Ryersson, Scot D. 1960-

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Ryersson, Scot D. 1960-

PERSONAL:

Born September 10, 1960, in Suffern, NY; son of Robert David and Jacqueline Adelaide Ryersson. Ethnicity: "English/Scandinavian." Education: Attended Chelsea School of Art and Design, London, England. Hobbies and other interests: Photography, collecting art, reading.

ADDRESSES:

Office—River Edge, NJ. E-mail—marchesacasati@yahoo.com.

CAREER:

Curiosity Ink, artist. Designer of motion picture posters in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Casati Archives, cofounder and codirector, 1999—; Marchesa Casati Web site, cocreator and coadministrator, 1999—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Book of the Year selection, Sunday Telegraph, Gay Times, and Bibel, all 1999, and selection as banner book of the year, Pointe, 2004, all for Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati; two awards from Art Directors of London, for poster designs for the films Evil under the Sun and Another Country; poster design for Silence of the Lambs was named one of "Greatest Film Posters of All Time" by the magazines Empire, Premiere, and Entertainment Weekly.

WRITINGS:

(With Michael Orlando Yaccarino) Infinite Variety: The Life and Legend of the Marchesa Casati, foreword by Quentin Crisp, Viridian Books (New York, NY), 1999, definitive edition, University of Minnesota Press (Minneapolis, MN), 2004.

(With Michael Orlando Yaccarino) Infinite Variety: Portrait of a Muse (one-act play; produced in New York, NY, and abroad), Viridian Books (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Michael Orlando Yaccarino) The Princess of Wax: A Cruel Tale (fiction), illustrated by Anne Bachelier, CFM Gallery (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor of articles, poetry, and reviews to periodicals, including Scarlet Street, Wet Paint, Film Score Monthly, Phase, Filmfax, aRUDE, Hint, Art-Is-Life, Idler, and New Yorker.

Infinite Variety has also been published in French, German, Russian, and Italian. The Princess of Wax was published in French.

SIDELIGHTS:

Scot D. Ryersson told CA: "I find the writing muse strikes at the oddest moments, so I make sure to carry a notebook and pen with me to jot down ideas. Then, much like dreams, when I refer back to them they seem a mystery. That's usually the launching pad for new and often better ideas. Sometimes when I'm stuck I seek solace in my favorite writers—crime writer Agatha Christie for her plotting and magician's sleight of hand in hiding the obvious; science fiction novelist Angela Carter for her imagination and superb talent for the not-so-simple art of storytelling; and French illustrator, historian, and novelist Philippe Jullian for his magnificent descriptions and turn of phrase—and then usually walk away convinced of the fact that I should never pick up a pen again."

When asked the most surprising thing learned as a writer, Ryersson answered: "Firstly that I have an antiquated vocabulary, am a terrible speller, and have a second-grade knowledge of grammar. Next, and most surprising, is that people really do read what I write!"

Ryersson said he hopes his books will "inspire someone to read."