Tomorrow begins Small Press Expo 2010 in Bethesda, Maryland. Guests include Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma) and Raina Telgemeier (Smile). In addition to shopping the floor, events of interest on the schedule:
Sunday, September 12
Autobiography in Pieces
3:00 | Brookside Conference Room
How do you tell the story of a life that’s still in progress? Is “story” even the right way to think about it? How do you winnow down the manifold details and data of your life? Cartoonists Sarah Becan, Gabrielle Bell, Vanessa Davis, and Jesse Reklaw will discuss alternatives to the memoir with moderator Isaac Cates.
R. Sikoryak: Adaptation and Parody
3:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Comics chameleon R. Sikoryak inventively adapts canonical Western literature using the visual styles and characters of historical American comic books and comic strips. These works have been collected in his 2009 book Masterpiece Comics (Drawn and Quarterly). Sikoryak will reveal his intensive working process and will discuss the history of parody and adaptation in comics in a discussion with Bill Kartalopoulos, curator of the recent exhibit “R. Sikoryak: How Classics and Cartoons Collide.”
The show is open from 11am to 7pm on Saturday, and from 12 noon to 6pm on Sunday at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.
On a more local scale, the Brooklyn Book Festival takes place this Sunday from 10am to 6pm at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Vendors include Drawn & Quarterly, Not For Tourists, PictureBox, and For Beginners. Events of interest include:
2:00 P.M.
The International Graphic Novel: Drawing from Life. Three acclaimed cartoonists, whose work takes on social and political themes, talk about the on-the-ground research and background work they have all done in preparation for creating their books. Featuring author Nick Abadzis (Laika), Josh Neufeld (A.D.), and Jessica Abel (La Perdida). Moderated by Matt Madden (Drawing Words and Writing Pictures).
INTERNATIONAL STAGE
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Youth Workshops at the Workshop Tent
(next to the Youth Stoop)
Workshops are first come, first served and limited to 12 participants
3:00 P.M.
The Comic Book Project presents When Commas Meet Kryptonite with Michael Bitz, Director of the Center for Educational Pathways. Join us to dream, design, and draft an original comic book. Transform ideas to ink and star in your own superhero story! (Ages 8-16).
Sam Anderson (New York Magazine) and David Rees (Get Your War On) are also doing a “comic” presentation as part of “Cabaret BBF Style” at 4pm but it is unclear whether they mean comic as in funny, or comic as in the medium. (With David Rees involved, hopefully it’s both.)
