The owl I bought at a Rite Aid.
THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY
Grandma Runfola: Your mother said to get you a Banana Republic gift certificate.
Thanks Props Kudos
Well, yeah, Mom and Dad. You loved books and you made me love books and there are few better gifts.
The teachers who stood out—Mrs. Lincicome and Mr. Shaver and Mr. Wright and Mr. Richards (still!).
The writers who taught me, through their work, to take care of the word—Willa Cather and Joseph Conrad and Wallace Stevens and Jim Goad and Garret Keizer and most of all Harlan Ellison, who, as of this writing, dwells in the Lost Aztec Temple of Mars, high above the San Fernando Valley, a twisty nautilus shell of a house full of books and Ritz crackers and Jack Kirby’s fountain pen. I can’t believe Harlan’s been my friend, even for these few short years. It started with you in the seventh grade, like it probably did with a lot of people.
Everyone at Scribner—especially copyeditor Aja Pollock, who knew the correct spelling of “Yog-Sothoth.”
All my friends, every day and ongoing. I hang out with comedians—the best version of life you can live.
Credits
Graphic story on pp. 71–78 by Matthew Bernier
Illustrations on pp. 106, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116–118 courtesy of Onsmith
Illustrations on pp. 170, 172–173 courtesy of David Lasky LIFE AND HOW TO LIVE IT (p. 17)
GREEN GROW THE RUSHES (p. 18) WENDELL GEE (p. 20)
By MIKE MILLS, WILLIAM T. BERRY, PETER LAWR
© 1985 NIGHT GARDEN MUSIC
All Rights on Behalf of NIGHT GARDEN MUSIC Administered by WARNER-TAMERLANE PUBLISHING CORP.
All Rights Reserved
Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC.
ABOUT THE TYPE
The text of this book has been set in MT Pugmire Gothic. MT Pugmire is a nonflorid, pre-post-Brutalist “curl-type” vowel recessive, first used in the publication of Giselle Tanhauser’s memoir, The Inkling Group and the Things They Put Inside of Me, Volume 2: Face Holes.
MT Pugmire Gothic is a trademark of MarkoCorp, Feedlot Ltd., and/or its subsidiaries.
Printed and bound by Voluntary Convict Labor Press, Men’s Correctional Facility, Galax, Virginia.
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