Trung Le Nguyen, author of The Magic Fish at MLK Public Library in DC

From the DCPL website: 

Eisner and Lambda Award nominated cartoonist Trung Le Nguyen, author of The Magic Fish at MLK Public Library in DC. At a time when graphic novels, especially those written by LGBTQ authors and writers of color, are being targeted by book bans, we are thrilled to host Nguyen to celebrate his work telling stories from the API and LGBTQ communities. In conversation with former Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius, Nguyen discussed his writing and art and the importance of representation in storytelling.

 This was a really interesting interview by Ambassador Osius who admitted to no prior knowledge of graphic novels, and who was our first gay ambassador to Vietnam. All my quotes are approximate paraphrases, and you should watch the YouTube video.

 

 

 

 

"Why is my book banned? They put it on Middle School lists although it was sold a young adults book. Then they focus on the queer content. And they ignore the cannibalism."

 

 

 

 

"My father was a prizefighter and my mother grew up in a rough area so she learned to defend herself. Mr Father was impressed at how she could break a man's jaw when her foot. They got married, became boat people and escaped from Vietnam. They were practical people so they didn't worry about what the Church thought when I accidentally came out to them."

 

"The reason I set the Cinderella story in 1950s Hong Kong movie style, was because I don't have an inkling, even in my own imagination, as to what Vietnam looked like hundreds of years ago. I was born in the Philippines and raised in Minnesota. So I had a conversation with my grandmother about what her youth looked like."

 

 

April 23: Jarrett Krosoczka - Sunshine: A Graphic Novel - A Live Reading at Arena Stage in partnership with DCPL and Arena Stage

Jarrett Krosoczka - Sunshine: A Graphic Novel - A Live Reading at Arena Stage in partnership with DCPL and Arena Stage

Sunday, April 23, 7:00 pm

Sunshine: A Graphic Novel (Paperback)

By Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Illustrator)

$14.99

ISBN: 9781338356311

Availability: Coming Soon—Pre-Order Now

Published: Graphix - April 18th, 2023

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Hey, Kiddo: A Graphic Novel (Paperback)

By Jarrett J. Krosoczka

$14.99

ISBN: 9780545902489

Availability: In Stock—Click for Locations

Published: Graphix - October 9th, 2018

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Click here to register. This is a free and open to the public event, however, registration is required. There will be limited walk- in registration if not at capacity.

Politics and Prose is delighted to partner with DC Public Library and Arena Stage for SUNSHINE: Live & Unabridged. Join National Book Award finalist Jarrett J. Krosoczka at Washington, D.C.'s historic Arena Stage for a live, unabridged reading brought to life via a multimedia presentation coupled with local performers. Part literary event, part experimental theater—this will be a truly remarkable evening!

Complimentary copies of SUNSHINE will be available courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation. Copies are available on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last at the event only. Books will be pre-signed by the author. Books will not be available for pickup before or after the event on April 23rd.

This program is presented in conjunction with D.C. Public Library's Know Your Power contest, sponsored by Pepco. Teens are invited to submit an original work of writing, photography, illustration, or music that expresses their feelings on a social issue that matters to them. Click here for more information about Know Your Power.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is a pioneer of the regional theater movement, and where multiple Broadway hits, including Dear Evan Hansen, Sweat, Next to Normal, and The Great White Hope, first premiered. Since 2005, Camp Arena Stage has nurtured artistic growth in young people aged 8-15, who discover their inner artists through dance, drama, writing, movie making, and more. Click here for more information on the 2023 Camp Arena Stage programs, which begin June 26.

About the Book:

The extraordinary—and extraordinarily powerful—follow-up to Hey, Kiddo.

When Jarrett J. Krosoczka was in high school, he was part of a program that sent students to be counselors at a camp for seriously ill kids and their families. Going into it, Jarrett was worried: Wouldn't it be depressing to be around kids facing such a serious struggle? Wouldn't it be grim?

But instead of the shadow of death, Jarrett found something else at Camp Sunshine: the hope and determination that gets people through the most troubled of times. Not only was he subject to some of the usual rituals that come with being a camp counselor (wilderness challenges, spooky campfire stories, an extremely stinky mascot costume), but he also got a chance to meet some extraordinary kids facing extraordinary circumstances. He learned about the captivity of illness, for sure but he also learned about the freedom a safe space can bring.

Now, in his follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett brings readers back to Camp Sunshine, so we can meet the campers and fellow counselors who changed the course of his life.

About the Author:

Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than forty books for young readers, including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of the Star Wars™: Jedi Academy series, and Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Krosoczka creates books with humor, heart, and deep respect for his young readers—qualities that have made his titles perennial favorites on the bookshelves of homes, libraries, and bookstores over the past twenty years.

Ages 13+

The Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle at Arena Stage

1101 6th Street Southwest

Washington, DC 20024

Clifford Berryman Cartoon Collection at the DC Public Library (UPDATED)

The President has been criticized for leaving the White House so frequently--the above suggestion may solve the problem

The Clifford Berryman Cartoon Collection at the DC Public Library has been digitized. Their website claims 132 images are available, including the above 1908 cartoon about the President not attending to his duties.

The collection description reads:

About this collection

The Clifford Berryman Cartoon Collection contains 108 political cartoons of the Pulitzer Prize winning D.C. editorial cartoonist donated to the library by the artist's daughter. Most of the cartoons are original drawings created by Berryman for publication in the Washington Evening Star from approximately 1900 to 1948.

The cartoons address D.C. community issues, congressional appropriation and District finances, holidays and events, national politics, District political representation, weather and nature, and World Wars I and II. Many of these works include Berryman's most famous creation, the "Berryman Bear," a small, fuzzy bear cub often paired with President Theodore Roosevelt that was the inspiration for the toy teddy bear. The collection also contains a handful of miscellaneous Berryman drawings, cards, and caricatures.

The entire Berryman collection has been digitized and is available here.

Most Berryman images are in the public domain, but the rights status of each item is noted.

11/12/2019: Updated with new links.

Graphic Content panel in pictures

As far as I know, the DC Library hasn't posted a podcast of last weekend's panel yet, but here's my photos. To remind all, this was -

"Graphic Content: A Conversation with Five DC Area Graphic Storytellers."
Shannon "G.I. Joe" Gallant, Matt "Politico" Wuerker, Andrew "Trickster" Cohen, Evan "DC Conspiracy" Keeling and Ben "Dirtfarm" Classen at Northwest One Neighborhood Library, June 26, 2010, Washington DC.


Andrew Cohen, Evan Keeling and then Matt Wuerker in far background. The pages Andrew is showing come from the graphic novel he and Matt Dembicki are doing on DC's Huerich mansion, and look lovely.


Matt Wuerker. Nobody asked him about the hat.


Ben Claassen and Shannon Gallant.


Shannon Gallant signing a 'Black Canary' sketch he gave to me.


Evan Keeling, Ben Claassen and Shannon Gallant comparing pencils.


Andrew Cohen, Evan Keeling and Ben Claassen.

Comicsgirl's report on the Graphic Content panel

I finally got to meet Comicsgirl who blogs about comics around DC too. She put up a good report on today's Graphic Content panel so I don't have to. Whew. Bobbie of the DC Library recorded the event and will have a podcast of it up at some point. I think it was a good event and I appreciate her setting it up and asking me to help. Being off to one side of downtown, it was somewhat underattended, but I think the online audio will be of interest since we had a nice range of cartoonists. I took a couple of pictures afterwards and I'll try to get them up tomorrow.

June 26: New, Improved! Graphic Content, now with additional cartoonists

Wires got crossed, and Ben Classen got left off the announcement, but regular readers of the Express (he does spot illos) and the City Paper (he does Dirtfarm and all kinds of stuff) can now ask about Fappy the Seal's true role in humor. And Matt "Trickster" Dembicki has said on Facebook that he'll be attending in the audience.

I'll be moderating this, and Shannon "G.I. Joe" Gallant, Matt "Politico" Wuerker, Andrew "Trickster" Cohen, Evan "DC Conspiracy" Keeling and Ben "Dirtfarm" Classen will be speaking on creating comics.

Event: Graphic Content: A Conversation with Five DC Area Graphic Storytellers
Start Time: Saturday, June 26 at 1:00pm
End Time: Saturday, June 26 at 2:30pm
Where: Northwest One Neighborhood Library
155 L St, NW @ New Jersey Avenue

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=130811430278136&mid=280312cG40206d0eG1a637daG7

June 26: Graphic Content: A Conversation with Four DC Area Graphic Storytellers

I'll be moderating this, and Shannon "G.I. Joe" Gallant, Matt "Politico" Wuerker, Andrew "Trickster" Cohen and Evan "DC Conspiracy" Keeling will be speaking on creating comics.

 

Event: Graphic Content: A Conversation with Four DC Area Graphic Storytellers
Start Time: Saturday, June 26 at 1:00pm
End Time: Saturday, June 26 at 2:30pm
Where: Northwest One Neighborhood Library
155 L St, NW @ New Jersey Avenue

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=130811430278136&mid=280312cG40206d0eG1a637daG7