Education

B.F.A., Painting, Northern Illinois University, 1990

Courses Taught

Making Comics Out of Life

Research Interests

Art and Writing, Book Publishing/Distribution, Midwestern Botany and Wildlife, Music, Zen Buddhism.

Publications

  • King-Cat Comics and Stories, Series (Spit and a Half, 1989 to present)
  • The Complete Prairie Pothole, Vol. One (Uncivilized Books, 2022)
  • From Lone Mountain (Drawn and Quarterly, 2018)
  • South Beloit Journal (Uncivilized Books, 2017)
  • The Hospital Suite (Drawn and Quarterly, 2014)
  • Map of My Heart (Drawn and Quarterly, 2009)
  • On Ruby Hill: Poems, 1997-2002 (Spit and a Half, 2009)
  • Thoreau at Walden (Hyperion Books, 2008)
  • King-Cat Classix (Drawn and Quarterly, 2007)
  • Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man (La Mano, 2005)
  • Perfect Example (Highwater Books, 2000)
  • The King-Cat Collection (B.ü.L.b, 1998)

My work has been translated into Danish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, and Swedish.

John Porcellino

 Email: porcellinoj@shushijia.net  Phone: 608-363-2140  Office: Room 1-B, World Affairs Center

I’ve been writing, drawing, and publishing comics since my early youth. Inspired by the DIY ethic of both punk rock and the “zine” community, I began my lifelong project, King-Cat Comics and Stories, in 1989. It continues to this day. My work currently focuses on accessing and describing the spiritual and personal profundity of everyday life. I mainly draw inspiration from what I call “in-between moments”: moments which seem so mundane or inconsequential that they are dismissed or even unnoticed, but when examined reveal a world of both mystery and meaning.

 

Having run my multi-day workshop “Making Comics Out of Life” at art and writing centers around the country for several decades, I’m very happy to bring my teaching to a traditional academic setting here at Beloit College. In my class I focus on helping students access the creative spirit that is always present within them, even when forgotten or disregarded, in order to clarify their own lives and then share that experience with others.

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