Brooklyn Book Festival spotlights graphic novels with Tomine, Feiffer, Modan, more

Fall’s Brooklyn Book Festival, to be held September 22nd this year, has evolved into the biggest public book event in NYC—authors range from Edwidge Danticat to Chuck Klosterman—and each year it features a pretty extensive graphic novel presence as well. This year is no exception, with a full slate of panels which you can see in the link. Cartonist guests thi syear include Adrian Tomine, Jules Feiffer, Rutu Modan, Francoise Mouly, Audrey Niffenegger, Paul Pope, Jeff Smith, Art Spiegelman, and Gene Yang.

BUT THATiS NOT ALL. Also attending: Zeina Abirached, Robyn Chapman, Lisa Hanawalt, Faith Erin Hicks, Anne Ishii, R. Kikuo Johnson, Tom Kaczynski, Ben Katchor, Miriam Katin, Lucy Knisley, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Ricardo Liniers, Ulli Lust, Anders Nilsen, Ed Piskor, David Prudhomme, Frank Santoro, Dash Shaw, Barbara Slate, Raina Telgemeier.

Tomine even did a bookmark for the event. A completely list of graphic novel exhibitors and vendors can be found in the above link.

As if you can’t tell, this is a pretty awesome day, with tons of fantastic panels and satellite events. Here’s a sample of what awaits, but you may want to note SPIEGELMAN AND FEIFFER IN CONVERSATION.

BOROUGH HALL COURTROOM (209 JORALEMON ST.)

3:00 P.M. The Faces of Brooklyn: New York’s coolest borough is home to hipsters, people who dislike hipsters and literary stars—among them, Brooklyn enthusiasts Pete Hamill(The Christmas Kid), Adelle Waldman (The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P.) and Adrian Tomine (New York Drawings). These powerhouses plant uniquely different characters in a nostalgic Brooklyn, a contemporary Brooklyn and a colorful Brooklyn that jumps off the page. Moderated by Penina Roth (Franklin Park Reading Series).

4:00 P.M. The Ugly Duckling: Join three authors who tell the age old story of transformation. James McBride (The Good Lord Bird) tells the story of a young male slave who joins the abolition movement by passing as a girl. Meg Wolitzer (The Interestings) traces the unexpected changes that occur between childhood and adulthood. And Audrey Niffenegger(Raven Girl) takes transformation to a whole other level, in the form of a coming-of-age raven trapped in human form. Moderated by David L. Ulin.

BOROUGH HALL COMMUNITY ROOM (209 Joralemon Street)

4:00 P.M. Lost and Found: The Journey Begins at Home. Where do we discover our truest selves, and what journeys—and what experiences—are ultimately the most transformative? From Prix Médicis-winner Jean-Marie Blas de Roblès’s doomed expeditions through the Brazilian backlands (Where Tigers Are at Home) and Austrian graphic novelist Ulli Lust’s recollections of a youthful romp through Italy (Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life) to Shani Boianjiu’s fierce but wise coming-of-age tale set within the Israeli army (The People of Forever Are Not Afraid), life’s lessons can be found in the most unexpected—and familiar—places. Special thanks to Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the Goethe Institute.  Moderated by David Kaufman, (Telling Stories: Philip Guston’s Later Work) George Mason University.

ST. FRANCIS AUDITORIUM

12:00 P.M. The World (According to Cartoonists): Border Crossing Comics: Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve #13), RutuModan (The Property), Dash Shaw (New School), and DavidPrudhomme (Rebetiko) all explore characters crossing borders -national and personal, real and imagined. Discover how these award-winning cartoonists translate the world through art and story. Moderated by Kent Worcester. Featuring screen projection.

2:00 P.M. The Future: Big New Books in Comics Sci-Fi:Award-winners Jeff Smith (RASL), Paul Pope (One-Trick Rip-Off) and Faith Erin Hicks (Last of Us) discuss their new books – representing some of the best, genre-bending sci-fi comics today- from RASL’s epic, mystical noir to Hicks’ edgy charm, and Pope’s lush, captivating style. Moderated by Calvin Reid,Publishers Weekly Comics World. Featuring screen projection.

4:00 P.M. Art Spiegelman and Jules Feiffer in Conversation: Pulitzer-Prize winning graphic novelist Art Spiegelman‘s newest release, Co-Mix, is a career retrospective that covers his work from Raw to Maus to theNew Yorker (and Garbage Pail Kids in between). Joined byJules Feiffer (Out of Line: The Art of Jules Feiffer), also a Pulitzer winner, they debate the purpose and impact of comics art, its history and development, and their visions of its future. Featuring screen projection.

BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY AUDITORIUM (128 Pierrepont Street)

11:00 A.M. Myth, History, Fable: Audrey Niffenegger’sRaven Girl is a dark illustrated fairy tale. Frank Santoro’sPompeii is a romantic comedy of errors set in the doomed ancient city. Anders Nilsen’s Rage of Poseidon is satire that makes myths modern day. These titles push form as well as story, playing with how art and text interact and how the structure of a book makes its statement. Moderated by Nick Sousanis (Teachers College at Columbia University). Featuring screen projection.

1:00 P.M. Mundane/Profane/Profound: What We Draw About When We Draw Comics. Gag cartoonists and graphic novelists talk about the weird, wonderful, and sometimes shocking choices they make in their craft. Ben Katchor (Hand-Drying in America) offers urban fables where daily details lead to socio/political revelations. Lisa Hanawalt’s sexy/snarky one-pagers in My Dirty Dumb Eyes hinge on the vulnerability of showing it all. Miriam Katin’s thoughtful, witty memoir Letting it Go explores profound loss and forgiveness in the context of teeth whitening and stomach troubles. Ulli Lust’s punk travelogue This is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life lays bare body and soul. Moderated by Anne Ishii, translator, The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame. Featuring screen projection.

2:00 P.M. The New American Dream: What is today’s Great American Novel, anyway? Ayana Mathis (The Twelve Tribes of Hattie), Dash Shaw (New School), and Adam Mansbach (The Dead Run) give us glimpses into a new kind of American Dream: a fifteen-year-old mother of nine; a boy’s island adventures in graphic novel form; and in one case, an American nightmare. Moderated by David Unger.

3:00 P.M. The Real: Comics Nonfiction. Three artists represent the diverse spectrum of topics taken on by nonfiction comics-Ed Piskor’s Hip-Hop Family Tree offers an encyclopedic comics history of the formative years of hip hop; Lucy Knisley’s Relish: My Life in the Kitchen is a loving memoir of growing up gourmet and Tom Kaczynski‘s Trans-Terra: Towards a Cartoon Philosophy is a mutant memoir that melds comics, politics, and philosophy. Moderated by ProfessorJonathan W. Gray, John Jay College. Featuring screen projection.

5:00 P.M. Art on the Mind: Comics and Education. Françoise Mouly (Toon Books) in conversation with National Book Award finalist Gene Yang (Boxers & Saints), R. Kikuo Johnson (The Shark King) and Professor Barbara Tversky of Teachers College. In this era of high-stakes testing, comics aren’t just a refreshing change of pace for students-they take on deep subjects and teach multimodal literacy, offering educators, librarians, and parents a new way to approach learning. Featuring screen projection.

NORTH STAGE

2:00 P.M. Kitchens, Kith and Kin:A Food Memoir Mash-up.  Eat your heart out, Food-o-verse, as we dish with three spicy culinary raconteurs – Baohaus bad boy Eddie Huang (Fresh off the Boat: A Memoir) finds the sweet spot where Taiwanese street food, revelry and identity co-mingle;Anya Von Bremzen (Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing) reaches back into her family’s past to capture the anxiety, idealism, soul and sustenance of Soviet life; and cartoonist Lucy Knisley (Relish: My Life in the Kitchen) entwines witty vignettes with illustrations of the essential recipes that make it all worthwhile.   Moderated by Elizabeth Thacker Jones.

Youth Stoop (Borough Hall Plaza/Columbus Park)

10:00 A.M. Love to Laugh? Loud and Long and Clear?Bestselling authors Jeff Smith (Bone series) and Michael Buckley (Nerds, The Sisters Grimm) open the festival with a feel-good laugh session for the soul, proving once again that the best books are the funniest.

11:00 A.M. Comics/Quick-Draw: Comics Quick Draw! Three cartoonists face off in this fast-paced battle of the sharpies. Drawing from audience suggestions, the award-winning and reader-adored Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Platypus Police Squad: the Frog who Croaked), Eisner Award-winner Raina Telgemeier (Drama), and Printz Award and National Book Award-winner, Gene Yang (Boxers & Saints) will battle with pen and pad. And, everybody wins; finished art will be gifted to some of the lucky young people in attendance. Moderated byCalvin Reid (Publishers Weekly Comics World).

1:00 P.M. Growing Up Elsewhere: Children often find themselves having to be braver than they ever should have to and surviving unimaginable challenges and hardships with grace and hope. Two-time National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick (Never Fall Down), Lebanese authorZeina Abirached (A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return) and acclaimed newcomer Tara Sullivan (Golden Boy) talk about what it means to be brave beyond the U.S. borders amid war and discrimination. Moderated by Elizabeth Kiem.

2:00 P.M. Survey Says! Join young adult authors John M. Cusick (Cherry Money Baby), Kekla Magoon (Fire in the Streets), Leila Sales (This Song Will Save Your Life), as they chat about their most recent novels and battle each other in a lively game of FAMILY FEUD moderated by the one and only Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked).

Target Children’s Area (Plaza)

2:00 Ricardo Liniers—The Big Wet Balloon – the internationally acclaimed Argentinian comic artist with a new picturebook from Toon Books, dual Spanish and English editions

Workshops (Borough Hall Conference Room – 1^st Floor)

 

2:00 P.M. You Can Do A Comic Book: Barbara Slate, illustrator and writer for over 300 comic books and graphic novels, will teach students how to create a character bible, develop a plotline, and make a layout pop. Bring your sketchbook and pencils. Ages 8 – 10.

3:00 P.M. Comics and Foldys Come make comics withRobyn Chapman.

BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENTS

September 16-22, 2013

COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVEL PROGRAMMING

Wednesday, September 18

Art Spiegelman presents Co-Mix: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics, and Scraps
Greenlight Bookstore is proud to host Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman for the bookstore launch of his new book Co-Mix: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics, and Scraps. Spiegelman presents a talk and slideshow about his work and signs copies of Co-Mix for fans at this special launch event.
Location: Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, corner of South Portland
Time: 7:30 PM
Price: Free
Website: www.greenlightbookstore.com

Thursday, September 19

Comics Extravaganza Presenting the debut of Argentine comics star Liniers.
Featuring live painting, projections, and music, along with other high profile artists such as Jeff Smith and Francoise Mouly, the event will bring together art and book lovers, comics fans, and the Hispanic Community
Location: BookCourt, 163 Court St., (between Pacific & Dean St)
Time: 7:00 PM
Price: Free
Website: www.bookcourt.com

Saturday, September 21

Fall into Fantagraphics Book Party
A book signing with four fantagraphics books’ cartoonists and their newest graphic novels. Ed Piskor (Hip Hop Family Tree), Leslie Stein (Eye of the Majestic Creature Vol.2), Charles Forsman (The End of the Fucking World), Ulli Lust (Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life), Tom Kaczynski (Beta Testing the Apocalypse), Dash Shaw (New School.)
Location: Bergen Street Comics470 Bergen St. (between Flatbush and 5th Ave.)
Time: 8:00 PM
Price: Free

Website: www.bergenstreetcomics.com

ONGOING: Monday, September 16-Saturday, September 21
Explore Brooklyn Art Library and Contribute to The Sketchbook Project
Stop by during Book Festival week to contribute a page to the official Brooklyn Book Festival sketchbook Brooklyn Art Library

Location: Brooklyn Art Library, 103 A N. 3rd Street (btwn Berry and Wythe)
Time: 12:00 Noon-8:00 PM
Price: Free
Website: www.sketchbookproject.com