Shorty's Ark - Will Oldham and Lori Damiano

Shorty's Ark by Will Oldham, illustrated by Lori Damiano / ISBN 9781937112387 / 22-page hardcover, 10 x 12 inches, published in 2023 by Drag City

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Shorty’s Ark is a book for young readers, a collaborative effort between singer Will Oldham and graphic artist Lori Damiano, based on work by Oldham and musician Matt Sweeney. Drawing inspiration from the story of Noah, Shorty’s Ark names and pictures a wild variety of species to inform and engage an equal variety of young minds with the diversity that can be found around this great planet of ours. The flood stands as metaphor for current impending changes in our planet, and the story works as a springboard for understanding concepts of interdependency, diversity and extinction. Colorfully illustrating as many creatures and their places as possible, Shorty’s Ark is an earth-affirmative vision meant to stimulate the curiosity and passion of those who encounter it.

Will Oldham makes songs, mostly out of his home in Louisville, KY where he lives with his wife Elsa Hansen Oldham and their daughter, Poppy Jo. Increasingly, Oldham's lyrics make sense. He loves partnering up in order to make the strongest work; it was partnership yielded the song "Shorty's Ark" (it can be heard on Matt Sweeney & Bonnie ‘ Prince Billy’ s recently released Superwolves album) and his partnership with Lori Damiano that make this book what it is. Lori Damiano is an illustrator/animator/textile artist based in Oregon. She loves to tell stories in pictures made out of paint, yarn, or pixels. A lot of the stories she draws are based on observing her fellow earthlings while aboard a skateboard, horse, or motorcycle.