In Sean Covel’s stories, characters are what matter most. That storytelling instinct can be traced straight back to Edgemont, where he grew up. “Edgemont is one of those towns where everybody is a main character,” he said. “I didn’t realize how special that was until I moved to California.” At first, Sean was hesitant to let people get a glimpse into his rural background. “My friends were from big cities with ‘fancy’ educations, and I felt insecure. But eventually, I realized that coming from small-town South Dakota was actually my superpower.”
Sean took his superpowered imagination to the set of the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite, where he served as producer. The quirky rough edges of the film, Sean reflected, are part of its charm. “It’s a fun snapshot into how much we didn’t know what we were doing,” he said, “but we were doing it anyway.”
This playful courage also came along with him to his work as a children’s author. His books, including Porter the Hoarder, are designed as games families play together. Another one of Sean’s books — Who Is the Super Ultra Mega Special Super Special Guest? — stars Sean’s real-life canine sidekick, Tim Finnegan, and is a choose-your-own-adventure page-flipper with a total twist of an ending. Seeing children read his stories in classrooms is amazing, but hearing that kids eagerly re-read them at home is even better.
Sean’s western South Dakota roots also shape his philanthropy, from literacy efforts that have given away tens of thousands of books to founding 12 Days of Pizza. This saucy initiative started by feeding 12 families in Rapid City over winter break. It’s now expanded and has provided more than 50,000 meals to families all over the country.
What’s next for Sean is a new book, Hector the Collector, a look-and-find about a steampunk mad-scientist penguin, and Silent Go the Animals, a story that touches deaf culture. Through his 10 feature films and 11 children’s books, the Black Hills remain his baseline reality and creative north star. “South Dakota gave me everything. It gave me a unique perspective. It gave me a solid foundation of family and community. And it gave me a super fun childhood with a bunch of crazy adventures that I don’t think I could have had anywhere else.”
Pictured, left to right: Tim Finnegan and Sean Covel
seancovel.com
