American Library Association Annual in California! (& Animaritime)

June 15, 2012

So next week is the American Library Association Annual in Aniheim, California (June 22nd - 25th) and I will be there! I’m guessing there aren’t many librarians on tumblr, but I’m posting this info here anyway. ;)

ALA has an Artists’ Alley (it’s new; last year was the first time they had one) and I have a table (#474). I’m not really bringing much to sell as my publisher First Second will be there, but I’ll have some original artwork for people to look at (see how my comic pages look before they’re scanned into the computer and made all pretty!), free bookmarks and … well, I’ll be there, so you can talk to me about stuff. ;)

(Oh yeah, and with this trip, I’ll actually be IN THE STATES when the finale of Legend of Korra airs! I actually get to watch the show on TV!!!! Very excited.)

I’m putting my schedule under a cut, because it is loooong. I’m on some AMAZING sounding panels tho! Seriously, I have a *spotlight panel*!!! ooh, I feel all fancypants. (Also there’s some info on the local convention Animaritime which I’m doing the weekend after ALA behind the cut.)

Here’s my schedule.

Saturday, June 23^rd

ALA Exhibit Hours 9am – 5pm

Panel

True Stories of Graphic Fiction

ALA GN Stage

12:00 – 12:30pm

Description: Despite featuring aliens, ghosts, and square-headed sumo wrestlers, today’s young adult graphic novels often draw inspiration from their creators’ real lives. Four of today’s most successful graphic novelists talk about how their personal experiences shaped their most recent works of fiction.

Panelists: Derek Kirk Kim, Thien Pham, Raina Telgemeier, Faith Erin Hicks

Moderator: Gene Luen Yang

Sunday, June 24^th

Panel

Women in Comics

ALA GN Stage

10:00 – 10:30am

Description: Once again, gender politics has reared its ugly head, this time into the realm of comics and graphic novels. But when the role of libraries is introduced into the story, the focus changes from men as the dominant gatekeepers to women as the primary deciders of what gets collected and why. Join us as our panelists discuss the history of women in comics as readers, creators, and collectors, and how women are shaping the comics market of today.

Panelists: Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama) Faith Erin Hicks (Friends with Boys), Johanne Matte (Flight), Gina Gagliano (First Second), Janet Weber (Tigard Public Library), Leigh Walton, (Top Shelf), Robin Brenner (Brookline Public Library),

Moderator: Eva Volin

Panel

Faith Erin Hicks Spotlight

ALA GN Stage

11:00 – 11:30am

Description: Faith Erin Hicks’ graphic novel Friends With Boys has been called “smart” (Paste), “wonderful” (Wired) and “top-notch” (BoingBoing). Interviewed by librarian Robin Brenner, Hicks will discuss the creation process for her book, her thoughts on YA literature, and her belief that there’s a graphic novel out there for every reader.

Moderator: Robin Brenner

Panel

Imagining the Fantastic

ALA GN Stage

12:00 – 12:30am

Description: Comics can reflect any kind of genre, from realism to fantasy, with the only limits being the creators imaginations and their tools for creation. Join creators Kazu Kibuishi, Faith Erin Hicks, and Nathan Hale to discuss how creators imagine the unknown, build alternate worlds, and bring to life to imagined and supernatural creatures and societies.

Panelists: Kazu Kibuishi, Faith Erin Hicks, Nathan Hale

Moderator: Robin Brenner

Signing

MacKids Booth 2534 / 2535

1:00 – 1:30pm

Panel

Comics Quickfire

ALA GN Stage

3:00 – 4:00pm (leave early to go to (Re) telling Stories panel)

Description: Part drawing jam, part fast-paced game show! Volunteers from the audience are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges! Attendees of the Comics Quickfire are encouraged to participate, even if they can only draw stick figures or make silly suggestions. Featuring Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Faith Erin Hicks (Friends With Boys) Jerzy Drozd (The Front), Dan Santat (Sidekicks), and more!

Moderator: Dave Roman

Panel

(Re) telling Stories

Hilton Anaheim / Avila Room B

4:00 – 5:30pm

Description: Fanart, authorship, and how stories are shared, reconstructed, and retold Fan created works, from fan fiction to fan comics, are an increasingly visible and a richly rewarding way for fans to interact with their favorite stories from books, movies, and TV shows. At the same time, fan works raise a variety of sticky questions concerning copyright, the place of transformative work in literature, authorship, and what it means to be a writer and a reader. The ability to rewrite, recast, or redo a story or character has dramatically shifted the way readers process, share, and connect with works, authors, and other fans. Writers, artists, and editors who have started out in the fandom world are making the transition to more traditional publishing. Is fan culture a boon to creators? A transgression against the original author’s intent and intellectual ownership? Is it hovering somewhere in between? Join a panel of authors, artists, librarians, and yes, fans, to explore the impact participatory fan culture has had and will continue to have on reading, literature, and how we encounter stories.

Panelists: Marissa Meyer, Faith Erin Hicks, Liz Burns, Deborah Kaplan

Moderator: Robin Brenner

Woo! Sounds good, huh? I’m really interested in seeing what the fandom panel ((Re) Telling Stories) will be like … I wish I wasn’t so stressed about the trip. It’s literally across the continent (Nova Scotia to California), and the time difference is FOUR hours. The last time I was in California (2008 for San Diego Comicon, wow, was that a trip) I woke up every damn morning at 5 AM. URGH.

Also, for those who live in wonderful Nova Scotia, I am a guest at Animaritime, a small anime/manga/comics/etc convention in Moncton, New Bruinswick, June 29th-July 1st. I should have LOTS of things for sale at that convention, like books, prints, buttons and commissions. I’ll also be doing 3 panels during the show, two solo about my work, and one with other webcartoonists on how to do webcomics! So if you’re local, come say hi. :)

5:53pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZOSWCxNT1DHE

(Notes: 14)