The Circus and the Cyclone cover. Image: Sue Lawton, used with permission.
Kickstarter has gotten a lot of attention these days. If you just browse their listings, there are many projects that are art-based, but don’t necessarily give you anything tangible in return. But projects are being spread by word of mouth that are more useful and/or interesting than your run-of-the-mill performance art piece.
One such project, and one that intrigues me, is The Circus and the Cyclone by Sue Lawton. Sue has been working on a heavily illustrated book based on the actual historical event of when a tornado came through a town in Wisconsin in 1899, killing many. Her story, however, builds on that event and weaves a story around it. The Circus and the Cyclone began as a graphic novel, but evolved into something more. As it was described to me by her husband, “It tells the story of a devastating tornado, a traveling circus, and tragic love.”
