My Redroom URL

• http://www.redroom.com/member/steveneks

About Me

• I'm a 32 year old writer from south Georgia.  I work in the comic book industry as a freelance writer and journalist.  My work can be seen regularly on Newsarama--the best Eisner, Harvey and Eagle award winning source for comic book entertainment news in the industry.  My first comic book project, "Breakfast", was printed in March 2008 and reprinted again in July 2008.

  Currently, I am hard at work on two creator-owned projects as well as writing new short stories for print in independent comic book anthologies. After only one month in print, "Breakfast" was selected for a second printing in Negative Burn from Desperado Publishing. Negative Burn is an Eisner, Eagle, and Harvey nominated anthology that is considered to be one of the most prestigious monthly comic book anthologies on shelves today; it has featured an amazing list of talent that boasts creators like Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Jimmy Palmiotti, Michael Gaydos, and Arthur Adams.

  Also worth mentioning: I was selected for publication in Smith Magazine's, "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs By Writers Famous and Obscure" which was published by Smith and Harper Perennial in February 2008. I'm featured alongside writers and celebrities like Stephen Colbert, Deeprak Chopra, Mario Batali, Joyce Carol Oates, and more.

  In 2001, I was the recipient of an Academy of American Poets Award in recognition of my accomplishments as a young poet in college. I also served as Editor of the Valdosta State University Literary Arts Magazine, Odradek, for two years.

Interests & Hobbies

• • Comic Books
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Art
  • Popular Culture
  • Politics
  • Cooking

Favorite Books

• One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Great Gatsby, Breakfast of Champions, Welcome to the Monkey House, Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Ethan Frome, The Scarlet Letter, High Fidelity, In the Company of Myself, The Art of War, Private Parts, Mason & Dixon, No Country For Old Men

Favorite Authors

• Kurt Vonnegut, Frank Miller, James Joyce, Thomas Pynchon, F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, William Blake, Josh McKinney, Bin Ramke, Kristen Prevallet, Ron Silliman, Stephen Colbert, Mike Mignola, Ed Brubaker, Brian K. Vaughn, Jason Aaron, Mike Carey, R.A. Salvatore, Peter David, Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Brian Azzarello, Robert Kirkman, Duane Swierczynski, Victor Gischler, Anton Chekov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Cormac McCarthy, Raymond Carver, Guy de Maupassant

What I'm Reading

• I read enough comic books to smite any attempts I might have at having a "normal life". I also read so many comic books that the desire to read anything else these days has become "laughable, man".

WORK

• In addition to the work I mentioned in my Bio, I also occasionally contribute to ShotgunReviews, a popular Pop Culture website. I am in the process of finishing my second short story, "Haunted Autobio", with artwork by Doug Draper. I am also in the process of creating two creator-owned comic book projects for publication--"The Mantle" and "Winnersville".

Web Links

• Newsarama.com
• Shotgun Reviews
• My MySpace Site
• Rated-Eks: The Official Steve Ekstrom Blog

EDUCATION

UPCOMING WORK

• "Haunted Autobio"--NEGATIVE BURN/Desperado Publishing, THE MANTLE--Publisher/TBA ,WINNERSVILLE--Publisher/TBA

INFLUENCES

• Kurt Vonnegut, Frank Miller, Alan Moore, James Joyce, Josh McKinney, T.S. Eliot, Ed Brubaker, Robert Kirkman, Brian K. Vaughn, Jason Aaron, Raymond Carver

CAUSES I SUPPORT

• The HERO Initative

UNIVERSITY AFFILIATION

• Valdosta State University

PUBLISHERS

• 803 Studios, Desperado Publishing