Franklin Crawford's long-anticipated "Aesop Cop Vol. 1" is out now, and the author will stop by for a reading at Buffalo Street Books Saturday, November 5, at 3:00 p.m. Image provided
TINY TOWN NEWS editor and bon vivant Franklin Crawford will stop by Buffalo Street Books Saturday to read from “Aesop Cop Vol. 1,” a collection of poems based on Mr. Crawford’s scanning of police radio, illustrated by Rigel Stuhmiller, a Berkeley CA artist.
The pieces in the book originally appeared in tinytowntimes.com, a blog dedicated to “Tiny News for Ithacan-Americans Everywhere.” Duly recorded, these oddball transgressions are handled with a charmingly light touch; the verses are often as absurd as the police report. Mr. Crawford has also promised/threatened that one or two of the verses may be set to music.
We caught up with the always insightful and entertaining editor over email.
Q: The new book “Aesop Cop” transforms Ithaca’s petty crimes into poetry! What is it about the police blotter that lends itself so nicely to short moral stories?
Franklin Crawford: The seething churn of human comedy is no more apparent than in that category of civilized foibles we call Crime. It is the most popular section in any daily news. To me, there is something inherently poetic about a decision to break the law. Unless you are a true sociopath, the decision to take the risk of getting away with something one knows is “wrong” as determined by Greater Society, is one of the most important acts a person can make. You go against a peanut gallery in your head as well as a very real Authority. The consequences are often severe; the payoffs usually minimal. My main interest is petty crimes. The big stuff, well, that’s not what tinytowntimes.com is all about. But even in the decision to steal a candy bar, we bring 10,000 years of drama into the moment.
Q: The crimes range from public urination and graffiti to something involving a dead weasel! Does the verse come to you in a flash or do you winnow the possible subjects down?
Crawford: Jeepers, Luke, did you read it? Definitely flash verse. It’s Aesop Cop does the writing, often referring to himself in third person. I love improv and when it works you get the same thrill as (I imagine) a petty thief gets from filching. You get away with something for nothing. I go back over them a couple times, especially in more complicated stories. In the end, if something – particularly the rhythm – is not clicking, I ask for help.
Q: Tell me about the artist involved.
Crawford: Rigel Stuhmiller is an illustrator who I met earlier this century -and what a lucky guy am I. She is a super-talented artist but what sends her into that upper echelon of creative demi-gods is her wonderful sense of humor. She understood Aesop Cop right off the bat, no need to explain. The joy of doing Aesop for me is sending these often ridiculous verse off to her and receiving Rigel’s visual interpretations. She is awesome, as the kids say. She’s also a fabulous designer and created the tinytowntimes site as a birthday gift for me. Incredible present! She’s the reason there is a tinytowntimes. Folks should see Rigel’s other work on our site: The adventures of Uncle Bodie, who is always stealing heads; Missy Hooligan’s Tall Animal Revue; and Big Huge and Little Tiny (a series that died prematurely). Her own works can be viewed at drenculture.com.
Q: The pieces come from items in the Tiny Town Times, your internet publication. Why set the web to print?
Crawford: Well, why put music on CDs? I am not that far away from a time when computers were alien objects. And Rigel’s illustrations deserve to be seen in full color on hard copy. Some day when the grid goes down we might have to look at un-illuminated manuscripts again. Aesop Cop will come to the rescue. And this is better than a coffee cup or a tee shirt advertizing tinytowntimes.
Q: Speaking of TTT, the most reliable news source in town, how is it going?
Ha! Thank you for recognizing our place in the scheme of things. When I last checked we were well over a million “hits”; of those maybe 40,000 are real visitors and about a third of these are new and genuine. That’s not too shabby for a 2.5 year old lark. We are revamping and hope to board some interns to get more writing into the site. In the beginning I did a lot of experimenting and upon review, a lot of it sucked. But several things continue to work: Adam Perl’s wonderful Tinytown Teasers, 3-up, 3-down and now we add a prize a week for those who solve the tougher ones. Folks like the slideshows of local sites and appear to favor the silent ones; Aesop Cop, of course; and short pieces on local stuff only I know about. I like to throw grouchy opinion pieces in there and we’ve recently added outtakes from Cheryl Russell’s Demo Memo — demographic data that I localize with a photo. Cherie ran American Demographics magazine when it was in town here and knows her business. We’re also looking into re-designing the site.
Q: For the reading at Buffalo Street Books, will you have other actors or just yourself reading?
Crawford: The entire staff will be there, except for performers with the Tall Animal Revue, who are sequestered at Bridge House after a rugged season. Me, Chad Coles (who handles about everything) and … Well. Me and Chad. Rigel is in Berkeley. Belinda Cho is in the clean room. Bob and Ike will be there, our new weather people. I hope Davey Weathercock will be there with Olive, the Weather Hen. Best of all the real actors — tiny towners themselves — will be there. I hope. Which is a dirty word. “Hope.” It can so easily lead to despair. The idea of course is to sell books, promote tinytowntimes.com as well as Buffalo Street Books and to celebrate being alive on a Saturday afternoon in a tiny town.
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thanks for the coverage, luke. much appreciated.