Here IT is - the cover art for “Re-Entry”!

After we reached the goal in the fundraiser, I showed the sketch Glenn Barr had created for the cover. Well, here's the real deal - the cover! That's what WSU Press has planned for the book.

Looks great, doesn't it?!?

The Campaign was a Smashing Success! THANK YOU!

I can’t believe we did it! Amazing! Thanks so much to the 84 donors who joined to help raise a grand total of $25,871!  Every dollar counts and Wayne State University Press will be putting it to good use making sure that this book gets the treatment it deserves in order to tell the history of Detroit’s alt-publishing scene from 1978 to today with heavy focus on WHITE NOISE, FUN, and ORBIT!

The Fundraiser Goal is CRUSHED Thanks to Kid Rock!

The headline says it all, but, not how it came to be.

Kid Rock in Detroit (08/19/13) - Photo by Dez Hughes 

A few days after the campaign started I received an e-mail. Opening it while half awake, it got my attention immediately. It was from Bob Ritchie’s sister, Carol. It said that he would like to make a $20,000 donation to Wayne State University Press as part of the fundraising campaign for the ORBIT book.

After I stopped screaming and dancing around my apartment, I think I scared my cats, I composed myself and wrote an e-mail back. I thanked Carol and her brother, better known as Kid Rock, and said I would make sure they received the paperwork they needed as well as the original Niagara painting I was offering for such generous support of the book.

Thanks! How about you?

It's been a great week! Over $2,000 has come in over the past 7 days to chip away at the $17,000 goal. Thank you to everyone who has stepped forward to make this campaign a success. But, we still have quite a hill to climb. 

This campaign is "all or nothing". That means, if November 21st rolls around and it has not collected the final $15,000 needed, the money will not be given to Wayne State University Press to make the book as great as it can be. You will not be charged. You will not receive your premiums.

I'm asking those who have to motivate others to do the same.

I'm asking those who haven't, yet, to do so, now, before it gets away from you.

Bring Orby's Story to Your Home - Support the Campaign!

Bring Orby's Story to Your Home!

Help celebrate Orbit's 25th in style 

15 years after Orbit was laid to rest, the time has come to tell the shocking true tale of Detroit's greatest alt-publication in Re-Entry: The Orbit Magazine Anthology from Wayne State University Press.

Your tax-deductible support will help create a lasting document to over 35 years of vital Detroit cultural history as told through Orbit, Fun, and White Noise magazines. This deluxe illustrated edition will not only feature reprints of popular articles but also tell the behind-the-scenes stories of how these landmark magazines covered Detroit's music film, art, food, and creative scene like no one else dared with a healthy dose of humor.

Coming Soon to a Coffee Table Near You!

Oh, it's getting exciting now!

Thanks to the great work of my good friend, Michael Pfaendtner, there is now a book trailer for you to enjoy and share!

Michael is filmmaker and editor by trade. He was kind enough to help me realize a vision for how to give you a look at what "Re-Entry" will cover.

Check out the trail, share it, and tell me what you think!

THANKS AGAIN!


Rob St. Mary

Book Update & ArtPrize

A quick update for you about the status of the book: Over the past few weeks the editors at WSU Press have been pouring over the final manuscript and all the selected images/reprint articles. Right now, it looks like there will be no additional cuts to the book. So, what I have selected, at this point, will go to the proofreader, designer, and to you in the final edition. I expect to share details on it as we go.

If you filling out of the Orbit stuff survey, thank you! We are working on how to re-create many of these classic things for you over the coming year. In fact, I can tell you, Orbit t-shirts will be making a splash in about a month. Stay posted for more on that.

Mr. Vile Heads West!

“For something that looks this crappy, it’s a ton of work!” – Jerry Vile on ArtPrize 

Digging Through the Past

As I stated before, the whole saga started in early 2011. But, by Summer I was knee deep into collecting the things that would make this book possible: names, contacts, ephemera, and, of course, all the issues of the various magazines.

Most of the archive had been resting for several years inside the storage units of Jerry Vile. Between art being sent in for The Dirty Show, his own creations, collectibles picked up at various garage sales, sat in the climate controlled confines of a Ferndale self-storage what I had come for - "The Archive".

Thanks for stopping by the new Orbit Book site!

Thanks for stopping by the new Orbit Book site!

Since you are here, I thought I'd give you a little background on how this whole project came together.