No it’s not the LIberty. Friends of Lulu and the Women’s National Book Association presnet a panel with agent Judith Hansen, Abrams’ Charlie Kochman, artist/teacher Jessica Abel, artist Christine Norrie and publisher Dan Nadel. Frankly that’s as good a panel as it gets kids, so go on down.

As graphic novels continue to increase the comics industry’s success, the New York chapters of both the Women’s National Book Association and Friends of Lulu present a multifaceted panel called Speaking Graphically: Graphic Narratives in the Publishing Marketplace.

This event, taking place on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Center for Independent Publishing, 20 West 44th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) in Manhattan, features five panelists who will share insights on the creative process and the editorial work involved in publishing graphic narratives. They will also discuss the variety of genres in the graphic narratives field, describe the marketplace for graphic works, and offer advice to prospective authors.


The panel includes:

Jessica Abel: A cartoonist and writer whose work includes the award-winning graphic novel La Perdida and the comic book series Artbabe, Abel won both the Harvey and Lulu Awards for Best New Talent in 1997. She is the series co-editor of Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Comics 2008.

Judith Hansen: Hansen is a literary agent who heads the Judith Hansen Literary Agency. Her clients include Scott McCloud, R. Crumb, Alice Kominsky Crumb, Eddie Campbell, Kazu Kibuishi, Hope Larson and Svetlana Chmakova, among many others.

Charles Kochman: A senior editor at Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Kochman edited New York Times bestsellers Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, along with R. Crumb’s Heroes of Blues, and Kirby: King of Comics. He also edited Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross.

Dan Nadel: Nadel is the director of PictureBox, a Grammy award-winning publisher of art, music, photography and comics. PictureBox’s comic publications include the periodical anthology The Ganzfeld and the insider magazine Comics Comics, along with graphic novels.

Christine Norrie: The creator of Cheat and author of the Hopeless Savages collections, Norrie is a graphic novelist, and illustrator of the graphic novels Breaking Up and Grosse Pointe Girl: Tales from a Suburban Adolescence. Her work has been nominated for two Eisner Awards.

The WNBA’s Karen Rosenberg, who publishes fiction, short plays and essays in literary magazines and anthologies in the U.S. and Europe, and Lori O’Dea, the chief editor of secondary-education publisher Amsco School Publications, will be the event’s moderators. Following the panel, there will be an opportunity to socialize with the panelists, and refreshments. Admission is $10, and free to Friends of Lulu and WNBA members.

The Women’s National Book Association is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1917 for those who work with and value books. For more information, go to www.wnba-nyc.org or contact [email protected].

Friends of Lulu is a national not-for-profit organization geared toward bringing more women and girls into comic books as professionals and readers. The national site is www.friends-lulu.org and the site of its most active FoL chapter, based in New York, is www.friends-lulu.org/ny.