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Russell Hoban
@russellhoban.bsky.social
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Official account for author Russell Hoban (1925–2011), author of Riddley Walker, Turtle Diary, The Mouse and His Child, Frances the Badger, etc. https://russellhoban.org/

Maintained by:
@daveawl.bsky.social
@thoughtcat.bsky.social
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russellhoban.bsky.social
Congrats to author Graeme Wend-Walker on the arrival of his brand-new book about Russ! The book is entitled "Russell Hoban: Faithful to the Strange" and it's already available at booksellers. The cover features a painting Russ loved—the head of Orpheus with his lyre as depicted by Odilon Redon.
An open cardboard box containing copies of the new book, Russell Hoban, Faithful to the Strange by Graeme Wend-Walker, featuring Odilon Redon's painting of the head of Orpheus on the cover.
September 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Just hours away! The free #Hoban100 panel discussion of Riddley Walker (featuring Wieland Hoban, among others) takes place via Zoom on Sunday, Feb 16 at 7:30 pm GMT (UK time).

That's 2:30 pm Eastern time in the US, and 8:30 am on Monday Feb 17 in New Zealand.

Full info: russellhoban.org/hoban100/
Graphic with an illustration of a Punch puppet holding his stick and saying Trubba not. Text reads, Hoban 100, Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, online panel discussion. February 16 at 7:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time. Free to the public via Zoom.
February 16, 2025 at 11:29 AM
russellhoban.bsky.social
DAVE AWL, cohost (@daveawl.bsky.social), is an alumnus of the Neo-Futurists theater company in Chicago and the founder of the Russell Hoban online community as well as the creator of the original Russell Hoban website, The Head of Orpheus. 6/6

Full info about the event: russellhoban.org/hoban100/
A headshot photo of Dave Awl.
February 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
DIANA SLICKMAN, host and moderator, is an alumna of the Chicago Neo-Futurists, current Theater Oobleck ensemble member, and the creator of the #SA4QE event in which readers publicly share quotations from Russell Hoban’s books to celebrate his birthday each year. 5/6
A headshot photo of Diana Slickman.
February 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
ELI BISHOP, panelist (@errorbar.bsky.social), is an ensemble member in the San Francisco Neo-Futurists, a writer and illustrator of comics, and the creator and maintainer of the Riddley Walker Annotations website. 4/6
A headshot photo of Eli Bishop with a red rose next to him.
February 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
DR. KATE LAITY, panelist (@katelaity.bsky.social), is an author, scholar, filmmaker, and arcane artist who teaches medieval literature, film, gender studies, digital humanities, and popular culture. 3/6
A photo of Kate Laity outdoors with a whimsical statue of a dog.
February 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
WIELAND HOBAN, panelist, is a composer and translator who is currently working on a music theatre version of Riddley Walker; he’s also the son of Russell Hoban to whom the book is dedicated. 2/6
A headshot photo of Wieland Hoban, outdoors.
February 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
🧵 Meet our panel for the free Riddley Walker Zoom event this Sunday the 16th! (Or Monday morning the 17th if you're in Australia/New Zealand.)

Bios for each of the panelists and moderator are in the thread below; for full info about the event visit russellhoban.org/hoban100/ 1/6
A montage of four photos. In the upper left is a headshot of Wieland Hoban, outdoors. In the upper right is a photo of Kate Laity outdoors with a whimsical statue of a dog. In the lower left is a head shot of Eli Bishop with a red rose next to him. In the lower right is a head shot of Diana Slickman.
February 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Just 3 days away ... No rumpa no dum when Riddley Walker Zoom panel come!

The free #Hoban100 panel discussion of Riddley Walker (featuring Wieland Hoban, among others) takes place online this Sunday, Feb 16 at 7:30 pm GMT (UK), which is 2:30 pm Eastern (US).

Full info: russellhoban.org/hoban100/
Graphic with an illustration of a Punch puppet holding his stick and saying Trubba not. Text reads, Hoban 100, Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, online panel discussion. February 16 at 7:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time. Free to the public via Zoom.
February 13, 2025 at 6:14 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Graeme Wend-Walker reading from the manuscript of his forthcoming book about Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.
Graeme Wend-Walker stands behind a microphone, speaking while holding a manuscript in his hand.
February 10, 2025 at 7:01 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Diana Slickman introducing the reading from Turtle Diary at the Hopleaf in Chicago.
Diana Slickman behind a microphone, speaking while holding a slip of yellow paper in her hand.
February 10, 2025 at 7:01 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Dave Awl reading from The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz by Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.
Dave Awl stands behind a microphone, reading from an open copy of The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz by Russell Hoban.
February 10, 2025 at 7:01 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Eli Bishop reading from The Last of the Wallendas by Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.
Eli Bishop stands behind a microphone, reading from an open copy of The Last of the Wallendas by Russell Hoban.
February 10, 2025 at 7:01 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
🧵 Photos from last week's #Hoban100 reading from the books of Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf bar in Chicago, with Diana Slickman, Eli Bishop, Dave Awl, and Graeme Wend-Walker. See alt text for captions and thread below for more pics.
A group photo of Diana Slickman, Eli Bishop, Dave Awl, and Graeme Wend-Walker standing together and smiling after their reading from the books of Russell Hoban at the Hopleaf in Chicago.
February 10, 2025 at 7:01 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
🧵 Trubba not! The first online event for the #Hoban100 celebration will be a free Zoom panel discussion of Riddley Walker featuring Wieland Hoban—composer, translator, and the son of Russell Hoban to whom the book is dedicated. Full details in the thread below, or visit russellhoban.org/hoban100/
Graphic with an illustration of a Punch puppet holding his stick and saying Trubba not. Text reads, Hoban 100, Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban, online panel discussion. February 16 at 7:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time. Free to the public via Zoom.
February 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Malachy O'Neill shared this photo of Putney Bridge taken on 4/2/25 as part of a visit to various Russell Hoban spots in London. The yellow paper reads: "It is the longing for what cannot be that moves the world from night to morning" - quoted from The Second Mrs Kong #Hoban100
A view of Putney Bridge in the distance across the banks of the River Thames, the tide well out with a few pigeons on the sand and pebbly stones and low-tide mud in the foreground. Near the viewer a sheet of yellow A4 paper has been taped on a brick pillar by some steps. On the paper is handwritten in a Celtic style font in blue ink “It is the longing for what cannot be that moves the world from night to morning".
February 5, 2025 at 9:06 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
🧵 Depending on where you are in the world, it might already be February 4, 2025—and if it isn’t, it will be soon. So happy 100th birthday to the waves and particles that used to be Russell Hoban! Thanks for all the beautiful words and for helping to enlarge the limited-reality consensus. #Hoban100
A birthday-card style graphic designed by Juan Esguerra. It has a line-drawing illustration of Russell Hoban, who is leaning forward with a gentle smile and his arms folded on a stack of books in front of him. An owl is perched on his shoulder, staring straight forward at the viewer in that owlish way. Text reads, Happy 100th Birthday, Russell Hoban.
February 4, 2025 at 12:32 AM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Twenty years ago this month: Russell Hoban reading from his novel Come Dance With Me at Nomad Books in London, during the Some-Poasyum — a convention held in honor of his 80th birthday in 2005. #Hoban100

📸 Lisa Greenstein
Photo of Russell Hoban sitting in front of a microphone and reading from an open hardcover book.
February 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
If you’ve recently read Turtle Diary (or heard the BBC version) and find yourself having turtle thoughts, Sy Montgomery’s book Of Time and Turtles makes a great follow-up. It delves into the heroic efforts of modern-day turtle rescuers who care for, heal, and release turtles back into the wild. 📚
Book cover for Of Time and Turtles, Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell, by Sy Montgomery, with illustrations by Matt Patterson. Illustration shows a turtle, seen from above, with bandages on its shell.
January 26, 2025 at 5:07 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
The National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in the US shared this post about Russell Hoban's Time magazine portrait of Joan Baez — from his early career as a visual artist, before he shifted to painting with words. #JoanBaez #Hoban100
A screenshot of a post from the National Portrait Gallery USA, with three photos. One shows Joan Baez in 2023 standing next to Russell Hoban's painting of her. The second shows a close view of the painting by itself, and the third shows the painting on the cover of Time magazine in 1962. Text of the post reads, This painting of Joan Baez served as the cover for Time magazine's Nov. 23, 1962 issue. The magazine, which rarely featured musicians for their cover story, described her voice "as clear as air in the autumn, a vibrant, strong, untrained, and thrilling soprano." Baez made a name for herself when she caused a sensation at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. The following year she released her first album, which was a huge success. She became known as "the queen of the folk singers." Her music was influenced and enhanced by other folk singers like the Seeger family, Odetta, and Bob Dylan. Time magazine donated this painting to the National Portrait Gallery. In 2023, Baez paid a visit to the museum to see her portrait, which remains on view on the Portrait Gallery's third floor. Credits. "Joan Baez" by Russell Hoban, 1962. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Time magazine. Copyright Russell Hoban.
January 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
For Hoban fans in Western Australia: in honor of his 100th birthday there will be a Reading Club event celebrating Russell Hoban's classic books for children, at Paper Bird in Fremantle, Perth on Friday, February 7th. #Hoban100

For full info and to RSVP, see: www.facebook.com/events/59518...
A photo showing five children's picture books by Russell Hoban, including A Near Thing for Captain Najork, La Corona and the Tin Frog, Bedtime for Frances, Charlie Meadows, and Dinner at Alberta's.
January 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Dave Awl is the guest on the new episode of the Your Most Interesting Story podcast, telling the story of how he built the first Russell Hoban website in 1998—leading to the formation of an international community of Hoban fans. #Hoban100

You can listen here: ymis.buzzsprout.com/2362123/epis...
Photo of Russell Hoban (left) with Dave Awl (right) at Russell Hoban's home in London, taken in June of 1999. Photo by Kurt Heintz.
January 20, 2025 at 9:35 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
A favorite quotation from Turtle Diary that was shared as part of the Russell Hoban birthday celebration in 2022 ... #SA4QE #Hoban100 #BookSky 📚

📸 by Yvonne Studer
Photo of a sheet of yellow paper held down by three paperweights shaped like turtles. The text on the paper contains a quotation from Russell Hoban's novel Turtle Diary from 1975, which reads, I think of the turtles swimming steadily against the current all the way to Ascension. I think of them swimming through all that golden green water over the dark, over the chill of the deeps and the jaws of the dark. And I think of the sun over the water, the sun through the water, the eye holding the sun, being held by it with no thought and only the rhythm of the going, the steady wing-strokes of the flippers in the water.
January 19, 2025 at 12:53 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
The #Hoban100 centenary celebrations will be kicking off in Chicago on February 5 with an evening of readings at the Hopleaf bar—featuring several past and present members of the Neo-Futurists theater company. (A London meetup is being planned as well, in addition to online events; details to come!)
Poster-style image with illustrations of an owl, a raven, and a lion that has a wind-up toy key in its back and a map of London superimposed on its body. Text reads, Hoban 100, an evening of readings from the works of Russell Hoban in honor of his 100th birthday. Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Performers, Diana Slickman, Dave Awl, Eli Bishop, Graeme Wend-Walker. Upstairs at The Hopleaf, 5148 N Clark Street in Chicago. 21 and over, bring ID. Doors at 7:00 pm, Show at 7:30 pm. $7 suggested donation or pay what you can, Free if you're broke, Cash bar.
January 13, 2025 at 6:37 PM
russellhoban.bsky.social
Speaking of Turtle Diary’s 50th anniversary: Beginning Monday, January 13, BBC Radio 4 will be airing a new reading of Russell Hoban’s classic novel in 10 episodes of around 15 minutes each. Episodes will be available online after broadcast. Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... #Hoban100
Phot of a sea turtle swimming underwater. Text reads, BBC 4, Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban. Turtle Diary is a modern classic, first published exactly 50 years ago. 2025 also marks the centenary of Russell Hoban's birth. Read by Daniel Weyman and Katherine Parkinson.
January 12, 2025 at 2:37 PM