"This volume sets the standard for scholarship about wordless books and graphic novels. Period!" -----John A. Lent, International Journal of Comic Art

In addition to my professional duties as the  Dean, Library and Academic Support Services at Plymouth State University,  I have researched the history of wordless books and woodcut novels, referred to by Scott McCloud as "missing links" in the development of comics. In Wordless Books, I have narrowed my focus on the works of Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward Otto Nuckel, Helena Bochořaková-Dittrichová, William Gropper, Milt Gross, Myron Waldman, e.o. plauen, Istvan Szegedi, Szuts, Giacomo Patri, and Laurence Hyde.  The themes in these wordless books show a powerful relevance to our world today, the significance of wordless stories in our culture, and the importance of visual narratives in communication.  

BOOK CHAPTER:
   "Pictures Speak in Wordless Comics: An examination of pictorial principles in the work of Milt Gross, Hendrik Dorgathen, Eric Drooker and Peter Kuper." The Language of Comics: Word & Image, ed. Robin Varnum and Christina Gibbons. University Press of Mississippi, 2001.  

                                                                       

BOOK INTRODUCTIONS:
    "Introduction" to George Walker's Book of Hours: A Tragic New York Novel Told With 99 Wood Engravings. Porcupine's Quill Press, Forthcoming, 2010.
    "Introduction" to Lynd Ward's Prelude to a Million Years and Song Without Words: Two Graphic Novels. Dover Publication,Forthcoming, 2010.
    "Introduction" to Charles Turzak's Benjamin Franklin: A Life in Woodcuts. Dover Publication,Forthcoming, 2010.
    "Introduction" to Malcolm Salaman's The Art of the Woodcut: Masterworks from the 1920s. Dover Publication, Forthcoming.
    "Introduction" to World War 3 Illustrated:The Wordless Issue. No. 39, 2009.
    "Introduction" to Frans Masereel's The Sun,The Idea, and Story Without Words. Dover Publication, 2009.
    "Introduction" to John Vassos' Phobia: An Art Deco Masterpiece. Dover Publication, 2009.
    "Preface" to Charles Turzak's Abraham Lincoln: biography in woodcuts.Dover Publication, 2008.
    "Introduction" to Lynd Ward's Vertigo. Dover Publication, 2008.
    "Introduction" to Frans Masereel's Passionate Journey: A Vision in Woodcuts. Dover Publications, 2007.
    "Introduction" to Laurence Hyde's Southern Cross: A Novel of the South Seas. Drawn & Quarterly, 2007.
    "Introduction" to Madman's Drum by Lynd Ward. Dover Publications, 2005.

                                                                                 


JOURNAL EDITOR: Guest Editor. "Storytelling and Printmaking." California Society of Printmakers Journal. December, 2006.   

JOURNAL ARTICLES:
   "BLAB! A Visual Jouney." BLAB! Catalogue from the exhibit at Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University, August 1-November 2, 2008.
   "Sandy Walker: "Yet if they fail to express.'" The California Printmaker: News Brief. Spring, 2008:9. Read article
   "A Renegade of Expression: David Wojnarowicz's Autofiction in Comics." Image [&] Narrative [e-journal] 22 (2008). Read article
   "Art Hazelwood: Graphic Witness to America" Image and Narrative Issue 12, 2005 Read article
   "Pumping Iron: Male Stereotypes in Delisle's Albert et les Autres." International Journal of Comic Art. 6:1(Spring, 2004): 299-315.
   "Wordless Novels in Woodcuts." Print Quarterly  20:1 (March, 2003): 61-72. 
   "Worth a Thousand Words." The Readers' Shelf. Library Journal. Vol. 129 No.4 (March 1, 2004):132. Read article.
   "Health Practices for Printmakers." The California Printmaker: News Brief. Fall, 2003:[8].
   "The Woodcut Novels of Lynd Ward.” Matrix : a review for printers and bibliophiles, No. 22, 2002.
     "Artists Without Authors: The Wordless Novels of Helena Bochorakova, Babette Katz, Barabara Henry, and Jules Remedios Faye." The California Printmaker: The Journal of the California Society of Printmakers. Issue 2002.
    "TCJ: Resource to the World." The Comics Journal No. 235 (July, 2001): 38.
    "Introduction" to "Beyond Words 2: A Wordless Comic Anthology." Sunburn No. 15 (Winter, 2001): 2. Read Article 
    "Breaking Taboos: Sexuality in the Work of Will Eisner and the Early Wordless Novels." International Journal of Comic Art 1:1 (Spring/Summer, 1999): 90-103.  Note: Article reprinted in "Will Eisner." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 237.  Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007. p. 140-145. 
   "An Introduction" to "Beyond Words: A Wordless Comic Anthology."Sunburn No. 11 (Summer, 1999): 2-3. Read Article 
   "Pictorial Narratives: The Woodcut Novels of Lynd Ward." The Comics Journal. No.208 (November, 1998): 102-106.
   "A Season of Silent Novels." The Comics Journal. No.208 (November, 1998): 93-101.
   "A Pathfinder in Pictures: The Woodcut Novels of Lynd Ward." Antiquarian Book Monthly (London) 23:10(November, 1996): 20-23.
   "Chronicles in Black and White: The Woodcut Novels of Masereel and Ward." Biblio: The Magazine for Collectors of Books, Manuscripts, and Ephemera 1:2(September-October, 1996): 38-41.
   "Silent Narratives: The Woodcut Novels of Lynd Ward." AB Bookman Weekly 96:2(July 10, 1995): 105-121.
   "Picture Stories: Eric Drooker and the Tradition of Woodcut Novels." INKS: Cartoon and Comic Art Studies 2:1(February, 1995): 2-11.
  
REVIEWS:
   "In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists," by Todd Hignite. International Journal of Comic Art. International Journal of Comic Art. 11:1 (Spring, 2009): 520-522  
   "Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front," by Todd DePastino; "Willie and Joe: The World War II Years," By Bill Mauldin and edited by Todd DePastino. International Journal of Comic Art. International Journal of Comic Art. 11:1 (Spring, 2009): 517-520.
   "Reading Bande Dessinee: Critical Approches to French-language Comic Strip," by Ann Miller. International Journal of Comic Art. International Journal of Comic Art.11:1 (Spring, 2009): 489-490.
   "LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel." Norman Rockwell Museum, November 10, 2007-May 26, 2008. International Journal of Comic Art. 10:2(Fall, 2008): 808-810.
    Review Essay. "Father of Comic Strip: Rodolphe Töpffer," by David Kunzle and "Rodolphe Töpffer: The Complete Comic Strips," compiled, translated, and annoted by Davdi Kunzle. International Journal of Comic Art. 10:1 (Spring, 2008): 559-565.
   "The Arrival," by Shaun Tan. Raintaxi. Winter, 2007/2008. Online Edition. Read article  
   "Art Out of Time," by Dan Nadel. International Journal of Comic Art. International Journal of Comic Art. 9:2 (Fall, 2007): 537-539.
   "Run, Bonggu, Run!," by Byun Byung-Jun. Raintaxi. Vol. 12 (3) Fall, 2007 (No.47):43. Print Edition.
   "Stop Forgetting to Remember," by Peter Kuper. Raintaxi. Summer, 2007. Online Edition. Read article
   "Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature," by Charles Hatfield. International Journal of Comic Art. 8:1 (Spring/Summer, 2006): 567-568.
   "Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco," by Rick Smith. The Comics Journal. No. 270:57.
   "A Heavenly Craft: The Woodcut in Early Printed Books" edited by Daniel De Simone. Print Quarterly. 22:2 (June, 2005): 205-209.
   "Solitude and Emptiness (Cimes and La Digue)" by Vincent Fortemps. The Comics Journal.No. 268 (June/July, 2005): 54.
   "Give Our Regards to the Atomsmashers! Writers on Comics" edited by Sean Howe. International Journal of Comic Art. 7:1 (Spring/Summer, 2005): 559-560.
   "Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book" by Gerald Jones. International Journal of Comic Art. 7:1 (Spring/Summer, 2005): 561-562.
   "Radical Art: Printmaking and the Left in 1930s New York" by Helen Langa. Print Quarterly, 22:1 (March, 2005): 86-89.
   "Gods' Man " by Lynd Ward. The Comics Journal.No. 261 (June/July, 2004): 51
   "Leviathan" by Jens Harder. The Comics Journal. No. 262 (August/September, 2004): 72.
   "Le Château: D”Aprés F. Kafka, " by Olivier Deprez. The Comics Journal No. 257 (December, 2003).
   "Henri Van Straten. (1892 1944). Catalogue of the graphic work. Oeuvre catalogus van de grafiek. Catalogue de l'oeuvre gravé." Print Quarterly. 20:3 (September, 2003) 293-297.
   "The Comics: Since 1945 by Brian Walker. International Journal of Comic Art. 5:2 (Fall, 2003): 450-452.
   "Blackbird Not Speaking in the Dead of Night: SSHHHH! by Jason." The Comics Journal. No. 251:52.
   "A Silent Man's Unfinished Declaration: Lynd Ward's Last Unfinished Wordless Novel." The Comics Journal. No. 251:48-49.
   "Blood Song: A Silent Ballad by Eric Drooker." The Comics Journal. No. 248:39.
   "Comics Culture: Analytical and Theoretical Approaches to Comics. Edited by Anne Magnussen and Hans-Christian Christiansen." International Journal of Comic Art 4:1 (Winter, 2002).
   "The Graphic Novel." International Journal of Comic Art 3:2 (Fall, 2001): 332-334.
   "Norwegian Mjau Mjau:Surmounting the Language Barrier."  The Comics Journal. No. 233 (May, 2001):28.
   "The Top 5 Lists!" The Comics Journal. No. 220 (February, 2000):30.
   "Books of the Year. Underground Hit: Cave-In by Brian Ralph." The Comics Journal. No. 220 (February, 2000): 21-22.
   "Discratches. Combustion: A Story Without Words by Chris Lanier." The Comics Journal. No.219 (January, 2000): 24.
   "Sam Norkin: Drawings, Stories by Sam Norkin." INKS: Cartoon and Comic Art Studies 3:1(February, 1996): 35-36.

EXHIBITION CURATOR:
    Judge for  the 2009 Juried Print Show, Momenta III, Two Rivers Printmaking Studio, White River Junction. March 31, 2009.
    American Politics 2008: A View in Prints, September 15-November 21, 2008. Lamson Library Print Series. Opening Event, September 17.
   Japanese Manga: A Glimpse of the Classics, September 5-October 6, 2006. Lamson Library. Opening Event September 13 4—6 p.m.  Gallery Talk September 20 at noon with curator David A. Beronä, Lamson Library Director.  New Hampshire Public Radio's 'Front Porch' program, The Culture of Manga in the US, Aug. 30, 2006.  Listen to  program

PAPERS:   
  “Contemporary Woodcut Novels: Telling Stories in Pictures." College Book Art Association Biennial Conference, University of Iowa Center for the Book. Art, Fact, and Artifact: The Book in TIme and Place. January 8-10, 2009.
  “Reading Pictures, Burning Comics: New Perspectives on the History of Graphic Narrative.” Columbia University Book History Colloquium. New York. Sept. 25, 2008
   "Inside Out: Self and Society in Comic Art: Trends in Autobiography, journalism and social critique in graphic novels." Panel Discussion with moderator Calvin Reid and panelists Josh Neufeld, Jill Tamaki, Pornsak Pichetshote, James Romberger, and myself. St.Mark's Church in the Bowery, New York. Howl Fesitval Panels. Sept. 10, 2008.
   "Reading Pictures: The Language of Wordless Books." Panel Discussion. Literature in English (LES) Section of the American College and Research Libraries (ACRL).  American Libraries Association Annual Conference. Anaheim, California. Forthcoming. June 28, 2008. 
   "Building a Graphic Novel and Manga Collection." New Hamphsire Library Association Conference, Concord, New Hampshire (May 22, 2008).
   "Political Art: Timely and Timeless." Panel discussion. University of Rhode Island, April 6, 2006.
   "Comics and Graphic Novels: Not Just for Kids Anymore." New Hamphsire Library Association Conference, Manchester, New Hampshire (May 13, 2005).
   "The Magic of Woodcuts in the Book Illustrations of Frans Masereel and Olivier Deprez." Yale University Symposium and Exhibit, The Belgian Illustrated Book: 1918-2004, held in Sterling Memorial Library from February 4 through April 29, 2005.
   "Wordless Novels: Early Developments in the Graphic Novel." The Graphic Novel: A 20^th Anniversary Conference on an Emerging Literary and Artistic Medium, University of Massachusetts/Amherst (November 13-15, 1998).
   "Woodcut Novels in America." Society for the History of Authorship, Reading & Publishing (SHARP) (July 18, 1996). 
   "Worlds Without Word Balloons." Popular Culture Association (April 8, 1994).

HONORS:
   Nominated for the prestigious 2009 Harvey Award in the category of Best Biographical, Historical or Jounalistic Presentaton for Wordless Books.
   First Place Winner at the 23rd Annual New York Book Show in the Special Trade/Adult Graphic Novel category, March 24, 2009.
   First chapter in Wordless Books reprinted as "Ohne Worte (Without Words)" in Freistil. Verlag Hermann Schmidt Mainz, 2009.
   Dedication by Jan Baetens in "Going to Heaven: A Missing Link in the History of Photonarrative?" JNT:Journal of Narrative Theory 31:1 (Winter 2001): 87. Read article.
   Acknowledgement of my publications on the woodcut novel in the foreword to Graphic Storytelling by Will Eisner.
   Publications cited in the selected bibliography of catalogs from the 2003 exhibit at Rutgers University (Lynd Ward's Vertigo: A Graphic Novel of the Depression) 1997 exhibit at Indiana University (The Silent Shout: Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward and the Novel in Woodcuts) and the 1995 exhibit at the University of Toledo (The Ardent Image: Book Illustration for Adults in America, 1920-1942).
    Back cover endorsements for Eriz Yakin's The Silent City with an introduction by Yevgeny Yevtushenko (Kitchen Sink Press, 1995) and Chris Lanier's Combustion: A Story Without Words (Fantagraphics Press, 1999).