Robert James Russell

I‘m ecstatic to have a comic up at The Rumpus about my great uncle (an Antarctica explorer), my Greenland-shaped birthmark. and learning to love my body.

Here’s a sample (below). Thanks to the wonderful editors for giving it a home. This is, truly, a dream.

Check it out.

Thrilled to announce I’ve been selected as a recipient of the 2022 Artist Residency at the Cedar Point Biological Station (part of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln). This summer, I’ll get to stay in one of the stations’ cabins for a week, hike and explore the unique ecosystems of western Nebraska, and make art. (Just FYI, world, expect so many nature and animal sketches this summer. ♡)

The wonderful folks at the Art of the Short podcast have included my story “Son of Paul Bunyan” as their first story to help celebrate Short Story Month 2022.

During the podcast, hosts Bethers and Jori read my story, discuss the art they’ve created for it, and talk about what the piece meant to them. I’m really very touched to be included.

Check out the podcast episode on YouTube

(Or other ways here)

Read the original “Son of Paul Bunyan” story at matchbook here

I’m delighted to have a new comic at HAD (or, Hobart After Dark, a wonderful journal spun off from literary mainstay Hobart) about my first-ever silent retreat in rural Nebraska.

Here’s a taste. Check out the full comic here.

I’m delighted to be teaching a 6-week comics workshop with Word West!

Each Tuesday, from May 10 to June 14, we’ll talk about diary comics (and graphic narratives), the intersection of writing and memoir and drawing, and really dig deep into what makes a comic work. We’ll also do a ton of drawing (together and on our own), share work, and each student will produce a final comic of their own to share/discuss during our last class. We’ll look at work by Kristen Radtke, Adrian Tomine, Alison Bechdel, Marjane Satrapi, Lee Lei, Mira Jacob, Gene Luen Yang, Ebony Flowers, Craig Thompson, and many others.

No experience? No problem. This class is designed for the writer who dreams of seeing their words paired with their art; for the artist who wants to see their art elevated with a memoirist’s perspective; for the amateur who’s never tried crafting a comic of their own but has always wanted to; for the art-proficient who just need an excuse to get back to it.

The workshop costs $250, and there are only 6 spots in total. If you’re interested, sign up today!

Trying something new with my art. I put together a shirt called DOGS I’D LIKE TO MEET (DILM) for Everpress. Everpress lets artists create limited-edition campaigns for their work; once the campaign ends, Everpress mails out the shirts. This shirt is silly, but I love it, and (more than likely) won’t make this design again.

If you’re interested in a DILM shirt, you have until March 28 to pick one up!

I collaborated with mega-talented Nebraska artist Katie Nieland on a STICKER PACK we’re calling WAY OUT WEST. We each designed three Western-themed stickers (you can see them below). We’ll be selling them in person at Pour Craft Beer & Spirits on Friday, April 1, 2022, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM (in Lincoln, Nebraska).

If you can’t make that, you can buy a pack on Katie’s website.

Thrilled to have a new short story at the Story Works podcast. You can listen/watch me read “Recreation”—about a woman grappling with her husband’s recent crime while they vacation in Northern Michigan—followed by a craft conversation with host Alida Winternheimer. Check it out here (or below).

I was delighted to get a chance to talk to Mitch Nobis at Wednesday Night Sessions, a reading and discussion series part of KickstART Farmington. We talked about the power of novellas and dreamy road trips, and I got a chance to read a bit from my novel-in-progress about witches and cults and northern Wisconsin campgrounds.