Personal Spaces: Drawing from your Environment
11:00am - 12:00pm // Pickering Room
Panelists: Julianna Brazill, Valerie Light, Dave Ortega, Christine Tyler Hill
Moderator: Holly Painter

A well-drawn environment does more than set the scene, it reveals who we are and how we see the world. This panel examines how cartoonists approach the depiction of place – what details to include, how to render them, and what adherence to real locations one may have – and how personal connection to these settings deepens storytelling. How do the rooms, streets, and landscapes we know become emotional anchors on the page? And how can a sense of place create resonance and connection with readers?

Researching Nonfiction Comics - Seeking Out and Incorporating Primary/Secondary Sources
12:30pm - 1:30pm // Pickering Room
Panelists: Erin Kathleen Bahl, Ben Passmore, Elise Smorczewski, Ben Wickey
Moderator: Andy Kolovos

Datasets and photographs, letters and diaries, interviews and observation—nonfiction comics need to draw upon outside sources guide the information they present and the stories they tell. This panel will explore the kinds of primary and secondary sources that nonfiction cartoonists working in history, journalism, science, folklore studies and other fields use to research their work, and the approaches they take to incorporating them into their comics.

Graphic Novel Collaboration
2:00pm - 3:00pm // Pickering Room
Panelists: Caroline Hu & Ned Wolfe, Dan Mazur & Stephen Weiner
Moderator: Glynnis Fawkes

Collaboration is nothing new to the world of comics, which has a long history of pairing writers and artists under unified titles. In this panel, we will examine the strengths and snags of shared work. How is a joint vision fully actualized and what advice can we learn from artists and writers in the spirit of collaboration?

Teaching Comics In Higher Ed
3:30pm - 4:30pm // Pickering Room
Panelists: Jeremir Stoll (Columbus College of Art and Design), Shuchita Mishra (Kennesaw State University, Georgia), Marnie Galloway (Art Institute of Chicago), Jerel Dye (The Eliot School, MassArt, RISD, Leslie University)
Moderator: Jason Lutes

While studying comics as a form of serious literature is now well accepted in higher education, increasingly colleges and universities offer classes that teach students to how make comics. This panel will explore the ways educators from across the country are bringing cartooning instruction into their classrooms.

How to Fight Fascism and Have Fun Doing It: Comics, Intellectual Freedom, and the Right to Protest
5:00pm - 6:00pm // Pickering Room
Panelists: Isabella Rotman (This Might Hurt Studios), Jeff Trexler (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund), Margaret Woodruff (Charlotte Vermont Public Library)
Moderator: Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup

A librarian, a lawyer, and an artist walk into a… protest? Today’s world of books and art is not for the faint of heart as attacks on the freedom to read, write, and create seem relentless – especially for queer, Black, and brown creators. But the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution and decades of judicial precedent guarantee freedom of speech, the right to peaceably assemble, freedom of the press, religion, and the ability to petition the government for redress of grievances. Comic creators, readers, and educators are fully covered by these protections. Join us for an engaging discussion with local and national experts on how the First Amendment applies to the creation and distribution of comics, and the freedom to read them, and how we can resist attempts to ban comic books and other forms of narrative art that don’t fit “the president’s agenda.” We’ll tell you how resistance to censorship is shaping up in today’s world, how you can help, and how to celebrate the joy of comics while you’re doing it.

Non-Fiction Diary Doodle
11:00am - Noon // Children’s Library
Instructor: Marek Bennett

Come help us create & connect a diary-doodle mural about Non-Fiction Comics Fest & the community around us! No artistic experience needed -- For more info visit Marek's COMICS WORKSHOP @: www.MarekBennett.com

Registration Recommended

⭐ FOR KIDS! ⭐

Friendship Zine Workshop
11:00am - 12:00pm // Local History Room
Instructor: Shay Mirk

Make a gift for a friend! In this low-stakes, hands-on workshop, facilitator Shay Mirk will share examples of zines made for political activism, community building, and self-expression. Then, each participant will make their own mini-zine that playfully celebrates a friend in their life.

⭐ FOR KIDS! Ages 10+ ⭐

Unfolding the Story of Now: A Diary Comics Workshop
12:15pm-1:15pm // Local History Room
Instructor: Natalie Norris

Come learn about how to process your life through diary comics. Graphic memoirist, Natalie Norris (Dear Mini: Book One) will explore what makes diary comics such a compelling medium for capturing how your life unfolds in real time. We'll look at different approaches to creating a diary comics practice that is intimate and sustainable and end with an opportunity to draw a comic about your life. 

Drawing What We Can’t See
12:30pm - 1:30pm // Children’s Library
Instructor: Jon Chad

How would you draw the wind? How about electricity? Or what about the heat coming off a slice of pizza? From a light bulb over someone's head representing an idea, to smoke pouring from the ears representing anger, cartooning is filled with different ways of drawing things and ideas that would be otherwise unseen. Join cartoonist Jon Chad to practice drawing different invisible effects, substances, and ideas.

Registration Recommended

⭐ FOR KIDS! ⭐

Create an Autobio Comic
1:30pm - 2:30pm // Local History Room
Instructor: EB Sciales

In this 1-hour workshop, participants will follow a short writing prompt and create an autobiographical comic page inspired by a Lynda Barry exercise: “What I Did, What I Saw.” Pencils and paper will be provided.

Drawing Animals With Character
2:00pm - 3:00pm // Children’s Library
Instructor: Lindsey Leigh

In this workshop, graphic nonfiction author and illustrator Lindsey Leigh will show you how to draw stylized cartoon creatures that are both full of personality and true to their real life counterparts that can be used in your own comic projects.

Registration Recommended

⭐ FOR KIDS! ⭐

Figure Drawing With Cartoonists
3:00pm-4:00pm // Fletcher Room
Model: Babs New
Moderator: Kristen Shull

Babs New is a cartoonist, and thanks to their Zoom-based sessions during the pandemic, is the most drawn figure model by cartoonists. Draw Babs while they’re interviewed about their work as a cartoonist and artist’s model by The Cartoonist and founder of The Emanata Artist Collective, Kristen Shull. This will be an hour-long figure drawing session with a nude model. 18+ only. Please be respectful and come ready to draw with your own materials.

** Advanced Registration Required with proof of ID at the door. **

Learn to draw ANYTHING!
3:30pm - 4:30pm // Children’s Library
Instructor: James Kochalka

Eisner award-winning cartoonist James Kochalka will teach you how to draw anything you want. Even how to draw when you have no ideas!

Registration Recommended

⭐ FOR KIDS! ⭐

Writing for Nonfiction Comics
4:30pm - 5:30pm // Local History Room
Instructor: Eleri Harris & Shay Mirk

Eleri Harris and Shay Mirk will share a chapter from their new book Making Nonfiction Comics: A Guide for Graphic Narrative about writing for nonfiction comics, from memoir to journalistic stories. Eleri and Shay will share an exercise for writing "three perfect panels" to begin a comic and make time for attendees to take a shot at writing their own panels.