My father fled his dad’s restrictive Midwest world to move to New York’s downtown in the 1960’s, pursuing a career in art. As a bearded beatnik living on Crosby Street, Dad painted vivid, colorful canvasses and made papier-mâché masks. He met Mom at a party where she was the only […]

Douglas Jessup is a director and photographer currently residing in Venice, California. His work demonstrates a unique view of his surroundings, transforming a seemingly ordinary situation into something a little more surreal. You can check out more of his work here. PenTales:  What are the ingredients of a good photograph? […]

The most amazing thing about PenTales stories is the people who share them. With “Behind the Story”, we introduce you to some of the personalities, voices, and stories behind the stories. 1. What inspired the story you submitted to PenTales’s “Revolt” contest? It was a news story published on several media about […]

Farley Katz is from Texas originally but has been living in NYC since 2007. His cartoons appear in The New Yorker magazine. He also writes and draws the web cartoon Kids Are Dumb This is his submission to PenTales Love and Heartbreak. PenTales: What are the ingredients of a good […]

PenTales: You’re the Mexico City Instigator. Tell us a 100-word story to help us get to know Mexico City. Pablo: In the suburbs of Mexico City, there is a place called Chalco Solidaridad. It is an urban development built after the 1985 earthquakes that tore down several parts of the […]

Stephanie Yee contributed an illustration to our open call for stories on Love and Heartbreak. Check out more of her work here. PenTales: What are the ingredients of a good illustration? Stephanie: I have no idea. And by that I mean that my favorite drawings are usually the ones that […]