Author: susanbassmarcus1

In my life I have worked in museums, on stage as a puppeteer, in studio as a puppet sculptor, in schools as an art teacher, and, for one summer in my teens, as a supermarket cashier. Now I am writing, writing, writing, and occasionally cartooning.
humor, My Cartoons1 Comment

New Publication

susanbassmarcus1

Can you hear them? The birds are calling. It’s Storytime!!! Of Birds and Words  presents 40 drawings of  birds. They share their stories in poetry and fable, written with a nod to 19th Century illustrators whose caricatures of anthropomorphic animals were laden with social commentary. There are owls and penguins, but also fantastic creatures created in the offbeat imagination of author, Susan Bass Marcus. Available in bookstores and online: August 11, 2025 for ebook, August 25, 2025 in paperback. This is my fifth book. Last year, I published Gerty’s Way, which combined illustrations and text about my beloved cartoon character, … Continue reading New Publication

Memoir (fiction/non-fiction)2 Comments

Applesauce

susanbassmarcus1

For the ULCC Writers Group She slept in their old wedding bed, now that her parents preferred twin beds. Her bedroom’s dim light played with a floral wallpaper pattern on the wall facing her bed; she imagined little devil heads shaking and winking at her. Shades darkening her room skimmed the bottom of windows that faced the backyard. A large black and yellow poster was attached to her bedroom door—“Keep Out! Quarantine!” it   warned.   Mostly she slept, waking occasionally to the feel of a cold washcloth or an icepack on her forehead. Her mother urged her to lie quietly, … Continue reading Applesauce

Memoir, Musings1 Comment

Salad and the Hotpoint Kitchen

susanbassmarcus1

In 1952, after the fifth attempted burglary of our house on 50th Street in Chicago, my parents decided to buy a lot on the North Shore and build a new home. Before that work could begin, they organized lawsuits with other prospective lot buyers to break a restrictive covenant governing all the empty lots on a recently divided family estate. Until the covenant became illegal, the owner would not sell real property to Blacks, Jews, or Asians. Almost as a celebration of their victory over prejudice, they built a ranch house on a wooded, half-acre lot on a private lane … Continue reading Salad and the Hotpoint Kitchen

Musings2 Comments

The Blue-Crested Palaver and A Curiosity’s Sparrow

susanbassmarcus1

[The following is a hint of what you’ll find next year in my new work, a book of unusual bird illustrations and commentary. The art is mine and so is the story.] A man holding a heavy sack entered the forest. He trudged down a beaten path until he came to a grove of trees. A Blue-Crested Palaver and a sparrow were spying on him from separate branches of a twisted and gnarled beech tree. Neither knew that the other had been following the man. Yawning, the man sat cross-legged beneath the beech and loosened the ties of his sack. … Continue reading The Blue-Crested Palaver and A Curiosity’s Sparrow

MusingsLeave a comment

Announcing

susanbassmarcus1

New little book just launched A fun journey through the days and months of my popular cartoon character, Gerty. Available now https://www.amazon.com/Gertys-Way-Friends-Fickle-Weather/dp/1732143455/ref A recent review: Elw 5.0 out of 5 stars GertyReviewed in the United States on August 29, 2024 Gerty is my retired fourth grade teacher, my favorite grocery clerk, my dedicated accountant, my dear next-door neighbor. She’s EveryWoman and she’s uniquely herself. Delightful to spend these moments with her; hope you’ll get to hang out with Gerty too. (BTW: age range really is 8-99+) And Brian 5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely, well-done bookReviewed in Canada on August 29, … Continue reading Announcing