This Sunday, head over to the Brooklyn Book Festival if you’re in the area. Vertigo talent Colleen Doran, artist of GONE TO AMERIKAY, the graphic novel the Wall Street Journal calls "a sweeping, detailed, beautifully drawn story of love, betrayal and survival, with a small but crucial touch of the supernatural” will be there along with James Romberger, artist of AARON AND AHMED, Ron Wimberly the writer/artist of the recently published graphic novel THE PRINCE OF CATS, Becky Cloonan artist of DEMO and most recently BATMAN #12 and Gilbert Hernandez whose short story “The Dark Lady” is featured in the upcoming anthology GHOSTS.

Check out the full listing of comic book and graphic novel related programming below:

BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

10am-6pm

Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza

209 Joralemon Street, BrooklynNY11201

ST. FRANCIS AUDITORIUM (180 Remsen Street)

2:00 P.M. Worlds Built over Time. This all-star panel brings together the narrative geniuses of Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Adrian Tomine (New York Stories) and Gabrielle Bell (The Voyeurs) to discuss how they've developed characters, stories, and imagined worlds over serial publications. Moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos, co-organizer, Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Featuring screen projection.

3:00 P.M. The Sex Panel: Taboo in Pictures. Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets), Leela Corman (Unterzakhn), Molly Crabapple (Devil in the Details) and Bob Fingerman (From the Ashes) talk about sex and taboo in comics. What inspires and informs their work and drives their characters (and readers)? From obscenity to art, and the delicious in-between....Featuring screen projection, with viewer discretion advised! Moderated by Heidi MacDonald, the Beat and Publishers Weekly Comics World.

ST. FRANCIS SCREENING ROOM (180 Remsen Street)

10:00 A.M. Home Is Not A Place. Four authors read and discuss their books whose protagonists are challenged to create and negotiate their identity in a new homeland--a journey fraught with confusion, rebellion and uncertain outcomes. Graphic novelist Leela Corman (Unterzakhn), and authors Patricia Engel (Vida), Luis Alberto Urrea (Into the Beautiful North) and Jose Prieto Manuel (Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire). Moderated by Tiphanie Yanique (How to Escape from a Leper Colony). Featuring screen projection.

11:00 A.M. Comics by the People: Crowd-funding, Kickstarter, and the Future of Fan-supported Art. Self-publishing in indie comics has a strong tradition and now Kickstarter has been called the #2 comics publisher in the US. What is the future of comics publishing? What are the benefits and challenges of directly fan-funded models? Molly Crabapple (Week in Hell), Spike (Poorcraft) and Jamie Tanner (The Black Well) discuss what works, what hasn't and what's to come. Moderated by Meaghan O'Connell, Kickstarter. Featuring screen projection.

12:00 P.M. Rabble-Rousers: Activist Comics. An unabashedly lefty panel of activist artists discuss the relevance and impact of political cartoons as we enter election season: Peter Kuper, editor and co-founder of World War III Illustrated (Diario de Oaxaca); Mr. Fish (Go Fish) and Fly (Peops). Moderated by scholar Jonathan Gray. Featuring screen projection.

1:00 P.M. Make Believe: Genre Comics for the Next Generation. Derek Kirk Kim (Tune: Vanishing Point), Becky Cloonan (Dracula) and Mark Siegel (Sailor Twain)--three very different and equally fabulous cartoonists showcase their new work and talk about what makes genre comics so fun to write, draw, and read. Moderated by fantasy author Ellen Kushner. Featuring screen projection.

3:00 P.M. NYC Inked. Peter Kuper (Drawn to New York) shares a diary portrait of 34 years in NYC; James Romberger (Seven Miles a Second) captures the gritty beauty from the LES to uptown, adapting the late David Wojnarowicz haunting memoir; Colleen Doran (Gone to Amerikay) tells the Irish immigrant's story across three centuries; and newcomer Ron Wimberly (Prince of Cats) rewrites Romeo & Juliet in a Blade-Runner-esque landscape. Moderated by Calvin Reid, Publishers Weekly Comics World. Featuring screen projection.

4:00 P.M. Reality Denied. Science Fiction authors Carla Speed McNeil (Finder: Voice), Lev Grossman (The Magician King) and Terry Bisson (Fire on the Mountain) read and discuss their books which are part-medieval, part-magical, part-historical, and all reality bending! Moderated by literary agent Seth Fishman. Featuring screen projection.

5:00 P.M. Enduring Unlikable Women.  Elissa Schappell (Blue Print), Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets) and Dana Spiotta (Stone Arabia) write difficult, complex female characters. Join these authors in a reading and discussion that looks at the bad boy and the unlikable woman in literature and how they are reviled or celebrated by their audience and creators. Moderated by Meredith Walters, Brooklyn Public Library. Featuring screen projection.

ST. FRANCIS MCARDLE (180 Remsen St)

11:00 A.M. Ink and Pressure: The Delicate Art, History, and Future of Publishing. Three authors look atthe nuts and bolts construction of a comic book empire, the intricacies of what it takes to make magazines, and what journalism means today. Victor Navasky (co-ed., The Art of Making Magazines), and Sean Howe (Marvel Comics: The Untold Story). Moderated by Catherine Chung (Forgotten Country)

YOUTH STOOP (Outdoors)

11:00 A.M. Comics Quick Draw! Three cartoonists face off in this fast-paced contest. Drawing (literally) from the audience suggestions, reader favorites Derek Kirk Kim, Mark Siegel, and Charise Mericle Harper will battle with pen and pad. And, everybody wins; finished art will be gifted to some of the lucky young people in attendance. Moderated by Calvin Reid, editor of Publishers Weekly Comics World.

TARGET CHILDREN’S AREA (Outdoors)

11:00 A.M. Draw-Off - A fast-paced drawing competition by illustrators Dan Yaccarino, cartoonist Frank Viva (Along a Long Road),and cartoonist Jerry Craft (Mama's Boyz).

3:00 P.M. Reading by Frank Viva (Along a Long Road) with support from the Consulate General of Canada


BROOKLYN BOROUGH HALL CONFERENCE ROOM

3:00 P.M. Creating Comics from Life. A comics workshop led by Tracy White. Using a short writing exercise, teens will compose a four panel comic based on an incident from their past.  Ages 12 and up.

BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL BOOKEND EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 17-23, 2012

The Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend events are literary themed events taking place in clubs, parks, bookstores, theatres and libraries culminating with the festival. The Bookends kick-off a long literary weekend with film screenings, parties, literary games and author appearances.

Comics and Related Programming

Tuesday, September 18

Small Demons and The Graphic Canon Double Bill
Experience the new visual index for books, Small Demons! There are prizes involved! Also join Seven Stories Press as they celebrate the first and second volumes of The Graphic Canon, an anthology of world literature adapted by graphic artists and illustrators.
Location: The Bell House, 149 7th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
Time: 7:00 pm
Price: Free
Website: www.thebellhouseny.com; www.smalldemons.com;www.sevenstories.com; www.graphiccanon.com

Thursday, September 20

New York Drawings by Adrian Tomine
Visit the powerHouse Arena for an exciting gallery exhibition, reception and book signing, featuring Adrian Tomine, the popular comic book artist and author of New York Drawings, in conversation with The New Yorker’s art director, Jordan Awan. The exhibition is in conjunction with the publication of New York Drawings along with rare NY-inspired images and sketches.
Location: powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street (at Water Street)
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Price: Free
Website: www.powerhousearena.com

Friday, September 21

Comics Rock Double Bill: The Hernandez Brothers (Love and Rockets Northeast Tour) and Jeffrey Lewis (solo acoustic)
Come enjoy drinks, drawing, and conversation with comics stars The Hernandez Brothers at 8:00 pm and musician and comic artist Jeffrey Lewis at 9:00 pm.
Location: The Rock Shop, 249 4th Avenue (between President and Carroll Streets)
Time: 7:30 pm
Price: $5
Website: www.thejeffreylewissite.com;www.fantagraphics.com/lr30northeasttour

Saturday, September 22

The Comics Crowd
Comics fans will delight in this graphics-heavy event. Creators read from their work, accompanied by projections. Participants include Gabrielle Bell(When I’m Old), Julia Wertz (Drinking at the Movies), Bob Sikoryak(Masterpiece Comics), Lauren Weinstein (Girl Stories), Lisa Hanawalt (I Want You), Aaron Diaz (The Tomorrow Girl) and Michael Kupperman(Tales Designed to Thrizzle). Laughter guaranteed!
Location: Bergen Street Comics, 470 Bergen Street (between Flatbush and 5th Avenues)
Time: 8:00 pm
Price: Free
Website: www.bergenstreetcomics.com

About the Brooklyn Book Festival:

On Sunday, September 23, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., a record 280+ top national and international authors and participants will join bibliophiles, booksellers and literary organizations on 14 stages at Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon Street) and Plaza, Columbus Park, St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights Public Library, Brooklyn Law School, the Brooklyn Historical Society and St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church for the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival. The Festival is supported by AT&T, which is providing an exciting new app to help guide Festival-goers (details to be announced shortly!).

Comics and Graphic Novel Programming has more than doubled in 2012, with major headliners like the Hernandez Bros and recent LA Times Book Prize award-winner Carla Speed McNeil. The Festival’s unique programming approach integrates comics artists on panels with authors and journalists, recognizing and advocating for comics as literature that crosses genres. These pairings offer fresh takes from the usual con fare--and give readers of traditional prose insight into the appeal and power of graphic narratives. In addition, fans will also have a full-day of panels just focused on comics to choose from. There’s something for everyone--from Comics Quick Draw on the Youth Stoop to the all-star cartoonist line-up in Worlds Built Over Time in the St. Francis auditorium. See full listings attached.

All Festival events on Sunday, September 23, are free and—for the first time this year—there will be “Clix not Tix,” meaning no more tickets or ticket lines. Additionally, for the first time ever, the expanded “Bookend” literary-themed events comprise a full week of more than 50 happenings at venues that include clubs, bookstores, theaters and libraries across the borough from September 17 – 23. Most Bookend Events are free (a few charge a modest admission). Comics Book End events include a celebration of the landmark Graphic Canon publication; Adrian Tomine’s gallery opening for New York Stories; a live comics reading with favorites like Michael Kupperman and Julia Wertz, and a Comics Rock event with the Hernandez Bros at The Rock Shop. See full listings attached.

The Brooklyn Book Festival, one of the premier literary events in the country, is an initiative of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council. This hip, smart, diverse—and free—gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages to enjoy authors and the Festival’s lively literary marketplace.

“With an entire week of literary events celebrating the written and spoken word, the seventh annual Brooklyn Book Festival will be bigger and better than ever,” said Johnny Temple, chair of the Brooklyn Literary Council. “The Festival has matured into one of the world’s premier literary destinations, attracting renowned authors, publishers of all sizes, musicians, humorists, graphic novelists, and all of the creative forces that make up our eclectic and constantly evolving literary universe.”

The 2012 Brooklyn Book Festival is presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council, initiatives of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and is proudly supported by AT&T. Additional partners include the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and St. Francis College. Target is the official sponsor of the Children’s Area. Sponsors include: Astoria Federal Savings, Boar’s Head Brand, Citi, Con Edison, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, East River Ferry and National Grid. The Festival is also supported with grants from the Brooklyn Community Foundation, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, NYC & Company Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts. The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel. Media partners include ABC, Time Out New York, The New York Times and WNYC.

Cultural and programming partners are BAM, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Public Library, Cave Canem, The Center for Fiction, London Review of Books, The Nation, the National Book Foundation, The New York Review of Books, PEN American Center, and the Poetry Society of America.

Visit www.brooklynbookfestival.org, Twitter @bkbf or Facebook for
 complete programming list and updates

For photos, www.flickr.com/photos/brooklynbookfestival09