Southport Press was founded in 2009 as a means for artists and writers in Kenosha, WI to develop and publish a collection of stories, comic book art and other artwork, using the quirky, often dark tales of Mother Goose rhymes as a springboard to creativity., featuring a forward by celebrated children's author Florence Parry Heide, and containing the work of about two dozen creative contributors.

 

The result was a 60-page anthology, Mother Goosed: Twisted Rhymes for Modern Times

 

Its genesis goes back several years prior to 2009 to a comic-book art jam, hosted by ArtWorks, 5002 7th Avenue, Kenosha, in which the very young and wonderfully older artists of the community worked side by side for one day to create a self-published anthology of their work.  In March 2009, ArtWorks owner/operator, Chet Griffith met with John Hambrock, nationally-syndicated cartoonist ("The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee"), Joshua Frazer, comic book art instructor, and John Bloner, Jr., Kenosha Community Media, Inc. about creating the Mother Goosed anthology and working on other projects in collaboration with other community members.