On 21st April, Shorty’s Ark, the debut picture book from Will Oldham and illustrator Lori Damiano will be published via Drag City. The book is based on the song by Will Oldham and Matt Sweeney, taken from their album Superwolves.
The duo released Superwolves in April 2021, described on Folk Radio (by David Weir) as ‘equal parts glamorous and grotesque’ and ‘a sprawling, bewildering frenzy of ideas and emotions, leaving the listener with plenty to unpick’. On the song in question, he adds – “Shorty’s Ark (like Squid Eye on I Made A Place) operates as both a cuddly nursery rhyme and a statement on climate disaster.”
Book Description:
Drawing inspiration from the story of Noah, Shorty’s Ark names and pictures a wild variety of species to inform and engage an equal variety of young minds with the diversity that can be found around this great planet of ours. The flood stands as metaphor for current impending changes in our planet, and the story works as a springboard for understanding concepts of interdependency, diversity and extinction. Colourfully illustrating as many creatures and their places as possible, Shorty’s Ark is an earth-affirmative vision meant to stimulate the curiosity and passion of those who encounter it.
Live Video: Shorty’s Ark
Watch the video of them performing the song live in 2021 – Video by Sai Selvarajan, made at Camp Lucky. Nature footage courtesy Renan Ozturk.
Even the world we were born into is irretrievable, and every song is an artifact of the past that can help give a fuller awareness of what we have done. the singing and the listening help prepare us for the radical shifts that are upon us.
Will Oldham
The book will be available via all good bookshops/record stores, and if you order a copy now via Drag City here, you will receive a download code for an unheard demo of the Superwolves’ song, as performed by Will Oldham.
Hardcover, 10 x 12 inches, full-colour, 22 pages.
Also available via you independent bookstores, including Bookshop.org