Eric Rampson

They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and Mr. Eric Rampson is no exception. Aside from being a library assistant, Mr. Rampson writes comics. He has written three different comic books so far. He has a degree in fiction writing. So far, Mr. Rampson has published one novel and three short stories (and has written many more). He is currently working on a comic about a cook at a restaurant who gets sucked through a vent, which turns out to be a portal to a food dimension, where he finds other employees who have gotten sucked in too! They have to try to live amongst food monsters while trying to escape the alternate dimension. But his love of comics doesn't stop there. Mr. Rampson also has a huge comics collection at his house. He also loves working with technology and robotics. He enjoys incorporating robotics to the projects he does with the Lower School students.

Mr. Rampson also introduced a national program called NaNoWriMo to Parker, where middle school students can write books, and if they reach a certain amount of words, their book gets published in the library. Speaking of novels, Mr. Rampson has published three issues of a comic with his group, Lonely Robot Comics, called Redeemers. But Mr. Rampson’s talents are not limited to writing. Before he became a writer, he worked in improv for 20-plus years, studying and coaching improv fictional writing with the MFA program for acting/actors/writing at Warren Wilson college. He has degrees in English and Rhetoric. This summer he will lead a writing workshop that incorporates improvisation at StoryStudio Chicago.

Mr. Rampson does a lot of work throughout the day, and he says that with the recent remodeling of the library his job has gotten much easier. The library isn’t the only new thing; the rules have changed too. Now the library staff has very little tolerance for food in that space. Before there was the no food rule, the librarians had a pillar in the library, which they would fill with pictures they had taken of leftover food they found. If the pillar got full with pictures of left behind food, there would be a ban on food for a week. And with every full pillar, the ban would be extended for another week. But then the pillar got full three times, and the staff had to ban food entirely. Mr. Rampson loves to work with kids of all ages, and keeps all age groups engaged in what the library has to offer.

Mr. Rampson also has a three-year-old son here at Parker, Atticus, whom he hopes will share his love of comics. His son is in junior kindergarten. Atticus loves Spiderman.

If by now it isn’t clear, Mr. Rampson is so much more than the title library assistant suggests. From keeping our new library clean, to helping students reach their writing goals, Mr Rampson is always there to help. He's like an unsung comic book hero: You don't really how important he is until you take him away from the equation.

Here are the covers of some of the comics Mr. Rampson has written.