CARTOONIST PROFILE

Bio

After 42 years in telecom, retirement has brought back Dennis Townsend’s affinity for cartooning.  He sketched for his high school newspaper, union newsletter, and was a columnist for the Eatonville (WA) Dispatch for nine years.  He pokes at local officials and issues through his website, but the world also provides plenty of absurd fodder for subject matter as well.  (This election has made things disturbingly busy, and not just on the cartooning front.)  He has the highest respect for those whose content and talent far exceed his (some politely call his style “primitive” – lol) and enjoys their work and profession.  Some of his cartoons have been published, but he not planning on quitting the day job (as he doesn’t have one!).  The philosophy?  If you make them mad, make them laugh, or best yet, make them think, you’ve done your job as a cartoonist.   He’s honored to be an AAEC  member, and endeavors to support good journalism, continues to be a fierce advocate of the First Amendment and defender of the medium, as well as civil liberties and human rights, which, even for U.S. citizens, is under attack.   Dennis and his wife, Dona, live in Tacoma,  enjoy playing folk, bluegrass and country music and perform at local events, as well as hiking and birding – all while trying to maintain order between their two cats.