Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I used to read To Kill a Mockingbird annually. Though I gave up that habit, without meaning to, I was always impressed by the fact that I found something new to love about the novel each year I read it. And, of course, I’m not alone. Harper Lee is the favorite one-hit wonder of a lot of readers.

In 2006, Henry Holt released the first-ever biography of Lee — who is, arguably, contemporary literature’s most elusive author — entitled Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee. An unauthorized biography, written by Charles Shields, it was met with mixed reviews. While School Library Journal wrote that “{s}tudents and curious fans alike will find material here to further their understanding of her work and life,” Publishers Weekly wrote, “{m}uch of this first full-length biography of Lee is filled with inconsequential anecdotes focusing on the people around her, while the subject remains stubbornly out of focus.” And in her 2006 Washington Post review, Meghan O’Rourke wrote:

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Jules: WOOT! It’s the first Sunday of the month and time to feature a student currently studying illustration or someone who has recently graduated (or is otherwise new to the scene in some way). This week it’s Tiffany Laurencio. As her bio tells us, she lives in Boston; graduated from the Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts; and has always wanted to be an illustrator since getting over her dream of being a cowgirl (aw, shucks). She has a special place in my heart now, too, since her bio also states she got in trouble in high school for skipping class to go get coffee.

I also have a big ‘ol special spot in my heart now for this illustration, entitled “Bunny Foo Foo Bop Of Doom.” (It might technically be called “Bunny-Foo-Foo-Bop,” according to this page.) I would love to hear the wonderfully-warped story around this one. Look, he’s so defiant, but I somehow still wanna pinch his cheeks.

Here’s what Tiffany has to share with us on this first Sunday of March (can you believe that it’s already March? But I digress):

“Sarcastic, fluffy critters are my favorite things to paint but I have a soft, squishy spot for the moon. I’ve always loved and wanted to be a part of picture books. There were so many illustrators and writers that hypnotized me as a kid. I was very lucky to have such wonderful, crunchy teachers who encouraged me to take hold of life’s crayons.

Going to Montserrat College of Art really helped me to condition myself, not just as a picture maker, but also as a young professional. Currently, I’m promoting like mad and trying to get my work into as many hands as possible. It’s a crazy kind of love I have with promoting my work. I find myself obsessing over the print quality of my postcards just as much as the color schemes of my paintings. I haven’t started twitching yet, but I occasionally catch myself mumbling.”

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