Spotlight: James Kochalka and Sydney Lea’s “LEAF”

Sydney Lea and James Kochalka began collaborating when Lea was named a Poet Laureate of Vermont and Kochalka was named Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont. For the piece below, Kochalka began by drawing six wordless panels using characters from his Fungus comic book series… to which Lea composed a poem. It can be read as a meditation on change, or on mortality.

***

kochalka_leaf_01

kochalka_leaf_02

kochalka_leaf_03

kochalka_leaf_04

kochalka_leaf_05

kochalka_leaf_06

Share
Tweet
Share

James Kochalka was named the first Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont in 2011. His most recent book for adults, Fungus: The Unbearable Rot of Being, is available from Retrofit Comics. His next book for children, Johnny Boo meets Dragon Puncher, is coming this summer from Top Shelf Productions. His work in comics has won the Eisner award, the Harvey award, and four Ignatz awards. He is also used to be kind of a local rock star in Burlington, VT. Sydney Lea’s No Doubt the Nameless (Four Way Books) will appear in 2016; he is author of eleven other volumes of poetry. A former Pulitzer finalist, a recipient of fellowships from the Rockefeller, Fulbright and Guggenheim Foundations, he was founder and longtime editor of New England Review. He has also published a novel, a collection of literary criticism, and four volumes of personal essays, most recently What's the Story? Short Takes on a Life Grown Long. Visit his blog here.

You May Also Like

The Rumpus publishes original fiction, poetry, literary humor writing, comics, essays, book reviews, and interviews with authors and artists of all kinds. Our mostly volunteer-run magazine strives to be a platform for risk-taking voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere. We lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers our readers may already know and love. We want to bring new perspectives into the conversation that will make us all look deeper.

We believe that literature builds community—and if reading The Rumpus makes you feel more connected, please show your support! Get your Rumpus merch in our online store. Subscribe to receive Letters in the Mail from authors or join us by becoming a monthly or yearly Member.

We support independent bookstores! 10% of sales on any titles purchased through our Bookshop.org page or affiliate links benefits the magazine.

The Rumpus in your Inbox!
The Rumpus
© 2025, The Rumpus.