So What? Press, Comix Revolution, and the Evanston Literary Festival present a discussion on the vitality of Chicagoland's small press comics scene. Chicago is home to a healthy swatch of creators working in many different styles and genres. With the growth of shows like CAKE and Chicago Zine Fest, these creators have found new ways to expand their voices and come together as a community. We'll address the benefits of such growth as well as the challenges creators still face. Panelists include Evanston locals Keiler Roberts (Powdered Milk) and Scott Roberts (Get Uncomfortable With Being Uncomfortable); Jeff Zwirek (Burning Building Comix); and Marnie Galloway (In the Sounds and Seas).  

One Book One Northwestern, Comix Revolution, and the Evanston Literary Festival present a discussion about the new graphic novel adaptation (March 2019) by Renee Nault of this year's One Book, One Northwestern selection, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. This panel will feature Terrence Gant (Third Coast Comics), Juan Martinez (author and Northwestern English professor) and Helen Thompson (English professor and Faculty Chair of One Book One Northwestern).  They will explore how the visual world of the graphic novel transforms this classic work of dystopian fiction.  How is Atwood’s dystopia reanimated by Nault’s visual text?  Does Nault’s graphic artistry speak to critical debates around the novel’s Hulu adaptation or appropriations of the handmaid figure as a template for feminist activism?   The panel will discuss how The Handmaid’s Tale's transformation into the medium of graphic artistry offers us new ways to inhabit Atwood’s dystopia.

So What? Press, Comix Revolution, and the Evanston Literary Festival present a discussion on how monsters, horror, and all kinds of spooky stuff aren't just the domain of TV and film--comics can scare you, too. We'll tackle how comics can be the perfect medium for such allegories, myths, and metaphors and how monsters and other manifestations can illustrate our fears and desires. Panelists include Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash), Corinne Halbert (Cursed Woman), and Dave Kelly (Tales of the Night Watchman).

Please join us for this discussion about how to tell the stories of refugees and asylum-seekers — in Chicago and the rest of the world — ethically and effectively. The award-winning journalists and artists of 90 Days, 90 Voices are producing a collaborative storytelling project called Asylum City to fill the gap in coverage about asylum seekers in Chicago and fight ignorance about why they are coming to the United States. Alex V. Hernandez, a reporter for Block Club Chicago and Engagement Director for 90 Days, 90 Voices, will discuss his reporting on refugees along with Northwestern professor Wendy Pearlman, author of We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria, whose work focuses on telling the stories of Syrian refugees. Award-winning journalist Nissa Rhee, Executive Director of 90 Days, 90 Voices, will moderate the discussion. This event is co-presented by the Middle East and North African Studies Program at Northwestern, 90 Days, 90 Voices, Chicago City of Refuge, and the Chicago Network for Justice and Peace. This event is supported by PEN America. llustration by Dan Rowell for 90 Days, 90 Voices and the Chicago Reader.

To register for a seat, please go to the Evanston Public Library site.

Ken Krimstein, a cartoonist regularly featured in The New Yorker, appears to discuss his new graphic novel, "The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt". Interviewed by So What? Press publisher Dave Kelly with a book signing to follow. Krimstein’s book is the subject of a current exhibit at the Spertus Institute in Chicago.

Evanston breeds great cartoonists: Lynda Barry, Jessica Abel, Gahan Wilson, Emil Ferris, and many more acclaimed artists were born, lived, or currently reside in the city. Meet up with the next generation of Evanston creators now working in comics. The next great graphic novelist might be under your very nose!

Featuring Markisan Naso (Voracious), Gene Kannenberg Jr. (Qodèxx), Jeff Zwirek (Burning Building Comix), Verzell James (Jeremiah Black), and Leo Mancini (Sharkman).

A conversation on diversity in comics with Verzell James (Jeremiah Black), Jiba Molei Anderson (Horsemen), and LaMorris Richmond (Boots of the Oppressor). Howard Lee moderates. Howard co-owned Hep Cat Comics in Chicago during the 80's and is currently writing two books on being African-American in comics.