In addition to fronting PUP (who just released their This Place Sucks Ass EP) and running his Little Dipper label, Stefan Babcock will be releasing a children's book… for adults. It's called Rupert Reaper and the Search for Happiness.

The book, which Stefan calls a "nihilistic kids book for adults," follows Rupert, a "very small, very sad grim reaper" who grapples with his loneliness and the fact that everyone he touches dies, until he meets a little ghost dog who forces him to reexamine everything he thought he knew about life. As Stefan says on the project, "During this pandemic, I needed a break from music. Every song I wrote came out way too dark and it wasn't healthy. So, I found a new, very dumb, very fun medium, into which I could channel all my existential dread."

You can learn more about the book and pre-order it (including a limited edition bundle with a signed poster) at Little Dipper's website. Copies are set to ship on November 5, so as to not overload the USPS during the election, as explained by the book's press release. $1 from each book sold will go to Youth Mental Health Canada.

Additionally, to celebrate the book's release, Stefan has also announced his first-ever solo livestream performance (where he promises he will play "PUP songs you've heard before and not-PUP songs you haven't heard before"), titled Stefan (of Pup) and his Lead Singer Ego Trip. The stream is set to take place on Sunday, November 1 at 2 PM EST, with proceeds to benefit the ACLU to "help fight illegal voter suppression," as Stefan says. You can watch on either YouTube or Facebook.

In other news, PUP recently signed a Planned Parenthood initiative that emphasizes the importance of voting during this election. They join signers such as Blood Orange, Bon Iver, Bikini Kill, Nine Inch Nails, Billie Eilish, Big Thief, Soccer Mommy, Perfume Genius, Margo Price, St. Vincent, White Reaper, Weyes Blood, Sleater-Kinney, The B-52s, Sia, Phoebe Bridgers, Kim Gordon, Foo Fighters, and 200+ others.