Thirty Days Has September

Another busy summer has come and gone, most of the fruits of which are still not quite ripe enough to talk about. I do, however, have a few things going on this month that are worth a mention.

Screens ’N’ Spokes

Throughout the year and across the country, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosts the MS Bike Ride, a lengthy cycling excursion whose participants have raised a considerable amount of money to fight the organization’s unpleasant namesake. For the past few years, many of my friends have participated in the Greater Delaware Valley chapter’s September ride, pedaling a total of 150 miles from Philadelphia, PA to Ocean City, NJ and back. The ride is affectionately known as the MS150, and I’ve always been too lazy to do it. However, this year I was given a chance to participate without even leaving my house.

Screens ’N’ Spokes is an MS150 team put together by Sam Verrill and Jessica Harris which is raising money not only by biking, but also by curating a series of limited-edition silkscreen posters commemorating the event. Participating artists (among whom I am humbled to be listed) include Jay Ryan, Leia Bell, Dirk Fowler, The Heads of State, Dan McCarthy, Punchgut Studios, Tim Gough, Eleanor Grosch, Matt Sutter, Niff Nicholls, and many, many more.

It really is an impressive collection of beautiful posters, and if you’re in the Philadelphia area, you can see (and buy) them in living color. Concurrent shows will be opening at Mugshots Coffeehouse on September 6th and MilkBoy Coffee on September 7th. Both shows will be up through September, but if time or proximity aren’t on your side, you can still view and buy the posters online. Keep an eye on the Screens ’N’ Spokes blog for more details.

2007 Webmaster Jam Session

September 21st will mark my first visit to Dallas for CoffeCup Software’s esteemed Webmaster Jam Session. I’ll be sharing the stage with some pretty amazing people, like Jared Spool, Derek Featherstone, D. Keith Robinson, Nick Finck, Jeff Croft, Ethan Marcotte, Molly Holzschlag, and a whole bunch more. My presentation will deal with creative inspiration, but if you already saw Stan and I tackle the subject at SXSW earlier this year, you’ll be relieved to hear that there will be plenty of new stuff to sink your eyes and ears into. So come on down and check it out! Just be sure to steer clear of the grassy knoll.