Craig Payst

Craig Payst is an artist, writer, and cartoonist, best known for his work on folklore and as a cartoonist and illustrator.

In addition to his commercial work, Craig has illustrated the Midway Dreams series of children’s books and Arshad Ahsanuddin’s multi-volume Pact Arcanum sci-fi series.

In 2003, he began a travel blog project which eventually grew into  North Carolina Ghosts, a site collecting and documenting folklore form North Carolina with added historical context and critical commentary. This site is now used as a resource in classrooms across the state.

His work in folklore eventually led him to create The New Folklore project, a deep dive into the relationship between mass media, identity, and narrative.

Originally from North Carolina, he has lived in many towns, many states, following the career of his wife, the conductor Jaemi Loeb, before they finally settled in Detroit.