Monday, April 27, 2015

Politics and Prose bookstore's summer comics classics

Scribbler's Cabal & Comics Jam (1561/1561T) »

Scribbler's Cabal and Comics Jam (1561/1561T)

At Politics & Prose on Connecticut Ave: August 3 – 7, 10 a.m. to noon
At Busboys and Poets in Takoma: August 10 – 12, 10 a.m. to noon

Price: 
$105/$75 (10% off for members)

Scribbler's Cabal & Comics Jam is a read-aloud session and drawing free-for-all for ages 8 and up. Like a book club for comic fans, with more emphasis on fun than on analysis. It's less of a How to Draw class than a Why to Draw and How to Keep Enjoying It class, so kids should feel free to bring in their own drawings to share. We'll read and draw comics, discuss each other's work, make up our own characters, draw each other's characters, and have a blast.

Bring pencils or pens, paper, and a love of either comics or drawing—or both!

About the Instructor(s): 

A graduate of the drama program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Dave Burbank has worked for the Takoma Park Maryland Library for over 15 years. An illustrator and comics enthusiast, he is the curator of the library's remarkable graphic novel collection (over 3,000 titles) having built it from scratch and read every panel. He teaches a yearly seminar on the History and Importance of Comics to students of the University of Maryland's graduate College of Library and Information Sciences; to Montgomery County Public School media specialists at their In-Service Learning Day; and to various area schools. He has appeared on a panel discussion on "Graphic Novels in Libraries" at the independent comics' premier convention The Small Press Expo (SPX 2011).  

As an illustrator and writer he is the creator of the Takoma Park Library's SummerQuest interactive reading game, as well as stacks and stacks of pads full of half-finished comics and fascinating doodles. He keeps an occasional blog on issues relating to comics in libraries at comixtakoma.wordpress.com. A father of three, he lives in suburban Maryland.


Mini-Comics Workshop for Ages 5-7 (1564B/1564T) »


Mini-Comics Workshop for Ages 5-7 (1564T/1564B)

Busboys and Poets in Brookland: Wednesday, June 24, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Busboys and Poets in Takoma: Wednesday, June 17, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Price: 
$40 (10% off for members)

Through the art of creating comics, kids can learn to think and communicate through this visual medium. We'll start with some cave-painting basics, and go from there to develop characters and environments, before eventually turning these exercises into our own mini-comic books.

Kids will also learn that there are various ways to tell stories, all with the goal of depicting their own visual narratives.

About the Instructor(s): 

T.R. Logan is a Reuben Award nominated cartoonist, and has been a professional writer/artist for over 30 years, making a living from her words, as well as her pictures. She has been a regular storyteller at Storytalks (Gotham Comedy Club in NYC) for the last two years, and her personal stories have been published in chapter books from a variety of publishers, including the upcoming Dirty Diamonds, an All-Girl Comics Anthology, Her own book of cartoons, The Older I Get, The Less I Care, is available from Andrews McMeel Publishing.


Mini-Comics Workshop for Ages 8-10 (1565B/1565T) »


Mini-Comics Workshop for Ages 8-10 (1565B/1565T)

Busboys and Poets in Brookland: Monday, June 22, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Busboys and Poets in Takoma: Monday, June 15, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Price: 
$40 (10% off for members)

Through making our own comics, we can learn to think within, and communicate through, the visual medium of comics, with the goal of telling our own (true or fantasy) stories. We'll start with some cave-painting basics, and go from there to develop characters and environments. By the end, the kids will be making their own mini-comic books!

The goal of this workshop is to teach the kids that there are various ways to tell stories, all with the goal of depicting their own visual narrative, where they decide the content, through editing and pictures.

 

About the Instructor(s): 

T.R. Logan is a Reuben Award nominated cartoonist, and has been a professional writer/artist for over 30 years, making a living from her words, as well as her pictures. She has been a regular storyteller at Storytalks (Gotham Comedy Club in NYC) for the last two years, and her personal stories have been published in chapter books from a variety of publishers, including the upcoming Dirty Diamonds, an All-Girl Comics Anthology, Her own book of cartoons, The Older I Get, The Less I Care, is available from Andrews McMeel Publishing.


Graphic Memoirs (1570) »

Four Fridays: July 17, 24, 31, August 7, 6 – 8 p.m.

Price: 
$105 (10% off for members)

The medium of graphic novels is a great way to combine words and pictures to tell a story, and can bring a personal memoir to life.

The class will delve into the ways the graphic novel can be an advantageous medium for writers exploring difficult themes. For instance, Ellen Forney uses humor in her work Marbles to depict her struggles in identifying and coping with bipolar disorder, whereas Marjane Sartrapi relies on the visual aspect of the narrative to make the political more personal in Persepolis, which is a moving depiction of the Iranian revolution. Graphic novel basics will also be covered, as well as how to put your own stories down in a way which will capture your readers' imaginations.

Suggested Reading:
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
Marbles, Ellen Forney

About the Instructor(s): 

T.R. Logan is a Reuben Award nominated cartoonist, and has been a professional writer/artist for over 30 years, making a living from her words, as well as her pictures. She has been a regular storyteller at Storytalks (Gotham Comedy Club in NYC) for the last two years, and her personal stories have been published in chapter books from a variety of publishers, including the upcoming Dirty Diamonds, an All-Girl Comics Anthology. Her own book of cartoons, The Older I Get, The Less I Care, is available from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

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