Program Description
Event Details
Comic-Con International and San Diego Public Library have teamed up for the Comic Conference for Educators and Librarians (CCEL). This FREE five-day conference will take place at the San Diego Central Library during Comic-Con® from July 19-23, and will explore the role comics play in promoting education and literacy for all ages. Those in the library and education fields are invited to learn creative and exciting ways to incorporate comics and other popular arts into their work. Through presentations and panel discussions, the Conference hopes to engage the community and promote comics as a medium for learning.
Thursday Schedule:
10:00–11:00 Libraries and the Challenges They Face in 2023—Think working in a library is easy? The truth is libraries are facing unprecedented upheavals in 2023 including an astronomical rise in challenges to books and programs, threats to staff and patron safety, calls from legislators to pull library funding, and much more, mostly in an effort to prevent libraries from representing marginalized communities. Moderator Betsy Gomez (Office of Intellectual Freedom) will provide ripped-from-headlines topics for panelists Moni Barrette (president, GNCRT; co-founder, Creators Assemble!), Mychal Threets (supervising librarian, Solano County Library), Xaime Aceves Equihua (associate therapist), and Jack Phoenix (collection development manager, Cuyahoga Falls Library; author, Maximizing the Impact of Comics in Your Library) to discuss what is happening, why, how library workers can protect the freedom to read, and how the public can help.
11:00–12:00 Horror at the Library: Junji Ito—Join Comic-Con Special Guest and legendary horror master Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Black Paradox) at the San Diego Public Library for a Q&A that’s sure to bring your nightmares to life.
12:00–1:00 fREADom Fighters on the Front Lines: Advocating Against Book Bans—Amanda Lorge (SDPL Adult Programming Librarian, primary source literacy instructor), Joel Bakker (SDPL librarian, Educators Unite! chair), and Helen Schalk (SDPL youth service librarian) provide examples of visual literacy education and Banned Books Week programming to spread awareness about the importance of comics and graphic novels in libraries in the wake of rising bans on comics and graphic materials.
1:00–2:00 Bridging the Digital Gap Between Comics Publishers and Libraries—Led by Barbra Dillon (editor-in-chief, Fanbase Press), this panel—including Matthew Noe (librarian, Harvard Medical School), Tina Lerno (comics librarian), Moni Barrette (director of collection development & publisher relations, Library Pass), Dr. Theresa Rojas (founding director, The Latinx Comic Arts Expo), and Dr. Katlin Marisol Sweeney-Romero (assistant professor, World Cinema and Digital Media Studies)—will feature a thoughtful conversation about the barriers that exist for libraries to access digital comics, and how emerging digital platforms and coordination with comic book publishers can provide greater access for readers across the country, especially in the face of increasing calls for censorship.
2:00–3:00 Connecting with Your Community Through Comics—Explore how comics, manga, graphic novels, and other forms of sequential art address and support various aspects of our communities. From elevating stories of cultural heritage to addressing widely suppressed and underrepresented topics such as grief, eating disorders, chronic/terminal illness, and disability, panelists Betsy Gomez (ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom), Christina Taylor (youth services consultant at Texas State Library and Archives Commission), and Jana Tropper (director of literacy, Reading with Pictures; speech-language pathologist, Animal Rescue Friends) will share title lists and ideas for community-based initiatives and answer questions to help you develop events for your own community.
3:00–4:00 A Crash Course in Media Literacy—Samuel C. Spitale (How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality) uses the comic arts to break down the types of mass communication and debunk common misinformation that clouds the media landscape. The workshop will help educators and students alike become more savvy media consumers, both in and out of the classroom.
4:00–5:00 Teaching with Comics: Family Edition—Comics serve as powerful tools for student engagement and literacy across all levels and subjects. This session will showcase tested lesson plans that can be used in your classroom during your next class. Tim Smyth, the author of Teaching with Comics, classroom teacher, and reading specialist of over 20 years, has found great success integrating comics and other forms of pop culture in his classroom. This presentation will include tips on obtaining classroom comic resources, information on online comics teacher communities, and common core connections to help win over parents and administrators to what we already know—that comics open doors to learning. The entire Smyth family will be presenting and sharing their experiences as avid readers of comics: Charlotte age 17, Liam age 15, Teagan age 13, and Joan Smyth, eighth-grade Language Arts educator.
5:00–6:00 Comics Pedagogy: Teaching Outside the Panel
Space is limited and registration is strongly encouraged each day.
Comic-Con badge-holders with valid single same-day or four-day badges are welcome to attend and are not required to register.
In addition to CCEL, San Diego Public Library hosts themed San Diego Comic-Con programming leading up to and through the days of the conference. Please visit our website for more information.