doom writing workshop for the Des Plaines Public Library at Sweet Remembrance Cafe in Des Plaines (614 Lee St., just north of Miner St. (same as Dempster), across from the Metra and the library). 6:00pm – 8:00pm.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
This is HUGE! I join forces with Chicago theater group Collaboraction for the Odd-Fish fan art gallery show opening (7pm-9pm), followed by DOME OF DOOM costumed battle-dance party extravaganza until the wee hours as part of Collaboraction's annual Carnevale event! 439 N. Wolcott, Chicago, IL. Dance party: $20 in advance, $50 for premium pass. More details soon.
I am interviewed by Betsy Bird for the School Library Journal’s Fuse #8 blog. Check it out if you want to read about my opinions on Zork, my life in the convent, and why The Jeffersons is superior to Catcher in the Rye. Many in the comments section deem this the “Best. Interview. Ever.” Dare you disagree?
I am interviewed by the lovely Senfaye on A Maze Of Books. Read it if you’re curious as to why I chose to end the interview by saying “I hate you”—and why when Senfaye asked “What’s your favorite food?” I replied “Your skull.” It’s scandalous!
I am interviewed by Amy Alessio for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Read about my experiences as a junior high school science teacher—in particular, of how the entire faculty was mysteriously menaced by a obscene note-writing student known only as “The Foggy Wiener.” I also talk about my participation in Japan’s violent “Naked Man” Festival, and how I discovered the President of the ALA is a whimsical hobo.
Order of Odd-Fish Week on Murphblog. Check out Paul Michael Murphy's monster five-part interview with me! Part One, the road to publication; Part Two, on writing; Part Three, I reveal the thing I will always find funny; Part Four, the "lightning round"; Part Five, a Create-Your-Own-Odd-Fish-Specialty contest (entries are in the comments section); and I judge the winner of the contest.
I am interviewed by Melissa at the Book Nut blog. I talk about the difficulties of getting The Order of Odd-Fish published, my high school friend who was the inspiration for Jo, the idea of an “urban Narnia,” and the origin of the All-Devouring Mother character. Melissa also posted a glowing review here.

My feud with Neil Gaiman. It all started when I revealed Gaiman's dark secret: that he is 2 mm tall and all his books are written by bees. The feud escalated when I tackled him at the American Library Association and won the Newbery from him, fair and square. Your move, Gaiman!
It's a mixtape for The Order of Odd-Fish. Listen to a stream of the songs I chose for an imaginary "movie soundtrack" for Odd-Fish, and read why I chose them. Lots of different stuff: French ye-ye, Kinshasa street bands, pseudo-classical, puzzling blippity-bloopity music, and more.
I used to be in a band called Brilliant Pebbles. The drummer Philip and I quit the band in September 2009, but Monika and Sam are continuing on. We had been variously described as "melodramatic video game music," "moon-man opera," and "gypsy sex metal." It's over now, but I loved being in this band. You can download our EP from Amazon here.
There's an audiobook of The Order of Odd-Fish. It's masterfully read by the Audie award-winning Jessica Almasy, whom I was lucky enough to interview here.
The Brothers Delacorte. I team up with fellow charming and mysterious Delacorte authors Daniel Kraus and Adam Selzer to solve baffling international crimes and taste sophisticated titillatations.
Email: kennedyjames [at] gmail [dot] com
Twitter: @iamjameskennedy

Bentley Holmes-Gull. The designer of this web site!
Jessica Hopper. Author of The Girls Guide to Rocking and music critic.
Jonathan Messinger. Chicago literary man-about-town who runs small press Featherproof Books.
Freya Trefonides. My niece, protégée, and terrific writer in her own right.
Laini Taylor. Author of the tremendously enjoyable Blackbringer, Silksinger, and Lips Touch.
Paul Hornschemeier. Graphic novelist responsible for Mother Come Home, The Three Paradoxes, etc. and artist behind the cover of the Odd-Fish paperback.
Elizabeth Bird. Children's librarian at the 42nd Street New York Public Library who writes the must-read Fuse #8 blog for the School Library Journal.
Amy Alessio. Author, librarian, and teen coordinator at the Schaumburg Township Library in Illinois.
John Huston. Otherwise known as Dark Yellow. Reporter, writer, and occasional Neil Gaiman impersonator.
Daniel Kraus. Fellow Brother Delacorte, author of The Monster Variations, and documentarian.
Adam Selzer. Another Brother Delacorte and author of Andrew North Blows Up the World and many other books.
Paul Baxendale. Genius behind the FinderMaker blog. He finds things and makes them into other, better things.
The Weirdside. "Happily Bixxerfouping Since 2009." What? Exactly. Adam Callaway's an up-and-coming writer of the weird and wonderful.
Murphblog. Teacher, writer, drinker of chocolate milk. Also master of the epic five-part interview form (1 2 3 4 5 + 6).
The Order of Odd-Fish on GoodReads
The Order of Odd-Fish on MySpace
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February 25, 2010 The Odd-Fish Art of Diana Todd |
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February 16, 2010 The Origins of Eldritch City |
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