COVID Check-In with James Sturm

Virtual Memories Show
COVID Check-In: James Sturm

“In the midst of these blurry days, these projects seem like some kind of beacon of light, like they’re really important.”

Cartoonist James Sturm checks in from Hartland, VT. We talk about how COVID-19 has affected learning at the Center for Cartoon Studies (he’s the founder and director of that institution), his weekly digital Sabbath, recording video-dispatches with cartoonists about this experience, missing Tom Spurgeon and how he would have helped us cope with this, and more. Give it a listen! And go learn more about the Center for Cartoon Studies!

“We have 35 students; I can’t imagine how hard it would be schools that are exponentially more than that: 350, 35,000. I don’t even know how you’d handle that online transition.”

Listen to the conversation! Then check out the archives for more conversations from The Before Times.

You can listen to all these COVID Check-In episodes at The COVID-19 Sessions.

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About our Guest

James Sturm is an award-winning cartoonist whose books have been translated widely. His work has appeared on Slate, The New York Times, and on the cover of The New Yorker. He is also the co-founder of the Seattle newspaper, The Stranger, and the Center for Cartoon Studies, a cartooning college. James lives in Hartland, VT, with his family and two dogs. His new book is Off Season.

Credits: The conversation was recorded remotely via Zencastr. I used a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone feeding into a Cloudlifter CL-1 and a Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2×2 USB Recording Interface. All processing and editing done in Adobe Audition CC. Photo of James and Teddy by someone in James’ family, but it’s on my instagram.

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