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.
Today's programming is courtesy of the Children's Book Council Graphic Novel Committee.
Friday Schedule:
10:00–11:00 Familiar Faces—Beloved characters and renowned creators provide enticing access to the world of graphic novels. Mike Maihack (Spider-Man: Animals Assemble! (A Mighty Marvel Team-Up)), Comic-Con Special Guest Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Gene Luen Yang (The Books of Clash Volume 1: Legendary Legends of Legendarious Achievery), and Dr. Lesley S. J. Farmer (professor of library media, CSULB teacher librarian program coordinator) share insights into using high-profile works to introduce readers to books.
11:00–12:00 Fantastic Adventures—STE(A)M teacher Nichole Santangelo, Franco Aureliani (Fae and the Moon), Odunze Oguguo, a.k.a. Whyt Manga (Apple Black), Lucas Turnbloom (Steve L. McEvil and the Second Wind), Gabriel Valentin (Digital Lizards of Doom) and F. C. Yee (Chronicles of the Avatar) explore exercising imaginations and engaging passions with graphic novels with middle-school teacher Lisa Harrison.
12:00–1:00 Growing and Becoming—Protagonists' coming-of-age experiences include grappling with family dynamics, identity, and mental health; border community life; tween and teen milestone moments; and body image, offering readers opportunities to see themselves or gain insights into others' experiences. Tina Lerno (digital content librarian and comics specialist, Los Angeles Public Library) and creators Deb JJ Lee (In Limbo), Jose Pimienta (Twin Cities), Dan Santat (A First Time for Everything), and Victoria Ying (Hungry Ghost) share these tales of growing and becoming.
1:00–2:00 Filling the Shelves—Gina Bottini (program specialist, Secondary Professional Development Center), Yukiko Chavez (library media technician, Vista Unified School District), Rich Johnson (VP of sales and business development, Diamond Books), Art Baltazar (YAHGZ: The Craynobi Tales), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), Jana Tropper (Animal Rescue Friends), and Dr. Lesley S. J. Farmer (professor of library media, CSULB Teacher Librarian Program Coordinator) examine creating and promoting graphic novels for all readers in challenging times.
2:00–3:00 Interactive and In-Person—Hooray! Your school or library has booked a graphic novel creator for an in-person event. What might you expect? Mac Barnett (The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza), Jonathan Case (Little Monarchs), Nidhi Chanani (Shark Princess #2: Shark Party), Mark Fearing (Welcome to Feral), and Dan Santat (A First Time for Everything) offer some possibilities, guided by Moni Barrette (president, Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table, American Library Association).
3:00–4:00 All Together Now: Find Your Voice!—Whether it’s community stories centered around kindness, friendship, and unity or exploring the way voices have the power to share stories, express individuality, and spark change, graphic novels offer stories to connect and inspire. Christina Taylor (youth services consultant, Texas State Library and Archives Commission) shares how these themes resonate in the works of Samuel Sattin (Buzzing), Sarah Sax (Picture Day), and Comic-Con Special Guest Steenz (Lost and Found—Book #2 of Heart of the City) and others.
4:00–5:00 Unstoppable Forces—Graphic novels featuring a Filipino American take on Depression-era noir featuring mistaken identities, speakeasies, and lost love; finding safe space as a queer teen; the historic struggle for gender equality in high school sports; and a fantastic take on underrepresented history provide inspirational and empathetic stories of overcoming adversity. Matthew Noe (lead collection and knowledge management librarian, Harvard Medical School) talks with Rina Ayuyang (The Man in the McIntosh Suit), Kate Glasheen (Constellations), Matt Tavares (Hoops), and Jasmine Walls (Brooms).
5:00–6:00 Centers and Certificates: Comics Go to College—Directors and founders of university-level programs and centers for comics studies discuss the challenges they've encountered and the successes they've achieved in bringing the formal study of comics to universities nationwide. Panelists include Elizabeth Pollard (professor of History; co-director of the Center for Comics Studies), Pamela Jackson (comic arts curator; co-director of the Center for Comics Studies at San Diego State University), Susan Kirtley (professor of English, Portland State University), Travis Langley (professor of psychology, Henderson State University) and Kate Kelp-Stebbins (professor of English, University of Oregon).
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.