Furqan's First Flat Top UPDATE 18- Latinxs in Kid Lit

Got an awesome book review from the good folks over at Latinxs in Kid Lit. If you haven't seen their site please go and check out the many sections and reviews they have highlighting Latinx authors/illustrators and their books. Check it out eh? Shout out to Sujei!!

LINK

Also, yo please check out the Latinxs in Kid Lit 2016 best books, Furqan's First is on the list among some OGs in the business/community. 

Free shipping til Jan 1st

If you want to cop some art, prints, or Furqan's First please go to this LINK and use the code GREAT55

Blavity- Afro Tech conference

You should be here if you identify as African American or part of the Black diaspora. Please check out this VIDEO link and stay up with this company, they are doing some innovative things. Don't know about this conference? Follow the link and read up. I didnt make it to the conference this year, but I hope to see you there next year.

Rad Families

Hey parents and folks who know parents to be the new anthology of Rad Dads, moms, and parents edited by the founder of Rad Dad Tomas Moniz. I'm happy to be a part of this book and to hold space with other parents when talking about the love, struggles, and strife. It features joints I've seen from the Rad Dad magazine and other pieces from zines. You can cop the book here at PM Press.

Here is some more info about the book:

Rad Families: A Celebration honors the messy, the painful, the playful, the beautiful, the myriad ways we create families. This is not an anthology of experts, or how-to articles on perfect parenting; it often doesn’t even try to provide answers. Instead, the writers strive to be honest and vulnerable in sharing their stories and experiences, their failures and their regrets.

Gathering parents and writers from diverse communities, it explores the process of getting pregnant from trans birth to adoption, grapples with issues of racism and police brutality, probes raising feminists and feminist parenting. It plumbs the depths of empty nesting and letting go.

Some contributors are recognizable authors and activists but most are everyday parents working and loving and trying to build a better world one diaper change at a time. It’s a book that reminds us all that we are not alone, that community can help us get through the difficulties, can, in fact, make us better people. It’s a celebration, join us!

Contributors include Jonas Cannon, Ian MacKaye, Burke Stansbury, Danny Goot, Simon Knaphus, Artnoose, Welch Canavan, Daniel Muro LaMere, Jennifer Lewis, Zach Ellis, Alicia Dornadic, Jesse Palmer, Mindi J., Carla Bergman, Tasnim Nathoo, Rachel Galindo, Robert Liu-Trujillo, Dawn Caprice, Shawn Taylor, D.A. Begay, Philana Dollin, Airial Clark, Allison Wolfe, Roger Porter, cubbie rowland-storm, Annakai & Rob Geshlider, Jeremy Adam Smith, Frances Hardinge, Jonathan Shipley, Bronwyn Davies Glover, Amy Abugo Ongiri, Mike Araujo, Craig Elliott, Eleanor Wohlfeiler, Scott Hoshida, Plinio Hernandez, Madison Young, Nathan Torp, Sasha Vodnik, Jessie Susannah, Krista Lee Hanson, Carvell Wallace, Dani Burlison, Brian Whitman, scott winn, Kermit Playfoot, Chris Crass, and Zora Moniz.

Editor: Tomas Moniz • Foreword by Ariel Gore
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 978-1-62963-230-8
Published: 10/01/2016
Format: Paperback
Size: 8x5
Page count: 296
Subjects: Family-Relationships

Furqan's First Flat Top UPDATE 17 (where you can buy the book OR-TX)

The following stores are spots where you can purchase Furqan's First Flat Top"

Black Wagon- Portland Oregon

Giant Robot- Japantown (LA), California

Mi Vida Boutique- Highland Park (LA), California

A Different Booklist- Toronto, Ontario

Brazos Bookstore- Houston, Texas

Blue Stockings- New York, NY

Hello folks, this is the most recent line up of independent stores who now carry the book. Please support brick and mortar stores!! Go buy it there. If its not in your city, let me know whats the coolest book store in town. If you have a friend there, hook it up. I'll do my best to get the book on their shelves.

This will probably be the last Furqan update for the year. For those unaware, I self published a children's book called "Furqan's First Flat Top" with a team of talented folks and a whole mess of help from supporters on kickstarter. The book came out in May and I have been to many schools and events reading the book, selling it, and talking about it. Occasionally I am meeting new folks who are also interested in creating their own. If any of you have questions for me feel free to ask here in the comments or via email at info@robdontstop.com . More unheard voices from the margins please.

The book trailer in case you want to show it to your local bookstore owner, teacher, organization, etc.

Dakota Access pipeline-The banks who support it

Looking shit up in btwn work. Over 38 banks have loaned or given over $10 billion dollars to the four partners trying to push the Dakota Access pipeline thru. Amazing that over "188" tribes from South America to Canada have come together (historically) since last Spring to say NO TO the pipeline. Heres a list of the banks that gave the pipeline builders (Dakota Access, Energy Transfer Partners, Sunoco, and Energy Transfer Equity) money. The banks trying to profit from this are in the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, Scotland, UK, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, etc more.http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/…/who's-banking-dakota-acc…

Whats it about? Money, power, white supremacy. Its about protecting water, standing up to empire, class, and racism-for the last millennia. They did reroute this thing to respect the wishes of another community too.

In awe. Respect to the water protectors. Many ways to voice support for water protectors- You can go there (w/ respect), support food, supplies, doctors going there (as so many of have been doing), you can pressure these banks, close accts, MAKE ART, call the white house, the army corps.......just sharing

 

please follow the hashtag #NODAPL for more info, art, etc.

My night at the Planetarium-Kids book

A kids book about art and activism from author/illustrator Innosanto Nagara READ the interview here

cop the book

Moonlight-Inspiring film

Saw this film a week or so ago and I highly recommend everyone see it. It explores masculinity and sexuality in such a human, subtle, and attentive way it is amazing. While watching it I kept thinking, these are people I've met before or known, but I've never seen them given this much shine, this much light. Please watch it.

Watch the trailer and the talk with the cast/film makers

Portraits for Mobilize the Immigrant Vote

Here are some portraits I painted for "Mobilize the Immigrant vote". These portraits were commissioned for voting campaigns online and in print to educate people about propositions to vote for or against. The folks in these portraits are working activists and/or parents or kids of activists who not only want to share their experience but want to win more protection, equal rights, and justice for their families and loved ones. And with the current election results you can understand why.

To see the guides themselves or to learn more about MIV, please go to: http://www.mivcalifornia.org/

Character Collage (5) 2015-2016

I love drawing realistic and exaggerated characters. Especially people who are not often drawn! I started doing these character collages as a way to practice and challenge myself over 5 years ago.  I've been into drawing characters for ever. Once a month, 10 a year, doesn't really matter, its more about practicing and getting the ideas out. And by doing that, looking back and seeing improvement and growth. Top to bottom, left to right: 1. Toni Stone 2. Duke Kahanamoku 3. Sha Rock 4. Sketch soldier 5. Sho-Nuff 6. Ana Delgado 7. Ameena 8. Flyers ink drawing 9. East Bay Dragons 10. Lauryn Hill 11. Random sketch 12. Haenyo 13. Green Turtle 14. Marley Dias 15. Black hair Ink drawing 16. Ibeyi twins 17. Katara & Toph 

You can see the previous years here too: 2014-2015

2013-2014

2012-2013

2009-2012

If you are interested in more information about any of the characters in particular, just email me at info@robdontstop.com