{"id":18067,"date":"2020-08-15T12:55:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-15T16:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=18067"},"modified":"2020-08-15T12:55:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-15T16:55:20","slug":"jef-czekaj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2020\/08\/15\/jef-czekaj\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Sequestered Storytime&#8217; With Somerville Children&#8217;s Book Creator Jef Czekaj"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cSequestered Storytime with Jef Czekaj\u201d\u2014Somerville children\u2019s book author and artist Jef Czekaj\u2019s DIY television show for kids\u2014represents one of the more delightful ways folks are navigating the daunting seriousness of coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>In the show, which debuted in April on social media and Somerville Community Access Television, Czekaj reads his published picture books (\u201cHip &amp; Hop Don\u2019t Stop!,\u201d \u201cCat Secrets,\u201d \u201cDog Rules,\u201d \u201cAustin Lost in America\u201d) as well as unpublished manuscripts (\u201cI have lots of unpublished manuscripts I can go through\u201d), and \u201cold weird books.\u201d Puppets perform magic (\u201cI\u2019ve been spending a lot of time watching internet magicians. \u2026 A lot of it is weird math tricks.\u201d). Czekaj shows how to draw robots or Garfield or a giraffe. There are jokes and animated gifs of rainbow psychedelic cats.<\/p>\n<p>The variety show format capitalizes on Czekaj\u2019s range of skills\u2014artist, musician, author, DJ, um, magician. \u201cIt\u2019s the moment I\u2019ve been waiting for,\u201d Czekaj deadpans. \u201cIt\u2019s all my useless skills combined into one new useless thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yG8PJRbAy2Q\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Long Island, New York, native landed in Somerville in 1998 after studies at the State University of New York at Binghamton (now Binghamton University) and a stint in Ithaca, New York. He came up through bands and indie comics (like his comic series titled \u201cR2-D2 Is an Indie Rocker\u201d), which led to his comic \u201cGrandpa and Julie: Shark Hunters,\u201d which was published regularly in Nickelodeon Magazine, part of the Nickelodeon children\u2019s television empire, for more than a decade. \u201cKlasky Csupo\u2014the \u201cRugrats\u201d and the original \u201cSimpsons\u201d folks\u2014even produced an animated pilot for a television show based on the comics, with Dustin Hoffman\u2014yes, the Dustin Hoffman\u2014as the voice of Grandpa. But the show never went into regular production.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Disclosure: I became friends with Czekaj through comics in the 1990s. And my sweetheart Kari Percival guest-starred in the July 6 \u201cSequestered Storytime\u201d episode.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>As coronavirus arrived, Czekaj had finished the artwork for his next picture book with publisher Balzer and Bray (a division of HarperCollins Publishers), titled \u201cLittle Ghoul Goes to School.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s about a girl-monster who is nervous about her first day of school. She\u2019s worried everything\u2019s nice and she wants everything to be scary and gross.&#8221; So, Czekaj says, \u201cI was looking for something to do creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need down time to come up with books and ideas,\u201d Czekaj says. \u201cOr better yet, I\u2019m a big fan of being in coffee shops or libraries. And all that disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So naturally he began imagining scenarios for the 1980s sitcom \u201cCheers,\u201d but set during coronavirus. He posted them to facebook. \u201cThen I lost interest and things got way more serious with the coronavirus, so it stopped being funny.\u201d He mulled drawing a comic that he summarizes as \u201cGarfield meets Dilbert,\u201d but without the terrible philosophy of \u201cDilbert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Instead he ventured into video. \u201cWhen the pandemic started, [Massachusetts children\u2019s book creator] Mo Willems was doing some basic drawing videos,\u201d Czekaj recalls. Czekaj\u2019s 6-year-old son \u201cOllie was interested and then quickly wanted to make his own videos. \u2026 We just started doing that and I had never done videos like that before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6ZJJxa1ludY\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The first episode of \u201cDrawing With Ollie &amp; Jef,\u201d which debuted March 29, was videoed by Ollie\u2019s mom and Czekaj\u2019s partner, Jacy Edelman. But then she was busy at work. So Czekaj began a journey to learn video editing and how to run a live-streamed show with multiple cameras. Czekaj adds, \u201cIt gave some structure for our week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are now 20 episodes, ranging from about 5- to 10-minutes long each, in which they draw cats and dogs and monsters, vehicles and farm animals, unicorns, Snoopy and Kermit. It seems likely that Ollie has retired at this point (\u201cWe started when he was 5, now he\u2019s 6. I think he hung in there more than most 6-year-olds\u201d), and Czekaj says he may make the videos private (\u201cHaving your kid all over the internet brings up security issues\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>Folks at the Somerville Library saw some of \u201cDrawing With Ollie &amp; Jef\u201d and asked Czekaj to make videos for their facebook. The result, \u201cSequestered Storytime with Jef Czekaj,\u201d debuted April 23.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JgQAQtENsJc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the beginning I wanted it to be like an episode of \u2018Pee-wee\u2019s Playhouse\u2019 or \u2018Sesame Street\u2019\u2014little episodes and skits,\u201d Czekaj says. Another inspiration: \u201cI\u2019m a big fan of Bread and Puppet Theater and that school of political puppetry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, he had a couple puppets\u2014Somerville Sheep and Powder House Pickle Jar made from recycled plastic containers covered with felt that were inspired by statues in Somerville\u2019s Powder House\/Nathan Tufts Park\u2014left around the apartment from a series of live performances that he\u2019d imagined presenting at the park, but, well, \u201cI never did it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Employing the puppets was also a way to \u201ccreate something that was specific to Somerville.\u201d As research, Czekaj says, \u201cI\u2019ve started watching Youtube videos of puppetry and magic, which I never thought I\u2019d be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjefczekaj%2Fvideos%2F10214758735036952%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>One of the show\u2019s signature segments is \u201cThose Weird Statues in Davis Square.\u201d Czekaj began with \u201cTen Figures\u201d\u2014the cement statues that artist James Tyler situated around Davis Square in 1980\u2014and animated them to dance to his original song whose lyrics were a chant: \u201cThose weird statues in Davis Square.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A number of shows have encouraged wearing masks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus\u2014including a run-in with a monster who refuses to wear a mask and a song set to the tune of \u201cMonster Mash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e0VHPn3Brp0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As Black Lives Matter protests grew in June and July, \u201cSequestered Storytime\u201d began addressing the protests. Czakaj showed viewers how to draw a \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d protest sign. \u201cLet\u2019s get out there and protest. See you there,\u201d he told the audience.<\/p>\n<p>Czekaj often comes at it sidelong, and with humor. \u201cDefund\u201d became the Word of the Day. The protest slogan \u201cNo Justice, No Peace\u201d was misheard by the puppets as \u201cNo Justice, No Peas,\u201d resulting in mealtime humorously coming to a halt. Then the puppets refused to sing the note \u201cfa\u201d because they\u2019re Antifa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018No justice, no peace\u2019 is a pretty abstract term. With puppets, there\u2019d be a way to break that down into something kids can understand,\u201d Czekaj notes. \u201cBreaking them down into stupid puns helps me too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjefczekajdraws%2Fvideos%2F2668543980058204%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjefczekaj%2Fvideos%2F10214816069310273%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it was just me talking about these things, I think it could be boring and didactic. But if it\u2019s a puppet saying it, it can be funny and important and more engaging,\u201d Czekaj says. \u201cI\u2019m interested in starting conversations. I didn\u2019t want to tell your kid what to think about this stuff. But I\u2019m hoping bringing up this stuff will lead to conversations with parents. I\u2019m assuming the parents who are watching agree with me politically. We\u2019ll see. \u2026 The puppets are clueless and want to do the right thing. It\u2019s a little bit like they\u2019re kids who are confused and want to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A new episode of \u201cSequestered Storytime\u201d premieres Aug. 17 with skits about ice cream, \u201cthe joy (?) of Zoom calls,\u201d and cancel culture. Has this kids show changed the world yet? Czekaj jokes, \u201cLet\u2019s say, \u2018Yes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mCeGkKNfIGs\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>If this is the kind of coverage of arts, cultures and activisms you appreciate, please support Wonderland by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/wonderlandlandfanclub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And <a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don&#8217;t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>All content \u00a9 copyright by Greg Cook or its original creators.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18076\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18076\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/picCzejak-defund-sheepW.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-18076\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/picCzejak-defund-sheepW-1024x593.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Defund&quot; is the Word of the Day on &quot;Sequestered Storytime with Jef Czekaj.&quot; (Courtesy Jef Czekaj)\" width=\"900\" height=\"521\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/picCzejak-defund-sheepW-1024x593.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/picCzejak-defund-sheepW-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/picCzejak-defund-sheepW-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/picCzejak-defund-sheepW-370x214.jpg 370w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/picCzejak-defund-sheepW.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18076\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Defund&#8221; is the Word of the Day on &#8220;Sequestered Storytime with Jef Czekaj.&#8221; (Courtesy Jef Czekaj)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cSequestered Storytime with Jef Czekaj\u201d\u2014Somerville children\u2019s book author and artist Jef Czekaj\u2019s DIY television show for kids\u2014represents one of the more delightful ways folks are navigating the daunting seriousness of coronavirus. In the show, which debuted in April on social media and Somerville Community Access Television, Czekaj reads his published picture books (\u201cHip &amp; Hop [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18077,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,100,107,192,129,116,130,131],"tags":[706,801,802,546,26],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18067"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18081,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18067\/revisions\/18081"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}