Children’s book
Date Published: 11/1/16
Publisher: Mascot Books
Melvin is known for being a sad…(ish) robot. But, as he finds new friends and experiences, he may just figure out how to be happy…(ish).
Interview with Joshua Margolis
What inspired you to write Melvin the Sad…(ish) Robot?
I was often asked by
visitors to my art studio in Oakland, Ca. if I work in animation. Unfortunately
I know very little about computers, and have little patience for the work that
goes into stop motion. So I decided to see if I could tell a longer form narrative
in pictures, using my sculpture and the beautiful bay area as my backdrop. I
started scribbling ideas in a book until I had a story to tell. I just found my
first draft. It is so awful, but the funny part is that it has the basic bones
of the story I ended up telling.
Can you tell us a little bit about the next
books in Melvin series or what you have planned for the future?
The next book is going to
be huge. I have a solid outline and am working on prototypes for the story. It
will take place in New York City, so the logistics of the photo shoot are going
to be pretty tricky. It’s a fish out of water story that deals with alienation,
segregation, immigration and kindness.
The characters
personalities in the story are taken from people in my life. They are all
randomly named after family members, but carry the personalities of some of my
friends. Melvin is essentially me. and B.T. is my dog Hunter. I was a little
lost before she came into my life, and the story is really about how adopting
her changed me in ways I never expected. She forced me to be who I wanted to
be.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite
author and why?
Too many to list and they
are probably the same as everyone else.
I usually find inspiration from alternative
sources. For my sculptures I looked to comic books and movies, but with writing
I am probably more influenced by other artist. Its all backwards for me.
If you could time-travel would you travel to the future or the past?
Where would you like to go and why would you like to visit this particular time
period?
The past. There are too
many time periods I would like to go to. I would love to go medieval times, but
I would probably find it more gross than awesome. So probably some time in the
past 100 years.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
I do. A dog
named Hunter rose. She was actually the inspiration for Melvin’s sad…(ish)
story. But dont worry, she is the Happy…(ish) part.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule
to visit with us today.
About the Author
Joshua Margolis is a sculptor, photographer, and author from Oakland, Ca. His work has been featured in many galleries and studios. He was the de Young Fine Arts Museum artist in residence for the month of July 2014, where he brought his monsters and robots project to sculpted life. Melvin the Sad…(ish) Robot is the first story of its kind to incorporate Joshua ceramic sculptures into a real world setting, creating a unique visual narrative.
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