Husband and wife founders of the “benevolent satire” line of Idiots Books, Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr will be guests of a Town Meeting in the John Reeves Great Hall on October 25. Their books, illustrated by Behr and written by Swanson, are satirical kids’ books for adults. Two popular titles, “The Baby is Disappointing,” and “Facial Features of French Explorers,” suggest something quite different than baby manual or historical non-fiction.
The non-traditional book publishers (they currently have 38 titles), operate out of a renovated barn in Maryland. They work with paper cutter, printer, stapler, and glue. “That’s how we do it,” says Swanson. “We both have cheerful outer expressions and very dark twisted interiors,” he joked on an interview on News Channel 8’s “Let’s Talk Live.”
“If we’ve done our job well,” say the couple on their website “our words and pictures tend to quarrel provocatively, vibrating in a space of intentional discord. We invite the reader to consider and adjudicate and draw what conclusions he will.” Come and hear more!