Cecil C. Castellucci (born October 25, 1969 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
), also known as Cecil Seaskull, is an American-born Canadian
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
novelist,
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
er, and director. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Castellucci grew up in New York City where she attended the
Laguardia High School of the Performing Arts. She later studied theatre in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
at the École Florent. She attended
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
and received a B.F.A. in Film Production.
In Montreal, she embarked on her music career as part of Bite, which was then the only all-female indie band in Montreal.
When she was kicked out of Bite, she formed Nerdy Girl with Gordon Hashimoto. When Hashimoto left, she joined with Ron Woo, Gabe Levine, and Kim Temple to continue the band. After recording their only album ''Twist Her'', Levine and Temple left the group, and Jessica Moss and Eric Craven took their places. She later moved to Los Angeles after Nerdy Girl broke up for good, and she recorded solo under her performing name, Cecil Seaskull.
In 2001 she co-founded the experimental *Alpha 60 Film Collective with Neil Matsumoto and
Nicholas McCarthy.
Castellucci's first novel, ''Boy Proof'', was published in 2005.
Castellucci's 2013 short story—"We Have Always Lived on Mars" is being adapted into
John Krasinski’s upcoming film, ''Life on Mars.''
Castellucci is a ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' fan, with her favorite series being ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Her favourite character is
Dax
Dax or DAX may refer to:
Business and organizations
* DAX, stock market index of the top 40 German companies
** DAX 100, an expanded index of 100 stocks, superseded by the HDAX
** TecDAX, stock index of the top 30 German technology firms
* Dax ...
.
Novels
Castellucci's first novels were published by
Candlewick Press
Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo.
Sebastian Walker launched Walker Books fro ...
. She has also been published by
Scholastic Press,
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
and
Roaring Brook Press
A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of big cat ...
''Boy Proof'' is a 2005 novel about a girl in Los Angeles named Victoria Jurgen, who insists on being called "Egg" after a character in her favorite movie, a (fictional) post-apocalyptic, science fiction film called ''Terminal Earth''. Her mother is a washed-up actress and her father is special-effects designer. She is a card-carrying
geek
The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a general ...
and considers herself "boy proof", and proud of it. However, her outlook on life is challenged when a boy named Max Carter comes to her school and she finds herself reluctantly drawn to him.
It was named to the 2006 Best Books for Young Adults list by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) of the American Library Association (ALA) as well as to the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list (also by YALSA).
Castellucci's 2006 novel ''The Queen of Cool'' centers on Libby Brin, one of the most popular girls in her school, whose life revolves around parties and boys. Deciding one day that she is bored with her glamorous lifestyle, she signs up for an internship at the local zoo, where she meets up with Tina, a dwarf with a huge personality, and a boy named Sheldon, which give her cause to question her priorities. As she spends more time with unpopular people, she realizes that they are actually good friends and that she has more fun with them than with her regular friends.
The 2007 novel ''
Beige
Beige is variously described as a pale sandy fawn color, a grayish tan, a light-grayish yellowish brown, or a pale to grayish yellow. It takes its name from French, where the word originally meant natural wool that has been neither bleached nor ...
'', focuses on Katy, a French-Canadian girl who is forced to spend a summer with her estranged father, Beau "The Rat" Ratner, member of Los Angeles's most infamous punk band-that-never-made-it, Suck. Suck is about to come off its hiatus, and the Rat hopes he can use the band as an opportunity to bond with his daughter, a decision made difficult by her dislike of music.
The 2010 novel ''Rose Sees Red'' is set in New York in the 1980s, and centers on two ballet dancers (one American, one Russian), recounting the unforgettable night they spend in the city, and celebrating the friendship they form despite their cultural and political differences.
In the 2011 picture book ''Grandma's Gloves'', a young girl and her grandmother bond over gardening. A story about a child who loses a beloved grandparent and finds comfort in carrying on the activities they shared. It won the California Book Award Gold Medal for Juvenile category.
In the 2011 novel ''First Day on Earth'', a man named Mal thinks he has been abducted by aliens and starts going to an alien abduction support group where he meets Hooper, who may or may not be a traveler from another world.
''The Year of the Beasts'' (2012), a hybrid prose / graphic novel illustrated by Nate Powell, is the story of two sisters and the summer they have together juxtaposed with a comics story of a girl who wakes up as a Medusa.
''Odd Duck'' (2013) illustrated by Sara Varon is about two ducks who form a friendship despite both being odd.
The young adult novel ''Tin Star'', about a girl abandoned on an alien space station, was published in February 2014. ''Stone in the Sky,'' sequel to ''Tin Star,'' was published by Roaring Brook Press in 2015.
''Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure,'' part of the ''Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars - The Force Awakens'' series, was published September 2015.
The graphic novel ''Soupy Leaves Home'', about a
train-hopping runaway in 1932, was published by Dark Horse Comics in April 2017.
Comics
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes (2007)
Castellucci wrote the inaugural
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
for
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
's
Minx
Minx, MinX or MINX may refer to:
Music
* MINX (band), dissolved South Korean girl group replaced by Dreamcatcher
* MINX (musician) (born 1983), Australian DJ and producer
* ''Minx'' (Leatherface album), 1993
* ''Minx'' (Toyah album), 1985
Pr ...
imprint, which targets the YA audience. A long time comic book fan (she invited
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
to her fourth birthday party), Cecil jumped at the opportunity when contacted by Group Editor Shelly Bond.
The story follows a girl named Jane who moves to suburbia after a terrorist attack in her hometown of Metro City. In the chaos after the attack, she finds a "John Doe" and his sketchbook. He serves as an inspiration for her to spread art to others. Jane's family decides to move away from Metro City in favor of a more sheltered, quiet community, where Jane spends a lot of time drawing in the sketchbook. This book becomes her inspiration to form P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods). At school, she rejects the popular girls, and instead finds her "tribe" with three other girls named Jayne (aka Brain Jane), Jane (Theater Jane), and Polly Jane (Sporty Jane). Even though each girl embodies a high school stereotype, as the story progresses, readers see how each girl grows out of her mold and presents her other interests and abilities. They band together to form P.L.A.I.N. and commit "art attacks" to fight against their individual hardships and emotions but end up fighting against the social hierarchy. They eventually inspire other teens to use art as their weapons as well. At the end of the story, when Main Jane tries to admit that she was behind the P.L.A.I.N. attacks, the police dismiss her confession because they believe the attacks were too labor-intensive to be done by a girl. This part of the story challenges the notion that anything involving physical labor is exclusively for men.
Jane refuses to be defined as a victim of her terrorist attack experience, unlike her parents who are shackled by their fear; instead, she transforms her trauma into art through P.L.A.I.N. The Plain Janes' message of "art saves" embodies the idea of giving people permission, even inspiration to face their fears and to move forward, while in addition aims to challenge conformity and to bring back life and spirit into the town of Kent Waters. The story shows how Jane (Main Jane) is comfortable with her own identity as an individual and refuses to conform to what society defines as "cool." An example of this would be the first P.L.A.I.N "attack" which protest the building of the new shopping mall, challenging what the students defined as "cool." By participating in these "attacks," the Janes are able to empower both themselves and their community by pushing the boundaries of normalcy and bringing a sense of imagination and spontaneity to the otherwise monotonous suburbia.
A Canadian citizen, Castellucci won the
Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadians. The awards, ...
in the category of "Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer" for ''Janes''.
A sequel, called ''Janes in Love'', was released in 2008. The sequel follows P.L.A.I.N as they play Cupid, become entangled in affairs of the heart (both their own and others), and procure a spot in Metro City Museum of Modern Art Contest.
Shade, The Changing Girl
In October 2016, DC debuted a new imprint:
Young Animal
In the English language, animals have different names depending on whether they are male, female, young, domesticated, or in groups.
The best-known source of many English words used for collective groupings of animals is ''The Book of Saint Al ...
. One of the initial titles was ''Shade, The Changing Girl'', written by Castellucci, in which
Shade is a female high school student. The creative team behind this new version also includes artist
Marley Zarcone. After 12 issues and the
Milk Wars tie-in ''Shade The Changing Girl/Wonder Woman Special'' (written with
Mirka Andolfo), the series was relaunched as the six-issue ''Shade, the Changing Woman''.
Music
Nerdy Girl
Nerdy Girl 10" EP (1994)
Released by No Life Records
# Do You Like Me?
# Glad To Know
# Roof of Wilson
# Hate Me
# Nerdy Girl
# Song 7
New Jersey 7" single (1995)
Released by RightWide Records
3 songs, including a cover of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
'
She Said She Said
"She Said She Said" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was written by John Lennon with assistance from George Harrison. Lennon described it as "an 'acidy' song" ...
, and "After Having Cried".
Dime Store Hussy 7" single (1996)
Released by No Life Records.
# Scream
# 18 Foot Yacht
# Perhaps
Twist Her (1997)
Released by No Life Records. Available on iTunes store.
# Casa Nova
# Hate Me
# Georgiana
# Iceman (Murder on the Rue Morgue)
# Anne Elliot
# Cast Off
# Single Bed
# Weed
# Do You Like Me
# Wicked
# 3 Wishes
# Judy
# Aranova
Cecil Seaskull
Whoever (1998)
Released by
Teenage USA Recordings. Available on iTunes store.
# True Love
# 2E
# La Song (feat.
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...
)
# Toutes ces filles
# Beautiful Everything
# Fairfax & Melrose
# Cheap
# The Bruise
# Dim
# Ridiculous
# What's Wrong?
# Sweet Girl
For Lovers and Rats (unreleased)
Contains tracks "Ode to a Boy with a Girlfriend," "Liquor and Cigarettes," and "Whisper This to Me", (the latter two are available streaming from her MySpace page)
Other songs
*"My Chores" for
Canadian Music Week
Canadian Music Week (or CMW) is an industry conference and music festival held over ten days in Toronto and Ontario, Canada.
History
Canadian Music Week began in 1981 and has grown to become one of Canada's largest and most influential media a ...
1997, on the compilation album ''Northern Exposure''. It is also available streaming on her MySpace page
*"Take Me" on indie compilation album ''Try for Summer, Plan for Fall'', released in 1999.
*Also available on her MySpace page is a live cover version of
The Muppets
The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
' "
Movin' Right Along"
Les Aventures de Madame Merveille
In 2010 Castellucci was commissioned by
ECM+ in Montreal along with composer
André Ristic
André Ristic (born December 19, 1972) is a Canadian composer, pianist, accordion player, and music theorist. He has won several awards, including the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music in 2000 for his work ''Catalogue de bombes occident ...
to write a libretto for an opera called ''Les Aventures de Madame Merveille''. The live comic book opera featured art by Michael Cho, Pascal Girard, Scott K Hepburn and
Cameron Stewart
Cameron Stewart (born 1975) is a Canadian comic book creator. He first came to prominence when he collaborated as an illustrator with writer Grant Morrison, and he went on to illustrate ''Catwoman'' and co-write '' Batgirl''. He won Eisner and ...
. It premiered May 6, 2010 and was remounted in Fall 2011.
Films
''
Starwoids'' is a 2001 documentary about the Star Wars fans who camped out in front of
Grauman's Chinese Theatre for six weeks in order to buy tickets for ''
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace''. Cecil was one of these fans. She also appears in the special features on the Special Edition DVD, released in 2005.
Through Alpha 60, Castellucci made this ensemble film based on the actors' responses to a questionnaire. It premiered at the Alternative Screen series at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles.
Bibliography
Novels
* ''Boyproof''. 2005'','' Penguin Random House
* ''Star Wars: Moving Target''
*''Don't Cosplay with My Heart'', 2018, Scholastic Press
Short fiction
"Always the Same. Till it is Not" ''
Apex Magazine
''Apex Magazine'', also previously known as ''Apex Digest'', is an American horror and science fiction magazine. This subscription webzine, ''Apex Magazine'', contains short fiction, reviews, and interviews. It has been nominated for several awa ...
''
"Brother. Prince. Snake" Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
* "The Marker". ''After'', edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.
* "Best Friends Forever". ''Teeth'', edited by
Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award (Horror Writers Association).
Career
Datlow began her career ...
and
Terri Windling
Terri Windling (born December 3, 1958 in Fort Dix, New Jersey) is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram S ...
.
*"Wet Teeth". ''The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire'', edited by Trisha Telep.
"The Sound of Useless Wings" Tor.com
*"Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way". ''Geektastic''. With Holly Black.
Other works
* ''Geektastic''. Co-edited with author
Holly Black
Holly Black (''née'' Riggenbach; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. ...
.
* "My Fairy Godfathers". ''Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys''.
*"Bad Reputation". ''First Kiss (Then Tell): A Collection of True Lip-Locked Moments'', edited by
Cylin Busby.
Awards
* 2018
Eisner Award nomination for Best Short Story: "Ethel Byrne"
* 2018
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...
nomination for Book of the Year: ''Shade the Changing Girl''
* 2018 EGL (Excellence in Graphic Literature) Award nominations in three categories — Book of the Year, Best Middle Grade, Mosaic Award: ''Soupy Leaves Home''
* 2018 Best Feminist Reads
Amelia Bloomer
Amelia Jenks Bloomer (May 27, 1818 – December 30, 1894) was an American newspaper editor, women's rights and temperance advocate. Even though she did not create the women's clothing reform style known as bloomers, her name became associate ...
Award: ''Soupy Leaves Home''
References
External links
*
LiveJournalMySpace pageI Heart YAInterview With Cecil Castellucci at pinkraygun.com*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castellucci, Cecil
1969 births
Living people
American women film directors
American indie rock musicians
Female comics writers
American writers of young adult literature
Musicians from New York City
Canadian indie rock musicians
Joe Shuster Award winners for Outstanding Writer
Concordia University alumni
Canadian writers of young adult literature
Canadian women film directors
Women writers of young adult literature
Film directors from New York City
American female comics artists
Canadian female comics artists
21st-century American women
Inkpot Award winners