Lorin Morgan-Richards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lorin Morgan-Richards
Morgan-Richards in 2016
Born	(1975-02-16) February 16, 1975 (age 50) Beebetown, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Author poet cartoonist playwright composer publisher animator historian
Education	Cuyahoga Community College (AA), California State University, Los Angeles (BA)
Genre	Young adult fiction, Weird West, Gothic Western, Gothic fiction, Western, short stories, humor, surrealism, literary nonsense, supernatural fiction
Notable works	The Goodbye Family, Me'ma and the Great Mountain, A Boy Born from Mold and Other Delectable Morsels, Simon Snootle and Other Small Stories, Imperfectualism
Spouse	Valerie Stoneking
Children	1
Signature

Lorin Morgan-Richards (born February 16, 1975) is an American author, illustrator, and songwriter. He is best known for his books for young adults and his funny The Goodbye Family series. This series is a mix of Gothic Western and comedy.

Richards also used to publish Celtic Family Magazine. He started the Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival. This is one of the biggest Welsh festivals in the United States.

Morgan-Richards was born in Beebetown, Ohio. He has Swiss (Amish) and Welsh family roots.

Early Life and Inspiration

Richards grew up in an old one-room schoolhouse in Beebetown, Ohio. His home had a well for water. His mother, who studied fine art, taught him how to draw and make music. Richards says his imagination grew from the many books his family owned. He also spent time alone and cared for many animals. He put many of these animals into his early drawings and stories.

Richards became interested in Native American and American Western history when he was a child. He remembers his first book was The Indians Knew. This book explained Native American cultures and their clever ways.

When Richards was in second grade, he found out he had dyslexia. This meant he needed extra help with reading until ninth grade. By his early teenage years, he loved reading. Writers like Edward Lear, L. Frank Baum, Roald Dahl, and Lewis Carroll helped him. Their stories helped him overcome his reading challenges.

In 1990, when he was 15, Richards wrote and made his first film. It was called The Cowboy Movie.

Creative Journey

Between 1993 and 2003, Richards earned a degree in Liberal Arts. He studied at Cuyahoga Community College. He also found success making music projects that included modern dance and theater. He worked with artist Textbeak. Richards calls his electronic music "Dark Electronic Storytelling." It is based on written works and is meant for dramatic performances.

In 1999, Richards' solo music album ENKI led to a live show. This show was based on a book called The Twelfth Planet. In 2001, he created another show called An Occurrence Remembered. This performance was influenced by the writings of Ambrose Bierce.

In June 2018, Richards announced he would release his old and new music under the name Elder Moon.

Writing and Illustrating Career

In 2002, Richards moved to Los Angeles to start fresh. He decided to focus on writing and illustrating. He said this work only needed "a pen and paper." His novel Me'ma and the Great Mountain (2012) was started around 2002. However, his first book released was Simon Snootle and Other Small Stories in 2009.

The next year, Richards released four new books. One of these was his second book of short stories, A Boy Born from Mold and Other Delectable Morsels.

Richards came up with most of The Goodbye Family characters in 2009. This was during a trip to the UK and France with his wife. He had mentioned them earlier in his novel Me'ma and the Great Mountain.

Orphie from The Goodbye Family by Lorin Morgan-Richards

The Goodbye family includes undertakers Otis and Pyridine. Their daughter is Orphie, and she has a pet tarantula named Dorian. Orphie was first seen on top of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Otis was trying to get on a train with a shrunken head. Pyridine was sewing a limb back together. Dorian was trying to catch a fairy to eat. Later, a cat named Ouiji was introduced. Orphie is said to have a brother named Kepla, but he is rarely seen.

Between 2009 and 2013, Richards made special limited edition books. These books were often sewn by hand with a faux leather cover and linen pages. He wanted to make books that would last for many years.

Richards likes to use pencil and ink for his drawings. His writing often has dark humor. Many of his stories also share a strong message about protecting the environment.

From 2015 to 2018, Richards had two weekly cartoons. They were called The Goodbye Family and The Noodle Rut. In 2016, he won an award for his story Sad Lost Doll.

Since 2018, Richards has shared The Goodbye Family series on Tapas and social media. In 2021, he created The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series.

The Goodbye Family Series

Down West by Lorin Morgan-Richards

Since 2017, Richards has released his comic collections often. He has focused on The Goodbye Family and his "Weird West" style. In 2019, he announced a new novel, The Goodbye Family and the Great Mountain, for early 2020.

Producer and Director Work

Richards has produced and directed several documentaries. These films are about the American Frontier and Welsh American stories. In fiction, Richards created The Goodbye Family: The Animated Series. This show is based on his Weird West characters. New York Magazine named it one of the top ten best animated TV series in 2022.

A Raven Above Press

A Raven Above Press was started in 2009 by Richards. Its main goal was to print his illustrated stories. It also helped other authors and illustrators with Celtic and Native American backgrounds. This company also helped create cultural events and art shows. A notable event was the Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival.

On August 1, 2013, Celtic Family Magazine was released. Richards was the founder and publisher of this magazine from 2013 to 2017.

The logo for A Raven Above Press shows a raven on top of a bending cypress tree.

Richards would create a book for each Welsh event he organized. These books often featured art from American and Welsh artists.

Native American Community Work

Lorin Morgan-Richards speaking at Bringing the Circle Together

Richards worked at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian in 2004. He was also studying Cultural Anthropology at California State University, Los Angeles. He focused on Native American studies.

Bringing the Circle Together

Lorin Morgan-Richards with his daughter Berlin

Between 2008 and 2012, Richards worked with Native American groups in Los Angeles. They created Bringing the Circle Together. This was a free monthly film series. It was held at the Japanese American National Museum. The series showed documentaries by and about Indigenous people. It also offered historical stories, guest speakers, and cultural demonstrations.

A special event happened on February 25, 2010. Representatives from the Southern Ioway and Northern Ioway tribes met with Tongva leaders. This was the first time these groups from Southern California and the Midwest met.

Celtic Community Work

Author and illustrator Lorin Morgan-Richards

Richards became very involved in the Welsh-American community. This happened after the Welsh Presbyterian Church closed in 2012. Before this, Richards helped organize an Eisteddfod (a Welsh festival) in 2011.

To fill the gap left by the church, Richards started the Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival. This is an annual event that celebrates Wales around March 1. The first festival was on March 1, 2013. Singer and harpist Siobhan Owen was the main performer. Along with the festival, Richards began making Celtic Family Magazine.

Imperfectualism

Imperfectualism is an idea by Lorin Morgan-Richards. He used the pen name Marcil d'Hirson Garron. It was first published in January 2020. Richards describes Imperfectualism as art that machines cannot easily copy. An imperfectualist tries to slow down automation through their art. The main idea of Imperfectualism is the beauty of being imperfect. Richards used a method called automatic drawing to create this work. In this method, conscious control is turned off.

Richards has said that he was influenced by the Dadaists and Surrealists.

Works

Comic Collections

• 13 Disturbing Postcards to Send to Your Grandparents (2010) ISBN: 0983002002
• Memento Mori: The Goodbye Family Album (2017) ISBN: 0997319348
• Wanted: Dead or Alive...but not stinkin' (2017) ISBN: 0997319356
• The Goodbye Family Unveiled (2017) ISBN: 9780997319361
• Down West (2018) ISBN: 9780983002079
• Nicklesworth: Featuring the Goodbye Family (2018) ISBN: 9780997319392
• Gallows Humor: Hangin' with the Goodbye Family (2018) ISBN: 9780997319385
• Dead Man's Hand-kerchief: Dealing with the Goodbye Family (2019) ISBN: 9780983002086
• The Importance of Being Otis: Undertaking with the Goodbye Family (2019) ISBN: 9781733287906
• Yippee Ki-Yayenne Mother Pepper: Getting Saucy with the Goodbye Family (2019) ISBN: 9781733287937
• Pyridine's Fancy: It's a Grave Business with the Goodbye Family (2020) ISBN: 9781733287975
• Keeping up with the Boneses: Digging with the Goodbye Family (2020) ISBN: 978-1733287999
• Family Messings: Getting Dirty with the Goodbye Family (2021) ISBN: 978-1737222101
• It's Your Funeral: Stitched Up with the Goodbye Family (2022) ISBN: 978-1737222118
• It Came From the Outhouse: Off the Grid with the Goodbye Family (2024) ISBN: 978-1737222125

Comic Volumes

• The Goodbye Family Jewels: Volume 1 (2020) ISBN: 978-1733287982

As Illustrator Only

• The Pied Piper of Hamelin (2012), written by Robert Browning
• Plop the Raindrop (2013), written by Kevin Alan Richards

As Writer Only

• A Seers Guide to the Haunted Labyrinth (2012), a collaborative art book
• Voices Lleisiau (2023), a collaborative art book

Web Stories

Richards has created new stories and retold classic ones with his illustrations for social media.

Original Stories

• Sal the Silverfish (2016)
• The Overcooked Tater Tot (2016)
• The Sad Lost Doll (2016)
• The Tiny Adventure of Hairball Man (2016)
• 12 Days of Krampus (2016)

Now That's a Silly Goose

These are classic stories illustrated by Richards:

• Jack and the Beanstalk (2020)
• Aesop's Fables (2020)

Music Albums

Solo Studio Albums

Albums released under the name Elder Moon or Lorin Morgan-Richards:

Compilation Albums

Audiobooks

Albums released under the name Lorin Morgan-Richards:

Collaborative Albums

Albums released with other artists:

Other Collaborative Recordings

EPs and Singles released with other artists:

Film and Television

Film

Television

Biographies of the West

This is a TV documentary series written, produced, and colorized by Lorin Morgan-Richards. It tells stories about famous people and places from the American West.

Music Video

Awards

See also

In Spanish: Lorin Morgan-Richards para niños

• Charles Addams
• John M. Crowther
• Robert Crumb
• Edward Gorey
• Gary Larson
• Stan Lynde
• Angus Oblong
• Will Rogers
• Shel Silverstein
• Marvin Townsend
• Gahan Wilson