Table of Contents From the Editor

Dear Reader,

Reading wasn’t a top priority in our family; I don’t think I was ever read to as a child. It wasn’t as if literature was banned in our house, but the walls weren’t exactly lined with bookshelves. The preschool in our tiny town was held at the local library, and that was my first real introduction to books and being read to. I loved the smells, the colorful spines and the quietness of the library. It was such a relaxing atmosphere that I couldn’t wait to visit it, and it was there that I fell in love with the world of reading.

In elementary school we had the Book Mobile (as there was only the High School Library). A van would come around the school on certain days of the month, and we could check out books. It was such a delight to walk around in its cramped quarters—and the driver was a little creepy. I looked forward to every visit with my finished book in hand, ready for another.

Departments

I can’t really recall what books I read, but I’m sure my selection wasn’t very sophisticated, unlike some of my childhood friends that bragged about reading the likes of Ulysses when they were nine years old. In high school my tastes began to advance. My friends were often smarter than I was, and they would recommend books. One book that I remember vividly—and which was responsible for really getting me hooked on reading—was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Since we didn’t live that far from Kansas, where the infamous Clutter family murder took place, the proximity added to the mystique and thrill. Every chance I got I would open that book. A few times I got in trouble for being lazy (translation: lying around reading) and was told to get off my duff, set the table, or vacuum the rug. But that book made that horrific murder come alive for me. I would be terrified and couldn’t read at night for fear it might give me nightmares.

When I left home, my first husband, an avid reader and local pot dealer, turned me on to The Beats, Philip Roth, John Cheever and Charles Bukowski—of whom I was especially fond. His work was so honest and hilariously ribald. It was inspiring to find something that I really could sink my teeth into.

As my husbands accumulated, so did my personal library. I ended up working fulltime in the cataloging department at the Tulsa University Library. I loved that job and found the two main women catalogers that I worked for to be delightfully enigmatic. I was fascinated with their job and hated to interrupt them as they were always so enrapt, sitting in their cubby holes, thumbing through the pages, taking notes. They were so smart and hip and worldly—and well-read.

I’m still a diehard fiction fan and always have a book going. I couldn’t imagine a world without reading. Every summer we publish a reading issue, just like other publications do with their recommendations. Here are ours, mainly focusing on art. We like to include films too, such as the documentary on Thomas Kinkade reviewed here by Doug Harvey. Kinkade: alcoholic misanthrope, painter of light. How irresistible is that?

No matter what your fare, we think we have an eclectic selection to consider. And don’t let anyone tell you that you’re lazy. Now get off your butt and go visit a library or buy a book—before they actually do get banned.

Paintings

The first retrospective for this mid-century California artist, August 23, 2023 to January 7, 2024

Featured Contributors

Doug Harvey is an artist, writer, critic, independent curator and educator who lives in LA. The graphic novel of his most recent solo show, "2020 Black Abstract Paintings," should be out in time for Christmas from AC Books. His other activities may be monitored online at www.dougharvey.blogspot.com and lessart.wordpress.

William Moreno is currently principle of William Moreno Contemporary, an art advisory and consulting firm that provides advice, meeting each collector’s particular aspirations. He is also a curator, writer, executive coach and consultant for the arts, focused on issues of sustainability and management practices.

Annabel Keenan is a New York–based writer specializing in contemporary art, sustainability and market reporting. Her work has been published in The Art Newspaper, Hyperallergic and Brooklyn Rail, among others. She holds an MA in Decorative Arts, Design History and Material Culture from the Bard Graduate Center.

Emma Christ is a Los Angeles–based curator, writer and art historian. She holds a BA in Art from Reed College, and an MA in Curatorial Practice from USC, where she wrote a thesis on osmotic and transcorporeal relationships in contemporary art.

Staff

Tulsa Kinney Editor

Alex Garner Publisher

Editorial

Bill Smith - creative director

Emma Christ - associate editor

John Tottenham - copy editor/poetry editor

John Seeley - copy editor/proof

Dave Shulman - graphic design

Contributing Editors

Ezrha Jean Black, Laura London, Tucker Neel, John David O’Brien

Columnists

Skot Armstrong, Scarlet Cheng, Stephen J. Goldberg, Lauren Guilford, Seth Hawkins, Lara Jo Regan

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Anthony Ausgang, Emily Babette, Lane Barden, Natasha Boyd, Betty Ann Brown, Susan Butcher & Carol Wood, Kate Caruso, Max King Cap, Bianca Collins, Shana Nys Dambrot, Genie Davis, David DiMichele, Alexia Lewis, Richard Allen May III, Christopher Michno, Barbara Morris, John David O’Brien, Carrie Paterson, Leanna Robinson, Julie Schulte, Allison Strauss, Donasia Tillery, Daniel Warren, Colin Westerbeck, Eve Wood, Catherine Yang, Jody Zellen

NEW YORK: Annabel Keenan, Sarah Sargent

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Barbara Morris is a Bay Area–based writer and artist. In addition to Artillery, Morris has written for Artweek, art ltd., Squarecylinder and Art Practical, among other publications. She holds an MFA in painting from UC Berkeley, and is passionate about feminist concerns and artwork that challenges racial and gender stereotypes.

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