| In the years before being a teenager reared its ugly head, I was happy to be that tomboy girl who climbed trees, hung out with boys and scorned girls who wore dresses.
After a full day of surviving condemned houses and re-creating scenes from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I would curl up to one of many books. My tastes were simple – short stories of adventure or horror, all with fantastic illustrations. I realize now that I still crave these even though it’s been a few years since I climbed any trees. Although the popularity of the graphic novel seems to be growing exponentially, the short illustrated story is cut from a slightly different cloth. You could bemoan its dwindling numbers, or celebrate its resurgence with The Broken Wrist Project.
At brokenwristproject.com, you can view selections from two books with short stories featuring an eclectic mix of illustrations and photos from artists such as Jeff Soto, Misaki Kawai and Zen Sekizawa. With the intent to blur "the line between street-level art books and literary journals," the books are entertaining showpieces with no set agenda other than to tell a story. And at $20 US each or two for $35, they’re an affordable coffee table companion.
The site also encourages submissions from artists and writers, so you can take an active role in the project. |
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