NYC Feminist Zine Fest this Saturday, March 1st at Barnard College

Hi, Everyone,
    I recently joined this SIG and look forward to getting to know others in the group. I wanted to quickly pass along the information below about a zine fest that I saw on the Pratt SILS listserv that might be of interest to the group, especially those in the NYC area:

The NYC Feminist Zine Fest is back! In 2012, Elvis Bakaitis and Kate Angell launched the first Feminist Zine Fest - an event that packed the Brooklyn Commons to the gills. An expanded organizing team has worked hard to bring it back this year!

More than 30 amazing zine makers will come together at Barnard College to share their work. There will be zine readings, workshops, and of course oodles of fun and colorful zines.

WHEN: Saturday, March 1st, 2014 ~ 1pm to 6pm

WHERE: Barnard College (116th St and Broadway), James Room

It's free and open to the public.

Website

Facebook

Hashtag: #fzfnyc

Please help us spread the word by posting this info around the internet and amongst your pals!

Cheers!

Elvis, Jenna, Jordan, Rachel & Sari

feministzinefestnyc@gmail.com

List of Meta Messages in Comics by Brain Cronin!

Brian Cronin on the Comic Book Resources Comics Should Be Good Blog, has compiled a list of meta messages. These are messages where comics writers' characters reference the work of another comic artist's work or character. See Cronin's list on his Comics Should Be Good Blog original post!

To the left is a panel from # 17 on Cronin's list, "The Question Thinks Rorschach Sucks" where The Question is referencing Rorschach from the Watchmen. More on the #17 link above!

Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries - Deadline Feb. 7, 2014.

The American Library Association (ALA) and the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation have open applications for two grants - "the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant will provide support to a library that would like to expand its existing graphic novel services and programs; the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Growth Grant will provide support to a library for the initiation of a graphic novel service or program. Each recipient will receive a $4,000 program grant plus a collection of Will Eisner’s work and biographies as well as the graphic novels nominated for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards at Comic-Con International.  The grant award includes a travel stipend for a library representative to travel to the ALA Annual Conference to receive the grant from the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation" (From the ALA News article, "Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation and ALA open applications for new graphic novel grant", 12/06/2013).

The deadline for applications is February 7, 2014.

More information about the grants and a link to grant and application process information can be found on the original ALA News article.

Cancelled/Postponed, T. Edward Bak event at Alkek Library

CANCELLED UNTIL SPRING 2014

ISLAND OF MEMORY, T Edward Bak’s first volume of WILD MAN—The Natural History of Georg Wilhelm Steller, examines the human condition within the natural order at the extremes of the unknown. Part natural history, part adventure yarn and part experimental narrative, this 72-page full-color fever dream is the artistic realization of Bak’s inquiry into the socio-ecological consequences of empire.

T Edward Bak's presentation will include a discussion of the natural history and works which inspire and inform the narrative of his graphic novel. Read more from the publisher, Floating World Comics

T Edward Bak teaches and lectures on comics in the Pacific Northwest, where he studies Environmental Studies. He was the 2007 Center for Cartoon Studies Fellow and is the cartoonist of Service Industry, and WILD MAN: The Natural History of Georg Wilhelm Steller. His stories appear in The Graphic Canon, The Best American Comics, MOME, and Drawn & Quarterly Showcase. A native of Colorado, Bak resides primarily in Portland, Oregon, but often migrates throughout North America.

Graphic Novel Collections

Yesterday an exlibris listserv member posted this query ....

"are there any special collections of graphic novels?  Are any of them online for bibliographical data? "

Do we at GNSIG have a list of graphic novel collections with links?

A UPenn librarian responded with ..." searchable in our OPAC as "Steven Rothman Collection of Comics, Cartoons, and Graphic Novels"; our entire comics/graphic novels special collection is searchable (imaginatively enough) as "Comics Collection."  

I followed up on the Penn library catalog in a slightly different way, with a general search for the keyword "graphic novel" as a phrase and got 227 results, not all of which are in their Rothman collection, Comics Collection, or Special Collections:

Which made me wonder if there are graphic novels that are not identified as such in cataloging. I would have expected there to be more than 227.

R 

You Can Do a Graphic Novel

You Can Do a Graphic Novel by Barbara Slate is a resource used by creators from advanced professionals (Stan Lee endorsed it) to high school students.  It goes from creating characters to plotlines to layout, and includes creative tips that apply to any endeavor. Barbara will be at the Burlington Book Festival September 21 (Vermont) giving a multimedia presentation titled “My Life in Comics,” and moderating a panel of top shelf artist/writers called The Novel Graphic: A Summit. September 22 she will be at the Brooklyn Book Festival doing a You Can Do a Comic Book workshop with kids. Book signing at both venues.

Richard
 [full disclosure--Barbara is my domestic partner]

Listserv is active!

The ARLIS/NA Graphic Novels Special Interest Group now has a listserv for behind the scenes communication! Please see the Listserv page for directions on how to subscribe. For information on how to become a member of the Graphic Novels SIG please see our About page.